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Door Restoration, Refinishing and Repair |
"A quality finish is impossible to obtain if you don't prepare the wood properly."
- Bob Flexner, Understanding Wood Finishing.
Restoration with multiple repairs
The door below was in really tough shape. The recessed panels in the sidelights were completely destroyed by years of exposure. A business card could be passed through the cracks in the panels. About a third of the glass had been replaced by plastic (plexiglass). The bottom of the door was cracked, split, and rotted leaving a half inch gap between the door and threshold. The weatherstripping was shot and there was no seal between the wood and surrounding concrete. The hinges were loose and several of the original screws were stripped. The finish was almost gone, with nearly half of the wood exposed.
Several contractors bid on this job and recommended full removal and replacement of the door and sidelights.
Ravenwood Restoration saw that this was not necessary, and saved the owners several thousand dollars.
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Work in progress: weather ravaged front entry door in Albany Park. |
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For one quarter the price of removal and replacement, Ravenswood Restoration fully refurbished the door and sidelights. Today it looks just as good as when it was completed two years ago. The panels were carefully removed and replaced. The bottom of the door was sawed clean and rebuilt. All the wood was stripped and sanded to a clean, smooth surface, then restained and coated twice with marine spar urethane. The hinges were repaired, glass replaced, weatherstripping installed, wood completely sealed to the masonry, and new brass numbers and a brand new brass kick plate were installed to really dress things up...
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Job complete: full restoration at one quarter the price of replacement. |
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Restoration and refinishing
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Before and after: front entry door on Halsted St. in Lincoln Park. |
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Chicago weather wreaks havoc on your front door. Extremes in temperature, sun, wind, rain, ice and snow all have destructive effects on your door's finish. When the finish is worn away and the wood is exposed the door will deteriorate. Even solid hardwoods - and especially veneers - split, crack and wear away under the strain of our changing seasons.
When you see exposed wood, even on a small area of your door, it is time for professional help.
Ravenswood Restoration can do everything from specifically addressing problem areas without refinishing the entire door to completely stripping, sanding, restaining and clearcoating the entire door, transom, and sidelights.
If repairs to the door are needed, they can be done, too.
Gallery of before and after pictures.
Door Parts and Hardware Replacement
Repairs, parts in need of replacement and various adjustments to existing door components are common, especially with old doors. From creaking and sticking, drafty gaps and misalignments, to not opening and closing or latching properly, Ravenswood Restoration can fix it.
If needed, careful attention is paid to weatherproofing, including full spring bronze weatherstripping and sealing the door to the surrounding structure.
Individual door components that can be replaced as needed include:
- Weatherstripping
- Door sweeps
- Door hardware: knobs, handles, deadbolts, latches, hinges, mail slots and kick plates
- Thresholds
- Glass & Windows
- Glazing
- Split or damaged door panels and veneers
- Door stops
- Jambs
Adjust and reposition - latches, hinges, sweeps, jambs, windows and glass, door hardware: knobs, deadbolts, thresholds, kick plates, mail slots.