Front door renovation?

[Pickleeditor]

Hi all, I’m looking to get my solid wooden front door renovated rather than replaced if I can. It would need some tlc and repairs to the door and a repaint. I’ve looked at new doors and don’t seem to fancy any of the newer options on my old house.

is this doable? Has anyone done this and do you have an idea of cost? I love it and it’s in keeping with the house so keen to keep it if it is possible. I’m looking at local companies but I don’t seem to find many?

Renovate if you can.

We have a UPVC front door that I want to replace with wood and the quotes are eye watering.

You might be able to do a lot of the work yourself: ClingStrip and/or heat gun, putty, a good sand and some paint?

You could try advertising the job on my builder.com, I’ve had some success there finding people to do smaller jobs.

Maybe it’s also something you could do yourself, if it’s mainly repainting that needs doing?

What exactly does it need? I’m going to do ours myself, but it only really needs a lick of paint

Thanks both, I think it needs a little more work than I can do myself. I’m hands on but feel this is above my skills.

I’ll see what my builder has to offer, thanks.

@ReetPetity i looked at both upvc and wooden and you’re right. The cost to replace the door seems to be £4k +!!

I renovated our front door but all it needed was a really good sand down and repainting.

If you need help with more complex repairs could you ask on your local facebook group or the like? I did this and have hit into a rich seam of older, retired tradesmen who do a little bit of work here and there for beer money. They are really reasonably priced and have all been lovely. Once I got an electrician he knew a plumber etc.

Definitely renovate it. Plastic doors are hideous. I would get a carpenter to replace any rotten or damaged wood, and then a good painter to sand, undercoat and paint it.

A really good quality composite door like Residor are great and will last a long time. With super Ultion locks they are bullet proof and about £1500 +fitting.

Otherwise, find a carpenter to renovate your door.

I’m doing the same and in our specific case a refurbishment is doable. The door is 90 years old but in pretty good condition as it’s in a porch. It’s just not quite square anymore so the top and bottom need trimming to square it up. A new oak strip will be added to the bottom and it will be stained to blend it in to make it look like the rest of the original door. Then the whole thing will be sanded and re sealed. Finally a new insulation strip will be added to stop drafts. This is being done by a really good carpenter I found that does bespoke carpentry. I got my quote today and it is costing me just under £600.
Seems reasonable to me but I’m not sure if it’s the best quote.

I have found someone with lots of really positive reviews, so I’m going with him. Thank you @Hugmorecats , I went through builder.com. Now to choose a colour for the door ….

@Ilovemyshed thank you for the composite suggestion but I’ve looked and looked and can’t find anything I want. I do like what I have, I just didn’t know if renovation was a thing. Door specialist I have found (salesmen) have all said replace… of course they have 🤦‍♀️

@Pickleeditor that’s great news! :)

Yes I recommend My Builder too
if you add pics you’ll get an accurate quote.
they might take the door off & sand it, fill it, repaint it properly which would be ideal but not a dealbreaker

@Alicewinn He has said he will do this so that’s positive. I have had a couple of replies to say it’s too old. I am keen to try with it, it’s got some life in it yet.

How is a wooden door thermally efficient? Have the same issue except ours have single glazed glazed so they let are terrible at keeping the heat in!

@Theedgeoftheabyss i’m not sure that they will be as efficient but mines solid wood, no glass so I don’t think i have the problem you do with the single glazing.

@QuaintAquaSnail my quote is £400, with the work you have said is needed I don’t think that’s too bad