Brownstone front doors- stay or go?
I’ve got a door dilemma in Park Slope and I’m hoping for some advice. Our double front door is original and has been neglected for years – to the point that some rot has set it at the bottom and most of the varnish has come off the front. If possible I’d like to salvage…
I’ve got a door dilemma in Park Slope and I’m hoping for some advice. Our double front door is original and has been neglected for years – to the point that some rot has set it at the bottom and most of the varnish has come off the front. If possible I’d like to salvage them and have them restored to their proper state, but not if it’s impractical to do so or will cost more than new doors. So does anyone know a “door expert” that can give an unbiased opinion on cost and trouble of restoring versus replacing these doors? I saw a post about New York Wood Restoration but I couldn’t find any contact info. Thanks very much.
Davidson is a restoration carpenter who does most of his work in the Slope, the Heights and the Village. He does some amazing things with old wood (windows and doors). Given the choice between restoring or replacing, he will restore if at all possible. This is often a better choice, to maintain the integrity of the building and, not to mention the cost of replacement if you are in a landmark area. He loves what he does, takes great care in doing it and is committed to the quality of the work he is doing.
I would try to restore them. You can easily drop $2000 on old replacement door that still need to be refinished/repaired and modified to fit your entrance (and that $2000 would not necessarily cover the labor).
Thanks for the comments. I probably made the doors sound in better shape than they are – they’re definitely pretty beat. I had Bob from Park Slope Wood Stripper come and look today, he said they appear to be solid pine so it’ll be cheaper than working with oak or mahogany, but they’ll need some pieces replaced. He’s got a guy named Craig that works with him on restoring wood (Bob mostly does just stripping and refinishing) who he’s going to send over to look. We’ll see what he says.
Who is Davidson? Is he a wood restorer? Thanks.
Keep your doors. Very few doors or windows are too far gone to restore. Yours don’t sound bad at all.
soooooo worth restoration, and yes it’s cost effective.
It would be thousands to replicate totally standard old doors. Look around the neighborhood to see how bad new doors look in comparison to the old ones!
see if Davidson is available . . .
347 837-1218 or 718 574-8014
http://www.RestoreNY.com