Repairing a rotted wood door to the deck

We have an existing wood door that goes out to our deck. The bottom part of the outside of the door has become rotted.

If possible, I would like to only replace that one section of the bottom outside of the door. If I replace the entire door, I will have to match the stain on the inside, etc. etc.

I've pried off a little of the outside part of the rotted door and there are interesting wood bolts that have been used to connect the door together. I'm not sure if I will be able to remove only the bottom part on the outside or not.

Any advice?

 

I had a exterior door once that I just put a raised paned on the door. Just a quarter inch plywood with some molding going around it. It has held up for about 20 years now.

 

What sort of woodworking equipment do you have available for making the parts?

 

Nothing really. The lumber company will cut the 1/4 plywood to size for you. The molding you will need some sort of miter box to cut it at the proper angle. I do happen to have a power miter box, but you can use a cheap wood miter box with a hand saw, sense it is a fairly small project.

 

pdnovak,

Apparently, I am not clear on what part of the door you are wanting to replace. JohnR7 seems to think it is a 1/4" panel. I think you are talking about the bottom rail, the thick part of the door that is the same thickness as the stiles. Which is it?

How old is this door?

 

The part of the door I am looking to replace is the piece of wood that is spanning the entire bottom part of the door directly below the glass. You have the two pieces the run up the door on either side of the glass. These pieces are fine. Then you have the piece that runs horizontal across the bottom below the glass. This is the piece that is rotting. Its only rotting on the outside too. The inside is fine. So the overall dimensions are probably 10 inches high, 25 inches wide, and however thick I need it to be to replace that piece.

I'm just not sure if I can only remove that piece of wood without tearing up the entire door.

 

any ideas?

 

Just pop the door apart at the joints, make a new part, and reassemble the door.

HTH

 

Is it truly that easy?

 

Probably not, unless you have a router or shaper, and the right bits or cutters, and a table saw.

It the bottom rail of this full view door is rotted, you probably have rot in the side stiles as well. Easier and probably cheaper to simply replace the door.

 

No real reason to remove the whole piece. Remove the rotted wood and replace just that much. The stiles (vertical pieces) may be rotted on the bottom also. They usually go first because the end grain soaks up water.
Remove all the rot you can, let everything dry out for a few days, soak the remaining wood with Minwax Wood Hardener till it starts to make a low gloss. Keep painting it on. Get a piece of wood cut to fill in as much of the damaged area as you can. Particularly the very bottom edge. If the rot is only part way through the door, have the filler board thicknessed down. Glue the filler in with TitebondII glue. Fill any gaps/cracks with Minwax high performance wood filler. Sand and paint.

 

So, you can go to all this time and trouble to REPAIR a wood door (and you'll be doing it again in 5 or 10 years), or REPLACE this door with a fiberglass door -- guaranteed to NEVER rot again!!

 

I agree with you on the replacement. But the boss (my wife) would never go with a fiberglass door when the entire kitchen is made with the same color wood.

Also, the inside of the door is still ok, so I'd rather not have to deal with matching the stain, etc.

We'll see what happens.