Second hand front doors

horseykitty

My front door needs replacing. I've had the replacement leaning against my study wall for 7 years. It's hardwood and needs two glazed panels to go in it. I have posted on here before about the costs of glazing it, buying furniture, having it hung etc.. versus getting a company in to fit a composite one. Unfortunately, I didn't get any replies.

I have been looking around and the cheapest composite door general quote I can see is about £600 :eek: I know now that going with my door will be cheaper than this.

However, having watched an old episode of 'Make do and Mend' where they fit a reclaimed door quite cheaply I've thought about maybe getting a second hand one myself. I've seen one on ebay that is roughly the size I need and it comes with all the furniture and keys/locks etc.. for £50 - they say it just needs sanding down and re-varnishing.

Am I going to be wasting my money if I buy something like this? I'm thinking of selling my property next year so just want something that is weather proof, secure and looks ok.




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flashg67

Re the door that needs glazing - have you measured the glass and asked a local glass merchant to cut to size for you? Small single glazed frosted panels should be fairly easy to fit and you could buy beading from diy store and stain it to fit?

The £50 door sounds like a good budget option but make sure it's too big if anything and if you have to trim it to fit, measure twice & cut once! And take an even amount off each side.

You don't say how handy you are but hanging a door is fairly easy but you'll need 2 people at some point and a good selection of tools eg chisels, drills, etc. You also need to see where the hinges and handles etc have been fitted on any second hand door you buy as you may end up having to use wood filler to fill either the door or your frame if they don't match which will stand out if not done well.

horseykitty

Thanks for quick reply flash. I am tempted to go with the second hand door. Thankfully, it is slightly larger than our existing door, so should just need trimming to fit. My husband is too slap dash for my liking - he would definitely be a cut twice, measure once guy!

When we had new internal doors fitted at the same time as new carpets I warned him that the pile on the carpet would flatted over time but he wouldn't listen, had too much trimmed off the doors and I can fit my entire hand in the gap under some of them. So there is no way he is going anywhere near the new hardwood door.

We have reached a stalemate over the door but there is no way I want to go through another winter with our present one. I can see that there will probabally be quite a bit of filling to do, at least on the door frame and I don't mind if I have to paint both sides rather than have it stained.

My son knows a couple of lads who are doing joinery apprenticeships, so I thought I would buy the second hand door and pay them to fit it for me.

leveller2911

Be very wary of 2nd hand doors, you need to make sure its not warped, twisted or in wind.Don't trim off too much from the height and width because it will end up "dropping" (falling out of square).

Doors should never be stored upright because gravity takes over and can make them warp.When you see doors stored in B&Q etc they are stored upright which is a big no no... I refuse to hang 2nd hand doors now as thay can create more problems than they solve and as your looking for an exterior door it needs to be right or you will have draughts and water ingress.........

PS The last 2nd hand door I hung was from E-bay, never again, you can't see if its twisted etc over the internet...

aboard_epsilon

make sure the door opens the same way as yours ..meaning hinges on the same side etc

make sure its a little bigger than yours , so you can plain it to fit...by that i mean slightly bigger ..dont go buying a door six inches wider ..or you'll have no styles left when you fit it .

ask where the hinge mount points are ..if they go over the top of your old ones...you would have to put in dutchmans into your case,if they dont

same the other side where the lock is .

would need to be the same thickness as your old door.

all the best.markj

ormus

as above.
as long as you are sensible theres no reason why a free door or a 50 quid one wont do the job.
my current front foor is a used one. think i paid a tenner for it. solid wood.
did some slight trimming at the bottom with a power saw, and it fits perfectly.

Hayesmyth

I think you've probably had most of the advice you need already. Just a couple of extra points:

You may consider adding a third hinge, if this has not already been fitted. Fitted centrally between the other two, this will prevent the door from dropping and jamming. This can be important if the door is particulary heavy and/or your existing frame is not in great condition.

I would stress that if you have no experience of door fitting, get someone who has.

Beware of those that suggest the job is straight forward. It might be if you are very lucky. But chances are there will be niggles. You will not be amused if you find that after hauling a heavy door up and down for the umteenth time, that you have a broken toe, muscles bigger than your partner's and an un-intentional door wide cat flap.

ormus

that goes for all diy jobs!