Softwood cladding on face of frontdoor - question

[matty_hunt]

Hi. I have a hardwood front door in which the previous owner had a poorly installed catflap which I want to remove. I was thinking of covering the lower half of the door with 6mm softwood cladding with a softwood beading around the edge. Possibly mounted on a 3mm ply though I would rather keep things as low profile as possible. My question is, if I paint the door with a gloss, being the softwood is thin, should I treat the softwood with a garden wood preserve first? Will this effect the undercoat and gloss or is it just not necessary? Also, I was going to stick the cladding on with no-nails. Is this okay? Should I put some sort of sealant around the edge like an external caulk? If so, what sort of sealant is best?

Many thanks

 

[big-all]

its never going to look good or last more than a few years
if you have ruled out the new door option then replacing the effected panel assuming its a paneled door is the best option
do you have a picture please

 

[Harbourwoodwork]

As above ,Ill fated mission, new design or new door

 

[foxhole]

Agree with above, a 9mm external ply sheet trimmed with a beading to hide its addition would be a stronger repair [with cat lap hole filled with more ply].

 

[matty_hunt]

Thanks for the replies. A new door is too expensive hence the option mentioned. Its hardwood and previously varnished which is flaking off so has to be stripped back anyway. I had hoped that a good undercoat and oil gloss topcoat would be okay. I will try and get a photo up.
Cheers