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Antique Salvage Doors

Antique/Salvage Doors

Are you looking for a door that is unique, and that you can’t find anywhere else? An antique or salvage door is absolutely perfect for you. You’d be amazed at what you can find!

Finding Antique or Salvage Doors

To find an antique or salvage door, your best bet is through your local salvage company. These places source doors and door frames from old constructions, and can supply them to you in a restored or unrestored condition. You don’t need to worry about the doors being in bad condition either. Sometimes they may look a little tatty or worse for wear, but they are structurally sound and perfectly safe to use in your home. Many doors, especially antique doors, are in such good condition that you can hang them straightaway. Salvage companies operate from a showroom or “stockyard” layout, and even operate online, if you want the comfort of browsing from your own home.

Buying Antique or Salvage Doors

The doors will usually be grouped into categories and sub-categories. These include pricing, sizes, period styles, and condition. You can choose to buy a single door or a house lot. Items stocked by salvage companies usually cost less than doors from a store selling general hardware supplies and significantly less than specialist stores such as furniture retailers. However, a truly rare antique in excellent condition may be costly. But what price is the perfect entranceway?

Installing Antique or Salvage Doors

So you’ve found your perfect set of antique or salvage doors, and you need to install the frame. What now? You could choose to install the door yourself, provided that you know the frame will fit into the existing cavity. However, it is likely that you will require the services of a carpenter. This is because your door cavity may not be square or the door frame itself may not be fully square. Many antique or salvage doors may not be standard size. This would necessitate changing the size and/or shape of the door cavity, a job that is best left to the experts. Besides, it is likely to be older or rare timber. A carpenter will have the knowledge of wood that is required to ensure that it is not damaged during installation.

Maintaining Antique or Salvage Doors

The majority of the time, antique or salvage doors are made from wood, with or without glass inserts. If you have a door with glass inserts, be aware that while it may look great, it may be draughty or have other problems with energy efficiency or safety. You may need to have the glass panels reset. It is possible to get the glass made so that it looks exactly the same as the original.

Take a look at the door fittings. Will the original fittings such as the doorknob, lock and hinges suffice in their new home? Are they secure enough? Will you need to regularly oil or otherwise maintain the fittings so that they look their best? If they are metal fittings, ensure that you regularly polish them with the appropriate metal varnish. This will stop rust, corrosion, or other factors which may affect their looks and functioning.

How is the door itself finished? Is it painted, varnished, or waxed? How often will you need to refinish the door and what is required of you to keep the finish in optimum condition? If the door is old, check that the finish that is used is still readily available and that there are no safety concerns with using it. If it hard to find or is potentially dangerous, you will need to strip the door back and refinish it with something more suitable.

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