Can these doors be repaired, and what cost?

[FixedGear]

I've had a temporary 3 year position in the states and have been renting a house. There are 3 wooden doors that have 10 individual window panes in them. I think they're pretty expensive doors.

Unfortunately, one of my cats has scratched the bottom wooden frames on all 3 doors (she freaks when she sees cats outside and tries to scratch through the door haha). The scratching seems to be only on the little wooden jamb that holds the window in place. Can anyone tell me if this could be repaired by just replacing the wooden jamb, or will I have to replace all 3 doors? I think I could get away with it by not telling my landlord during walk through, but i'd feel like a real scumbag so I'm going to tell her. I just want to try and figure out what the cost will be, as I may try and get it fixed myself.


» Click image for larger version



» Click image for larger version

[tirebob]

If that is a separate piece of moulding that holds in the pain of glass, absolutely you can have them replaced... Shouldn't be difficult

[FixedGear]

in looking closer, I don't think it's a separate piece of moulding - I think it's part of that whole bottom panel of the door. Does this mean i'll be buying 2 new doors?

[jeffh]

Try sanding it down a bit so its smooth and less noticeable. Then you may need to put some varnish on it.

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by FixedGear
in looking closer, I don't think it's a separate piece of moulding - I think it's part of that whole bottom panel of the door. Does this mean i'll be buying 2 new doors?

You should be able to sand it down and build up the low areas with putty, there are some good puttys out there that you can stain to match the door, or you could try something like minwax wood filler that has pre-mixed colors.

Looking closely I am 99% certain that piece can be removed and replaced, should be fairly straightforward, but I would sitll try a repair first as that will be way cheaper.

[FixedGear]

^thanks for the advice. i did look at it super close, and I think that bottom part is actually just a routered bit of the bottom panel. I tried to slide a piece of paper in there (where a crack should be) and I couldn't.

my landlord is really cool and I don't want to screw here over, but if the doors are $500 each, then I might try my hand at repairing it first haha

[FixedGear]

also, the house is 100 years old and in an inner city historic neighborhood. Her father (in his late 80s) actually grew up here and they're really attached to the house. Plus, it was totally gutted and renovated just before I moved in, so it's a nice place and I'd feel terrible to hide it and screw her over.

[firebane]

That will be a very difficult fix and not a easy one at all

[FixedGear]

UPDATE:

OK, don't want to get into details, but my landlord has turned out to be a slimy cunt and is trying to screw me on all of the legal technicalities in the lease. So, instead of being the honest and moral person that I always aspire to be, i'm going to try my best to hide this damage from her.

Someone above recommended fine-grained sandpaper and varnish - is this something I will have to select to match the color of the door?

[A790]

Originally posted by FixedGear
UPDATE:

OK, don't want to get into details, but my landlord has turned out to be a slimy cunt and is trying to screw me on all of the legal technicalities in the lease. So, instead of being the honest and moral person that I always aspire to be, i'm going to try my best to hide this damage from her.

Someone above recommended fine-grained sandpaper and varnish - is this something I will have to select to match the color of the door?

lol let us know how that works out for you.

[firebane]

Originally posted by FixedGear
UPDATE:

OK, don't want to get into details, but my landlord has turned out to be a slimy cunt and is trying to screw me on all of the legal technicalities in the lease. So, instead of being the honest and moral person that I always aspire to be, i'm going to try my best to hide this damage from her.

Someone above recommended fine-grained sandpaper and varnish - is this something I will have to select to match the color of the door?

If this is in fact what you want to do then get some wood filler and match it to the door. Build it up like bondo sand it down and then stain.

[revelations]

^ thats what I would try as well.

[FixedGear]

OK stupid question, but how do I match it to the color of the door? do I just try to buy a putty that appear similar in the store, and hope for the best?

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by FixedGear
OK stupid question, but how do I match it to the color of the door? do I just try to buy a putty that appear similar in the store, and hope for the best?

You can buy color matched putty, buy a few that are close to the color, take them home to compare to the door, return those you don't use. Other option is to use mastic or something and mix stain but this is much harder to get a good match unless you have a lot of experience.

[FixedGear]

^thanks

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by FixedGear
^thanks

Just to add, you can mix the puttys together to get a more perfect match if need be, just blend them in your hand with a glove on until they are fully mixed.

[FixedGear]

^thanks man! I really appreciate your advice.