Covering an unused door

[Gerrydelasel]

Still don't know whether to use caulk or sealant.

Ready-mixed filler is best, but it may shrink after a couple of days and need re-doing, but after that it should be OK.
You can use caulk, but it doesn't take paint well and can't be sanded (I suspect you will need to sand to get a flush finish!).

 

[opps]

It's got recessed shelves on the kitchen side. That's my "larder".

I don't want to get rid of thee original Victorian door or architrave in case a future owner wants to reinstate the door. I have no basement, no garage, nowhere to store the door.

I don't want shelves in the living room because a new TV is going to be attached to the wall on a bracket right in front of this unused door, and seeing the architrave, frame, door and panels showing around the new TV is very distracting to the eye. So I thought, panel it over, and paint it the same colour as the wall, and it will "disappear".

Have had the hardboard cut to size now, so shall be using it.

Thanks for the replies. Still don't know whether to use caulk or sealant. Nearly 4pm and still haven't started the job.

I assume that you are going to run batons along the door liners to nail the hard board to? If yes then also run horizontal batons every 10 inches or so to reduce the degree of warping (as per KenGMac's post).

They will need to be fairly substantial batons though otherwise they will bounce as you nail.

Assuming you glue and pin the hardboard, 2 pack filler will give you a better filler but it is much harder and accordingly more difficult to sand. Powder fillers are OK for plaster or masonry but rubbish for filling holes/dents in timber. They invariably crack and blow in time.

If you want a decent filler that is easy to sand and not prone to blowing, consider something like Toupret RedLite or Red Devil OneTime. They are however soft and not suitable for areas that are likely to be knocked by things.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[LadyHomeLover]

Hi everyone.

Well, because I didn't get any answer about what kind of filler to use before I did the job, I decided to try using some plasterer's tape on a roll I already had. The type that has metal bits that make it stay folded when you fold it around a corner. I stuck it on with wallpaper border adhesive, and now it's dry it looks OK. Of course the proof of the pudding won't be known until after it's painted.

KenGMac and Opps: no, I didn't use batons. The hardboard was pinned with panel pins onto the architrave, all the way around. It looks fine.

I will see if I can find a way to post a photo!

 

[foxhole]

It's got recessed shelves on the kitchen side. That's my "larder".

I don't want to get rid of thee original Victorian door or architrave in case a future owner wants to reinstate the door. I have no basement, no garage, nowhere to store the door.

I don't want shelves in the living room because a new TV is going to be attached to the wall on a bracket right in front of this unused door, and seeing the architrave, frame, door and panels showing around the new TV is very distracting to the eye. So I thought, panel it over, and paint it the same colour as the wall, and it will "disappear".

Have had the hardboard cut to size now, so shall be using it.

Thanks for the replies. Still don't know whether to use caulk or sealant. Nearly 4pm and still haven't started the job.

If you worry about what future owners will want you can’t do anything in the home, or do you rent?

 

[geraldthehamster]

Fast forward 15 years to the thread where someone has discovered this and wonders what to do with it.

 

[Tigercubrider]

About 20 years ago a mate bought a regency house that had been truly "bucknalled"
The whole staircase was encased in hardboard, actually very well done, and all the panelled doors were smooth with the modern bucknall look, including carved and recessed connecting doors that had been boarded over and wallpapered.

It took about a year but he got it all back to the original

 

[geraldthehamster]

I'm currently panelling a room with rails, stiles and panels from some old pine doors I've dismantled. As part of their history, some of the frames still show the rows of holes where hardboard had once been pinned over the doors by some sad soul.

My father's 1930s house still has Bucknall panels. I keep wanting to rip them off for him ...

 

[LadyHomeLover]

Foxhole: I don't think it's a bad sentiment to shy away from destroying the original features of a 140-year-old house. A few estate agents have told me that these days buyers value anything original very highly, and pay premium prices for it, even if it means living in a house with drafty sashes etc. So no, I would not brick up the doorway.

Tiger: I am not going for the Bucknall look, I am covering the entire architrave around the door to hide the entire door because the television is going in front of it.

Gerald: I haven't pinned the doors but the architrave.

 

[LadyHomeLover]

Photo to come.

 

[LadyHomeLover]

Pic. Door not particularly noticeable and almost invisible when watching the telly.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

If the TV attached to the hardboard?

 

[LadyHomeLover]

If the TV attached to the hardboard?

Nah, it would have fallen down by now LOL.

It's attached to a thick vertical plank which is itself screwed into the vertical central "bar" of the solid wooden door. It ain't going nowhere.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Looks good

 

[opps]

Looks good

Agreed, works better than I had anticipated (based on the early posts).