Is there anything I can do with an old solid wood exterior door?

[Michael Yadfar]

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They just recently tore down a perfectly good farmhouse next to me that was built in 1803, because it is "in the way" of the new townhouse development. Anyway, they salvaged some materials, but they left the front door behind for whatever reason. They said I can have it. This obviously has some junk on it, but this is a solid wood door, likely very old, and it has the old brass door handle. The wood isn't rotted at all even thought the paints peeling off. This doesn't have much value as an actual door because it's only 6' high. I'm wondering if this door is worth taking and if anyone has any creative ideas to do with it

[Bruce Volden]

I've seen on the DIY shows where they turn it into a table of sorts with a glass top--Always leaving it rustic.
Personally not my style but it is was creative.

Bruce

[Peter Kelly]

Are you referring to that nasty looking dirt pile behind the Concordville Home Depot? Depresses me to no end to see old places torn down for new crappy developments.

[Larry Fox]

A cousin of mine has both an eye for using things like this in creative ways and a very nice house. I was visiting her last year and she took a door a lot like this, had the top two raised panels cut out and replaced by windows. She then painted an outdoor scene on the back of the windows as if you were looking outside and hung the door on the wall at the bottom of a staircase. It sounds odd and I would think so as well if I had not seen it myself but it was extremely cool and creative.

[Mike Wilkins]

Get it off the ground quick before the bugs find it. Decorators can find many uses for a door like this. Or you could clean it up, apply fresh paint and hang it in your home. Be sure to watch out for lead paint, which was common on old homes.

[Jak Kelly]

Make a small cabinet in the shop maybe.......... I like the window and picture idea to.

[Myk Rian]

Grab it and clean it up. Sell it to an interior decorator for a thousand bucks.
Really.

[Frederick Skelly]

You could refinish it, make a simple matching "stand" of some sort and use it as part of a room divider. You know, put potted plants on either side of it, etc. If you could learn more about the history of that house, you could attach an engraved plate to it with a summary of the history. Could be a great conversation piece.

Fred

[scott vroom]

Looks like firewood to me.

[ray hampton]

HOW old is the brass door knob ? what type of lock did the door use ? what type of wood were use for building the door ?

[Jim Rimmer]

Get it off the ground quick before the bugs find it. Decorators can find many uses for a door like this. Or you could clean it up, apply fresh paint and hang it in your home. Be sure to watch out for lead paint, which was common on old homes.

Don't sand it or strip it. Paint over it or seal it with varnish or something but don't get the lead dust flying.

[Benjamin Brown]

294666

They just recently tore down a perfectly good farmhouse next to me that was built in 1803, because it is "in the way" of the new townhouse development. Anyway, they salvaged some materials, but they left the front door behind for whatever reason. They said I can have it. This obviously has some junk on it, but this is a solid wood door, likely very old, and it has the old brass door handle. The wood isn't rotted at all even thought the paints peeling off. This doesn't have much value as an actual door because it's only 6' high. I'm wondering if this door is worth taking and if anyone has any creative ideas to do with it

My favorite idea for using an old door like this was as a headboard -

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This example used a french cleat but you could also frame it out instead. I think it looks great as long as the panels are symmetrical.

[Michael Yadfar]

HOW old is the brass door knob ? what type of lock did the door use ? what type of wood were use for building the door ?

I don't really know, I haven't seen it in person yet, someone sent me this photo and told me about it (a friend). I would hope the lock would be one of those big key hole ones, but I doubt that for an exterior door. The door is probably a native eastern wood, so maybe maple...

[Erik Loza]

We salvaged one from our remodel and I had this idea to make a decorative archway to part of the garden and use that door. Forgot about the project after a while, then ended up giving it to some neighborhood folks. I think they used it for a chicken coop or something. Too much work to do anything structural with but plenty of potential for artsy-type projects.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Chris Padilla]

Bench top.

[Harlan Barnhart]

Build a large cabinet for it, scrape off the flakes and seal. Use the old hardware.

[Vince Shriver]

Benjamin, that's clever. Who would have thought a door could come out looking as nice as a headboard.

[Alan Gan]

No expert but it looks like a Pre-Hung door, did they build houses back then with a pre-Hung? Frankly it does notlook that old too me, but what do I know.

[Michael Yadfar]

No expert but it looks like a Pre-Hung door, did they build houses back then with a pre-Hung? Frankly it does notlook that old too me, but what do I know.

It very well could be, I don't know much about it myself. It would make sense because for an exterior door, you may want to "upgrade". I guess it's still debatable whether I could use it, because it is about 2" if solid wood. Then again, my cousin replaced all her solid wood interior doors and threw them out...

[lowell holmes]

You could take the door and disassemble it to see how it's made. If it appears that the stiles and rails are staves wrapped with fir, then it is not an old solid wood door.

I would think it would be obvious if they are solid wood.

[scott vroom]

I guess it's still debatable whether I could use it, because it is about 2" if solid wood.

To me a solid wood door is a slab wood door. What you have is a 6 panel rail/stile/mullion door that is probably a strong gust away from falling apart.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Looks like firewood to me.W/all the lead paint that door has on it, I wouldn't even think about burning it.

That door is what I like to call these days - "Some one else's problem".
I'd let the thing just lay where it is and let someone else worry about the haz-mat disposal.

[Michael Yadfar]

W/all the lead paint that door has on it, I wouldn't even think about burning it.

That door is what I like to call these days - "Some one else's problem".
I'd let the thing just lay where it is and let someone else worry about the haz-mat disposal.

Off topic, but this is my thread, my neighbors 3 story 4200 sq ft clapboard sided house is painted with lead paint. He plans to restore it soon, but I'm sure that's gonna be quite a bit of fun, especially with the reactions here on a potentially lead paint door! He plans to preserve the siding, but I don't think it's even worth it, especially because the walls behind it are solid stone

[ray hampton]

Off topic, but this is my thread, my neighbors 3 story 4200 sq ft clapboard sided house is painted with lead paint. He plans to restore it soon, but I'm sure that's gonna be quite a bit of fun, especially with the reactions here on a potentially lead paint door! He plans to preserve the siding, but I don't think it's even worth it, especially because the walls behind it are solid stone

A stone wall and someone added siding to it [make sense ]
What year was the siding last coat of lead paint
can a building or a wooden door be sand blasted with a light stream of water to make sure that the lead do not GO Airborne

[Michael Yadfar]

A stone wall and someone added siding to it [make sense ]
What year was the siding last coat of lead paint
can a building or a wooden door be sand blasted with a light stream of water to make sure that the lead do not GO Airborne

Last coat of lead paint was the last time they painted it sometime in the early 70s. The house is in rough shape, but not as bad as you would imagine. If there's an advantage to lead paint, it's durability, I heard its 3x more durable than modern paint. Btw, the door is not from my neighbors house; two different topics. Now I figure the door may not even be worth the wood

[Rich Engelhardt]

can a building or a wooden door be sand blasted with a light stream of water to make sure that the lead do not GO Airborne
There are very specific guidelines the EPA lays out for dealing with lead based paint.

The short answer to your question is - probably not...

A water stream may be used, but, some provision has to be made to capture and dispose of any debris that the stream dislodges. You just can't run water over it and let the water run onto the bare ground and carry little bits of lead paint. Doing that just spreads the problem around and creates a much larger (and more expensive) mess to clean up.
Now, instead of just a 6'x 30 something inch door to deal with, you have several tons of soil to bag and remove.

[ray hampton]

There are very specific guidelines the EPA lays out for dealing with lead based paint.

The short answer to your question is - probably not...

A water stream may be used, but, some provision has to be made to capture and dispose of any debris that the stream dislodges. You just can't run water over it and let the water run onto the bare ground and carry little bits of lead paint. Doing that just spreads the problem around and creates a much larger (and more expensive) mess to clean up.
Now, instead of just a 6'x 30 something inch door to deal with, you have several tons of soil to bag and remove.

to remove lead paint by any means require you to contains the paint as it are remove, secure a sheet of plastic to the building outer wall is one way to route the water/paint/sand into a container that could be disposal of properly,

[ray hampton]

Last coat of lead paint was the last time they painted it sometime in the early 70s. The house is in rough shape, but not as bad as you would imagine. If there's an advantage to lead paint, it's durability, I heard its 3x more durable than modern paint. Btw, the door is not from my neighbors house; two different topics. Now I figure the door may not even be worth the wood

IF a coat of paint lasts from the 70s until this year then it is more like 30x more durable
DID the company that tore the building down that the door came from follow the require method of disposal

[Michael Yadfar]

IF a coat of paint lasts from the 70s until this year then it is more like 30x more durable
DID the company that tore the building down that the door came from follow the require method of disposal

The house with the lead paint from the 70s is my neighbors house which has not been torn down but will be renovated. The house torn down with the door is unknown to me whether it has lead paint or not