My Mum's got some posh distant relatives coming over and although generally embarassed about the state of the house she was particularly worried about the flaking varnished mahogany front door.

She couldn't strip it down so I said I'd do it for her.

Spent all yesterday morning sanding it and rubbing it down. Couldn't get the sander in the tight corners etc. so I used Nitromors.

What I've then found to my horror was that this supposedly expensive door had PERSPEX and not glass panels. Consequently the Nitromors has melted the Perspex and it looks bloomin awful!

I don't know what to do now as it looks like the wood is constructed around the perspex so I'll have to dismantle half the door to get it apart to replace the 'glass'.

Looking to the ever-resourceful LB for help.

My nightmare:



Whole door


In detail:

Knackered 'glass'


The wood appears to be constructed on top of the glass:


'Glass' set behind wood?



Help other than "buy a new door" most appreciated!

Thanks,
James

[Edited on 8/2/08 by James]



EDIT: work was done on the outside of the door. Too cold and depressed to take from there though!

[Edited on 8/2/08 by James]

Do the rest of the window with nitromorse....Itl look like frosted privacy glass....

Or how about cutting the plastic out and then fitting glass pannels with very small nails followed by window putty....(The old fashioned way)

Make it a feature like TVR did with the huge door gaps?

take a photo of the inside looking through the door and smae of the outside then stick on the panels so they still appear to be glass.

b&q sell some stick on vinyl that makes glass look like etched glass(for privacy etc) it will cover up the bad bits

Ray

Cut some 6 mm ply to shape and stick it front and back on each "glass" panel then stain the same as the rest or the door. Given there's a window next to the door you won't lose a significant amount of light. Also like rayward's suggestion of the stick-on obscured viynl from B&Q as an alternative.
Cheers, Pewe

When are the rellies due over James?

Now the damage is done..I suppose it's useless to say never take owt for granted as to what the 'materials' are supposed to be! and that preparation (masking etc) is very, very important..

Does Mum need the 'glass' to be kept clear?

Fozzie

just seen raywards post...seems like more of an easy fix than the one I was thinking of!

My Dad's always banging on about what an expensive quality door this was blah blah blah. Consequently never dawned on me it'd be anything but glass.... not tacky placky plastic!

Although they 'wobble' I'm buggered if I can remove the central 'spokes' on top of the plastic. To try and remove it properly.

So it seems vinyl is beginning to look like the most practical option.
Will pop to B&Q now and try a bit, see what it looks like.

Cheers,
James

[Edited on 8/2/08 by James]

B&Q have a sale on at the moment
Can get an exterior door for less than £55 right now which might not be much more than repairing the current one.
linky

Foz,
Next weekend IIRC


iank,
A new door has been considered!!!

Problem with that is that (according to Dad) the frame is so out of true that it took a carpenter 2 days to hang the current one.

I like the idea of cutting out the plastic and fitting separate glass panels.... not sure about the nails and putty though... sounds a bit difficult!

Can you buy curved beading/trim? Could fit that around where the glass has to go so it's secure.

At the end of the day, putty and nails would be easy to punch out the glass then reach in and open the door for burglars!

Gah!!!

Off to B&Q

That presumably is why they have fitted plastic...

No reason why you cant get polycarbonate or perspex pannels cut out, stick them in with the putty and nails..


You only need a few nails either side of the glass/plastic to stop it moving whilst you put the putty on and let it set.

I think it's one single perspex panel with the wood fixed over the top and all around.... nice and secure!

there only one real option

get a new door, as the place will stink as the vanish drys even if you do repace the plastic. Have a look in classifieds as people are always selling stuf like that.

quote:

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Originally posted by James
Foz,
Next weekend IIRC


iank,
A new door has been considered!!!

Problem with that is that (according to Dad) the frame is so out of true that it took a carpenter 2 days to hang the current one.

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New door. There's no way you can repair that one and make it look any better than it does now. Not unless you get some proffessional help.
I'm not questioning your diy skills. But trying to fit bead and glass, or trying to fit glass with putty will never be as easy as it sounds.

Don't know what the going rate for getting a door hung is in Surrey, but it's no more than half a days work, get somebody to agree a price on the phone and let them worry about the twisted frame when they get there.

Hi,

Frosted glass look would be fine I reakon. You dont need a new door for THAT!

if you are good at woodwork, you could :
Remove the perspex and the radial sections leaving a half circle hole
have a new piece of glass made up to fit
Support the glass on one side with trim pinned and glued to the door
hold the glass in place with brown silicone sealant

use a piece of fine sandpaper and go over the perspex for a DIY frosted look. Should be OK... can't be any worse

Stop with the bloody DIY and get that car finished

Torch the house...claim on insurance...


Get new door for free

try a polishing wheel on a dremel... it will be distorted a bit but you should be able to get it clear again...

If its really bad the use some >1500 grit wet and dry first.

You can buy glass frosting spray (Sounds like Tartan paint but I assure you it does exist!)

Two seconds to spray over that and none of the hassle of that fiddly sticky plastic sheet!

Linky here!

[Edited on 8/2/08 by McLannahan]

You could fairly easily hang the door yourself mate, measure it up see if its a standard size. You can easily cut a door down for height, width a planer is required really. Twisted frame may make fitting lock difficult.
On another note, are there beads on the outside (they should be on the inside for security and weathering). If no beads, no way you will get that out.

BTW if you want to tart the place up, buy a letter plate tidy for inside. Or dont bother and they'll be gone and forgotten in a couple of days!
Good luck.

quote:

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Originally posted by Jasper
Stop with the bloody DIY and get that car finished

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Paint it diffrent colours and say its stained glass, thats dead posh and you could charge them for the effect!!

quote:

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Originally posted by James

quote:

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Originally posted by Jasper
Stop with the bloody DIY and get that car finished

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Funny you should say that....

As I was driving to B&Q in the tin top in the warm sunshine (it's t-shirt weather outside here) I was cursing the Locost's current state and thinking it'd be nice to come down in it to visit the Brighton Teddy Bear Emporium! :p

[Edited on 8/2/08 by James]

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One or possibly even two if you want dual steering!
Although I think the 2nd is actually ChrisW's that he lent me about 5 years ago!

Looking forward to seeing the Stylus very much!

Cheers,
James

quote:

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Originally posted by DaveFJ
try a polishing wheel on a dremel... it will be distorted a bit but you should be able to get it clear again...

If its really bad the use some >1500 grit wet and dry first.

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quote:

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Originally posted by James
My Mum's got some posh distant relatives coming over

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quote:

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Originally posted by James
It's now much improved.... looks like I've sprayed it with the spray on Frosting! In fact, when it;s wet, it looks almost perfect!

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