My back door frame and part of the step/sill is rotten and is in need of fixing, but I'm no chippy and I've no idea how to approach this problem. The door itself is steel skin over a wooden frame (I believe).
I'll let the photo's do the talking ...
How should I go about fixing this?
Thanks
fixing, but I'm no chippy and I've no idea how to approach this problem. The door itself is steel skin over a wooden frame (I believe).
The title should have been "How should I approach replacing *part of* this rotten door frame and sill".
The parts you can't see are probably just as rotten. Unless you love the look of the thing, have it replaced with uvpc. £400 well spent in my view
fixing, but I'm no chippy and I've no idea how to approach this problem. The door itself is steel skin over a wooden frame (I believe).
If you don't want to replace it entirely, you could chop out the rotten section and replace with a new hardwood section.
Bear in mind tho' it may well be fastened in some way to the brickwork, and you then would have to do the same with the new piece.
fixing, but I'm no chippy and I've no idea how to approach this problem. The door itself is steel skin over a wooden frame (I believe).
rotten door frame and sill".
Tom, I think you have pretty much taken a photo of my door. I am following the advice in this posting
Having obtained a new sill from a local builders merchant. I don't think the door material is relevant (as the door is not rotten) but I have water leaking round the DG unit in the door and cant see how to remove the DG unit to re seal it.
The only slight problem I had was that the sill was attached to the door posts by screws inserted from below (ie before the door was installed), on one side this was no problem as the sill was sufficiently rotten, the other side required a bit of chiselling to split the wood and so remove the remains of the sill from the door post.
fixing, but I'm no chippy and I've no idea how to approach this problem. The door itself is steel skin over a wooden frame (I believe).
1., remove anything that you can remove with a wire brush.2/. get some stablising rot style resin and paint that in anything punky that's left
3/. let that dry - wait till better weather maybe4/. fill thehole with car body filler - 2 pack stuff with separate catalyst
5/ when tht goes rubbery use a breadknife to remove the bulk of the surplus.6/. when it goes hard use sanding block to fair it in to existing wood.
7/. prime and paint.
Or 20 quid to repair with car body filler.
Chop out offending section and an inch more (multimaster style tools are good here[1])
I would usually cut across the frame at a 45 degree angle (i.e. to make a scarf joint). Cut new (hard)wood section to fit, Counter drill a little way into the new bit, then drill through with a smaller drill. Add liberal quantity of waterproof adhesive (epoxy if the gap is not perfect) and screw through the new bit into the existing. Add a wood plug to cover the screw or fill with a two part wood filler or car body filler. Once in and set, fill (with two part filler again), shape and sand to fit before repainting.
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fixing, but I'm no chippy and I've no idea how to approach this problem. The door itself is steel skin over a wooden frame (I believe).
You're preaching to the converted here. The front of my house is all repaired Victorian sashes. The back of the house is all new pvc.
Indeed . The cost benefit of a complicated carpentry repair verus simple replacement is rubbish. either patch the rotten bit by the quickest simplest method, which is body filler - and that wont rot, either - or replace the whole shebang.
Its not worth dong a 'proper' repair job on wood unless its got some value over and above the raw cost of replacing it. Listed building or fine joinery and the like.
Looking at the OPs p[hoto says to me 'man on a limited budget, and probably with limited carpentry skills or he would have fixed this already';
Hence car body filler which I have used on a similar sort of property in a similar stare to effect a repair that was still perfectly ok when I left the (rented) property.
OP here. Your assumptions are indeed correct. I'm not very good at carpentr y and don't want to have to pay 400 quid or have the hassle of finding a de cent installer to fit a new uPVC door. I'll give the car body filler a go a s it's worth a punt for 20 quid.
Would you use car body filler to repair the softwood door jamb as well as t he hardwood step?
Thanks to all for their input.
and don't want to have to pay 400 quid or have the hassle of finding a decent installer to fit a new uPVC door. I'll give the car body filler a go as it's worth a punt for 20 quid.
hardwood step?
If you are going down that road I would definitely consider treating the ends of the wood (after you have removed as much rot as you can) with something similar to this before you start filling.
Ok, if you're going that route, first find a cheap supplier for the body filler. E.g. you won't get much for £20 in Halfords. You can create straight lines and flat surfaces with bits of ply/hardboard as long as you remember to smear with vaseline to act as a release agent. The suggestion (John Rumm?) of setting new wood into 2 part filler is a good one because a0 it will probably cost less and b) your carpentry skills can be non-existent. This is more like sculpture :-)
and don't want to have to pay 400 quid or have the hassle of finding a decent installer to fit a new uPVC door. I'll give the car body filler a go as it's worth a punt for 20 quid.
hardwood step?
anything thats painted but with the following caveats
- you must get the wood dry (hair drier or wait for a series of fine days)
- you must remove anything that's rotten
- putting screws or nails in will give it something to bond to.
- you can use any lumps of anything to bulk it out...stones gravel or blocks of wood
- you can mould it using polythene sheet and a bit of wood nailed down to keep it there while it sets
Something like:
is reasonably cheap (compared to halfords). You can often get a good deal on ebay for the larger tins of Ronseal's equivalent.
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