Don't replace a door if you don't need to!
Are your timber doors damaged and rotting due to over-exposure to moisture and time? The sooner you jump on repairing rot, the better! Once it sets in, it just keeps getting worse and worse and what might have started as a quick, cheap fix could eventually need a whole new replacement door.
If there is a specific cause for the increased moisture that has rotted your door, it may have affected other areas such as your walls and frames. Issues like this can get very costly. The best option here is to identify and rectify the cause before attempting to repair the damage, otherwise you’ll find the issue will reoccur. It might feel like a big outlay, but it’ll be cheaper than allowing things to get worse and worse.
The type of repair works that can be carried out on rotten doors varies depending on how bad the rot is. Your budget will also play a part in this, as some stages of rotten doors could have various potential fixes. You might end up spending more money than you actually need to, purely for aesthetic reasons. If you’re maintaining a high-end home and you have the budget to do so, that’s wonderful! If you don’t have a huge budget, there could be cheaper options to consider.
Slightly Rotten Doors
If the rot damage is only slight, there’s a cost effective method of fixing this! We can chisel out the affected areas, fill them and sand them, then repaint the door. In order for this to be an effective solution, the removal of any rot-affected timber has to be done. It may look a little aggressive, but it is a necessary step to avoid continuation of the degradation.
This is the cheapest solution for you, especially when the damage is minor.
Moderately Rotten Doors
When the rot damage is a little worse you may still have the option of cutting away the rot-affected timber. This can then be filled, sanded and painted to match the rest of the timber. Once the rot is deep enough that a full section of timber would need to be removed, you may be out of luck for a repair. This all depends on the style of door. Some styles may be suitable to have fresh timber pieced in to replace the removed sections, but this is only in rare scenarios. Otherwise, it will need to be replaced.
Remember that the above options will only be suitable if the doors can be painted. If you have stained timber doors, any filler will be a completely different flat colour which does not look anything like your stained timber. You’ll either need to agree to compromise by painting the entire door a single colour, or you’ll need to replace the door with a new one.
Severely Rotten Doors
On doors where the rot is so severe that it penetrates the full depth of the timber in large sections, you will need to replace the door. There is only so much that can be done to fix this, which is why we highly recommend repairs when the rot is only minor.
Door Hardware
If the areas on your rotten doors affect the door hardware, we will need to remove it and assess whether it can be reused. Sometimes it will be possible to reuse the hardware, other times new hardware will need to be purchased and installed.
Doors with Glass
If your rotten doors have glass in them, don’t fear! We can still repair these types of doors. It is possible for us to carefully remove the glass and re-fit it after the repairs are done, or we can work around the glass if it is possible to do so. If the existing glass is in need of repair, we can also replace it with new glass to make your door look as fresh and new as possible.
Have enough information now, or would you like to know more? Contact us now with images of the rotten door repairs you need and we will get back to you as soon as possible to discuss the options you have available to you. Remember, images of the job are essential to providing you the fastest quote.
Minimising exposure to moisture is incredibly important to reducing the likelihood of rot setting in. Bad ventilation in bathrooms tend to be a real culprit here, with rising damp and mould a good indicator of potential moisture problems. If you can improve the ventilation, you can help slow down any damage caused by moisture.
Timber rot in doors is most commonly caused by the deterioration of the sealing layer on the timber. Over time and through exposure to wear and tear and weather, this seal can be worn away allowing moisture to penetrate the timber. Once moisture finds its way in, it will keep doing so, and will sit in the timber causing rot.
You should fix the cause of the rot, but it is not always necessary to make it the first thing you do if you’re on a tight budget. You need to have the cause assessed first. Your newly sealed timber door will hold up to general weather conditions for quite some time. However if you have something that’s scraping against the door and removing the protective layer, moisture can get in again and cause more rot.
In cases where age is the cause, removing the rot, repairing and then resealing your timber will generally be enough to stop the issue from recurring. However if there’s a specific cause (rather than just general wear over time) then you will need to address this cause to avoid recurrences of the rot. This will need to be assessed in order to confirm.
Now, this is subjective. It all depends on the type of door that you’re talking about. For instance, if you’re talking about heavy timber bifold doors or french doors, you would be saving thousands and thousands of dollars. More basic or single doors you might still be saving a fair few hundred dollars.