Best way to prise off covers of a Victorian panelled interior door

shapala

I noticed that the plain white interior doors in the Victorian flat I moved into has been covered up with plain plywood (or similar) on both sides on 6 doors. What's the best way to prise that off?

All the cupboard doors are original with the lovely paneling, albeit in need of sanding and painting, so it's just the other 6 doors going into the other rooms that need to be taken back so the paneling is once more uncovered.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Tom99

A wide bolster taking care not to damage the door.
Once you have lifted a small part you can slip say a piece of hardboard under the bolster to lever against and to protect the door

jk0

When I converted a building to flats some years ago, building control made me cover one side of the internal doors, and fill the panels with asbestolux, to make them compliant.


Be careful you don't fall foul of that.

shapala

jk0 wrote: »

When I converted a building to flats some years ago, building control made me cover one side of the internal doors, and fill the panels with asbestolux, to make them compliant.


Be careful you don't fall foul of that.

Thanks for the replies. Any idea why BC asked you to do that tho? We believe our flat was previously rented out so perhaps that's the reasoning they covered the panels up.

rach_k

Is it something to do with fire proofing? We are having the loft converted in our Victorian house and have had to replace all doors along the fire escape route (everything apart from the bathrooms and kitchen) with fire doors. There was also the option to make the existing doors compliant but they weren't original so we decided just to replace them.

Slinky

In the 1960s there was a trend for flat doors and lots of panelled doors were covered up for no other reason than following the trend.

Jackmydad

Slinky wrote: »

In the 1960s there was a trend for flat doors and lots of panelled doors were covered up for no other reason than following the trend.

I've got a vague memory of "Barry Bucknell" doing just that.
Quick look online and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RVnzu0COFU

I remember dad saying "That's a good idea!"

If you're going to take them off I'd use something like a decorator's filling knife to get behind the panel, and try to use something between the panel and the door when levering it off. Least damage the better.

trailingspouse

I remember my grandparents doing this in the 60s. Even at the time (and aged under 10) I thought it was a shame!!


The doors are likely to have been painted and painted and painted again, do run a knife along the edge to break through the paint before trying to prize the panels off.

konark

It's usually hardboard and once you prise a bit away with a paint scraper or similar you can usually just get your fingers in and rip it off. The paint underneath will probably be awful and the door will have dozens of pinholes in it.