Author Topic: Can used doors be used?  (Read 3415 times)

Luap595

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Can used doors be used?
« on: October 13, 2019, 10:00:53 PM »
I want to replace the doors in my house. It's former rental and every door looks as if it were kicked in and glued back together. I've noticed that the Re-Store has doors for just $2.00 each, but these are used, and have already been fitted for other hinges/doorways. Is it possible to fit them for a new set of hinges without it looking too terrible? I imagine I'll have at least 2 extra sets of holes... Is there something else I'm missing?

middo

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2019, 10:23:13 PM »
Yes, you can re-use doors.  Internal doors are made of mostly cardboard, with a small section of wood around the edges and where the handle goes.  You generally cannot cut them down significantly, so find the correct size within 10 mm, and shave it down gently if needed.  Use the handle hole already in the door.

You can match the new hinge and handle locations on the house , and fill the holes in the door frame with builders bog (or whatever it is called in the US, and paint over. 

lthenderson

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2019, 10:24:25 PM »
It is definitely doable but it a slightly more advanced project than just putting in a new door and jamb. Some of the things you will have to deal with will include trimming the door to fit a doorway that may have settled over the years to give even reveal lines all the way around. Also, if you are using different hinges, you will have to remortise the hinges in proper locations. You didn't mention if the door is painted or stained. If the door is painted, you can glue in filler pieces of wood in old mortises and sand flush so when you paint, you can't see the repair. On stained, it is more difficult as you may have to try matching stain or just live with the previous holes as "character". There are lots of video examples online of rehanging used doors in jambs. I would watch several of those to see if it is some thing you wish to tackle.

Luap595

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2019, 08:22:43 AM »
Thanks for the replies! Much appreciated. I've tried to find videos about re-hanging, but my Google searches only reveal endless list posts about "upcycling" them into other things.

Papa bear

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2019, 10:22:46 AM »
It is definitely doable but it a slightly more advanced project than just putting in a new door and jamb. Some of the things you will have to deal with will include trimming the door to fit a doorway that may have settled over the years to give even reveal lines all the way around. Also, if you are using different hinges, you will have to remortise the hinges in proper locations. You didn't mention if the door is painted or stained. If the door is painted, you can glue in filler pieces of wood in old mortises and sand flush so when you paint, you can't see the repair. On stained, it is more difficult as you may have to try matching stain or just live with the previous holes as "character". There are lots of video examples online of rehanging used doors in jambs. I would watch several of those to see if it is some thing you wish to tackle.

This exactly.  Couldn’t say it better.


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Jon Bon

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2019, 10:49:31 AM »
Same as posters above, reusing just a door is a huge pain in the ass. It can be done but it has some pretty tight tolerances that you need to match up.

The only time I have reused doors is when they are antique doors and you cant really find them new anymore. Even if you could they would be obviously new and not match the existing doors in the house. This is a big job to do.

That being said in a rental a new prehung door is like $60 bucks. I doubt a used door would ever line up 100% correctly and it would cost you way more than $60 in labor to put in.




lthenderson

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2019, 01:20:06 PM »
Thanks for the replies! Much appreciated. I've tried to find videos about re-hanging, but my Google searches only reveal endless list posts about "upcycling" them into other things.

Here is a good video showing some of the things you can run into rehanging a salvaged door in an existing jam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqMlINzSBN4

Luap595

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #7 on: October 14, 2019, 02:05:45 PM »
Wow. That looks like a PITA. It's a shame to have so many doors sitting at the re-store and not be able to use them, but looks like just buying a new one is my best bet. Thanks!

lthenderson

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2019, 06:58:46 AM »
Wow. That looks like a PITA. It's a shame to have so many doors sitting at the re-store and not be able to use them, but looks like just buying a new one is my best bet. Thanks!

I think why some people go through all that effort is because some doors are unique and of better quality than many new doors made today. I once salvaged the doors out of an old farmhouse once for a person who ended up selling them for several thousand dollars each! They were solid walnut and nearly ten feet tall with beautiful heavy duty brass hardware. I'm not sure you could buy something like that new anymore.

Fishindude

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #9 on: October 15, 2019, 07:09:00 AM »
Yep, this is pretty advanced carpentry.

Dancin'Dog

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #10 on: October 15, 2019, 08:11:07 AM »
Slightly off topic:


I found a place that sells solid Black Walnut (actually a dark tropical species that looks like Black Walnut) prehung interior doors for $179 each, for all sizes.  We used them throughout our place in the mountains that I built.  I just coated them with Linseed oil.  They really look amazing.  I also bought a few unhung door blanks for about $129 that I used for sliding doors.


I bought them at Big Johns Closeouts in Mountain City, TN. 

Jon Bon

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #11 on: October 15, 2019, 01:29:20 PM »
Wow. That looks like a PITA. It's a shame to have so many doors sitting at the re-store and not be able to use them, but looks like just buying a new one is my best bet. Thanks!

Yup, plus that's Tom fucking Silva whose got 40 years of experience. A carpenter with that level of skill probably costs as much as some doctors per hour.




Luap595

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #12 on: October 16, 2019, 09:12:55 AM »
Yup, plus that's Tom fucking Silva whose got 40 years of experience. A carpenter with that level of skill probably costs as much as some doctors per hour.

He talks about it like it's the easiest thing in the world. Just bam! and a professional carpenter with 40 yrs experience can fit a salvaged door in like 6 hours with at least 3 tools I don't have :)

erutio

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #13 on: October 16, 2019, 09:18:19 AM »
They are useful for saving yourself, and only yourself, if you find yourself on a sinking cruise liner.  Just hold on tightly!

firstmatedavy

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #14 on: November 15, 2019, 09:22:59 PM »
I used to have a house built in the 1880s, with non-standard sized doors. Some jerk smashed the (non-rectangular, probably-hard-to-replace) window of one of them on Halloween one year, so we got a used door of similar size from a shop that was sort of halfway between ReHouse and an antique store. (They sold used house parts, but usually older and/or higher quality, and also old furniture and cabinets.)

I measured the width and height of the door, and bought a new door based on that. I think I remember my husband cutting new slots and drilling new holes for the hinges - the old cutouts were still there, but not visible while the door was closed. That, and hanging the door, went fine.

Installing the lock was a nightmare, though. I hadn't measured the thickness of the door, and the new door was a little thicker than the old one, so it wasn't flush with the wall when it closed. The old door had a lock sort of like this, so we figured we could buy a duplicate and replace just the door half of the lock, leaving the wall half in place. Nope. The door is sticking out further, so now it's misaligned and everything is terrible. We did finally get it working somehow, but I don't remember how.

WSUCoug1994

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #15 on: November 18, 2019, 04:53:35 PM »
Doors - ugh.  They are a total nightmare in every way possible - even in new construction.  A plumb house is a an amazing house - no house is plumb.  It has all been said but in case you needed one more person to tell you to go new - I volunteer to be that person.  Even going new comes with its own set of challenges.  The adjustments come on the frame side of the equation for a new door which is why it is so hard to use a used door.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2019, 04:55:57 PM by WSUCoug1994 »

Luap595

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Re: Can used doors be used?
« Reply #16 on: November 22, 2019, 03:23:50 PM »
In the end, I fixed the door that was already there.

The main issue with with the worst door was a fist-sized dent right at eye level. I think a renter actually put their fist in it, but the door was so beat up and dirty looking that I didn't notice for a while.

I filled this the dent in with a massive wad of wood putty, and let that just sit there for about a week, then sanded and filled more wood putty into cracks that formed while it dried. Sanded again, then painted the door white with super-cheap recycled paint from Greensheen (they're based in Denver!). It came out looking 100% better than before, with minimal work and cost.

Just 5 more doors to go! The rest just need a coat of paint, maybe a little wood putty.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2019, 03:25:27 PM by Luap595 »

 

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