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Author: Subject: Help! DIY disaster!
James

posted on 8/2/08 at 10:50 AM Reply With Quote
Help! DIY disaster!

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
Whole door



In detail:
Knackered 'glass'
Knackered 'glass'



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

'Glass' set behind wood?
'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]





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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." - Muhammad Ali

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tegwin

posted on 8/2/08 at 10:53 AM Reply With Quote
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)

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RazMan

posted on 8/2/08 at 10:54 AM Reply With Quote
Make it a feature like TVR did with the huge door gaps?





Cheers,
Raz

When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box

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02GF74

posted on 8/2/08 at 10:56 AM Reply With Quote
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.
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rayward

posted on 8/2/08 at 10:57 AM Reply With Quote
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

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pewe

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:02 AM Reply With Quote
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

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Fozzie

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:04 AM Reply With Quote
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!





'Racing is Life!...anything before or after is just waiting'....Steve McQueen


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James

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:12 AM Reply With Quote
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]





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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." - Muhammad Ali

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iank

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:14 AM Reply With Quote
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





--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous

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James

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:21 AM Reply With Quote
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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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." - Muhammad Ali

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James

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:24 AM Reply With Quote
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





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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." - Muhammad Ali

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tegwin

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:26 AM Reply With Quote
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.

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James

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:29 AM Reply With Quote
I think it's one single perspex panel with the wood fixed over the top and all around.... nice and secure!





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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." - Muhammad Ali

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Mr Whippy

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:35 AM Reply With Quote
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.





Fame is when your old car is plastered all over the internet

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chunkytfg

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:44 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
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.


This the same dad that said it was a quality door?!!

Any chippy who's any good would have had that door hung in hours regardless of how out of true the frame is

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billynomates

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:55 AM Reply With Quote
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.

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billynomates

posted on 8/2/08 at 11:58 AM Reply With Quote
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.
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Dangle_kt

posted on 8/2/08 at 12:20 PM Reply With Quote
Hi,

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

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JonBowden

posted on 8/2/08 at 12:34 PM Reply With Quote
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





Jon

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Humbug

posted on 8/2/08 at 12:42 PM Reply With Quote
use a piece of fine sandpaper and go over the perspex for a DIY frosted look. Should be OK... can't be any worse
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Jasper

posted on 8/2/08 at 12:53 PM Reply With Quote
Stop with the bloody DIY and get that car finished





If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.

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tegwin

posted on 8/2/08 at 12:54 PM Reply With Quote
Torch the house...claim on insurance...


Get new door for free

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DaveFJ

posted on 8/2/08 at 01:05 PM Reply With Quote
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.





Dave

"In Support of Help the Heroes" - Always

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McLannahan

posted on 8/2/08 at 01:16 PM Reply With Quote
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]






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alfasudsprint

posted on 8/2/08 at 01:46 PM Reply With Quote
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.

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