Holes in wooden doors

[LadyHomeLover]

Be gentle I am a novice.

My internal doors are 130 years old and have some splits and holes in them. They also have some knocks and scratches down to the bare wood. They are currently painted in eggshell finish, done about 3 yrs ago.

My questions...

1. Can I just touch up the scratches and scrapes with primer and then topcoat in patches?

2. What should I use to fill the holes and splits? And when I've used it, would it need primer/undercoat/topcoat or just primer/topcoat?

3. If I decide to repaint the doors must I wash them down with sugarsoap, sand them, or just paint the topcoat straight on top/

Thanks

Helen

 

[JohnD]

can you post photos of the doors, both sides?

what style of home are you looking for?

 

[Burnerman]

Helen, its best to invest in a small detail sander for this.....before you can apply any paint successfully the old surface must be sanded down, for the new top coats to adhere.
Fill any holes with polyfilla or similar (not decorators caulk), allow it to dry fully then sand it all down so you can't feel the filler at all.
After that, dust off, add a layer of primer / undercoat (often all in one these days) followed by the top coat of your choice. Observe the drying times!
John

 

[LadyHomeLover]

Hi there guys!

I own a Makita cordless palm sander, but would have to do a lot of it by hand as there are panels and beading.

Sorry can't take pics a the moment, John, and don't understand the relevance of your second Q.

Helen.

 

[JohnD]

I wanted to see if the doors are panelled, flush, bead and butt, LB&F or what, and the condition, patched, pitted, open joints etc, without having to explain what I meant.

 

[dcdec]

Sikkens do a product called kodrin spachtel it is superb for filling light holes and scratches, it gives a perfectly smooth finish when rubbed down and creates a seemless repair. I wouldn't use it for large holes but its difficult to tell what you need without a picture. The best method for using spachtel is to take some out the tin and mix it up on an old piece of plasterboard or flat timber, this ensures the oil is well spread and helps to avoid shrinkage. Still worth over applying as it may shrink a bit during drying. Drying also takes quite a long time as its oil based. I have to say this stuff is the best available for filling fine work, i've used it a lot in period and high end properties and always been very happy with the results.
Also worth mentioning that as your doors are so old they would have been made really well with solid wood and proper carpenters joints, this is great except the timber always expands and contracts a bit with the temperature changes causing small cracks at the joints, it may well be worth using an exterior paint system on them that will give more flexibility and help prevent future cracking.

 

[LadyHomeLover]

Thanks for that tip about kodrin, I have never heard of it!

 

[LadyHomeLover]

I wanted to see if the doors are panelled, flush, bead and butt, LB&F or what, and the condition, patched, pitted, open joints etc, without having to explain what I meant.

Panelled, most are also beaded, dont know what LBF is... have uploaded pics. View media item 32600 View media item 32601 View media item 32602