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Remedy For A Rusty Door
| I have a nine year old
home in Atlanta, GA and am moderately handy around the house. My
current problem is that my front metal door has quite a bit of rust
on the interior side. The bottom of the door has actually started to
come apart and large portions of rust are falling out. |
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| My dilemma is whether or
not I need to replace just the door itself or buy an entire pre-hung
unit, thereby having to remove the old frame, sill etc. My local
home store tried to sell me the entire unit saying that I'd never
get the hinges from the old door frame to match a new door. Is this
true? If so, should I consider hiring a professional to do this job? |
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Thanks for your help!
Margo R.
OUCH!
That door looks kind of expensive with those dual side lights (window
panels).
And I'm sorry to say that your local home store may be right about
needing to replace the entire unit. It could be very difficult to find
another steel door whose hinges match the original... unless you found
the exact same manufacturer... and even then it's no guarantee.
It could cost $500-$1000 to replace that pre-hung unit. But there are
other alternatives:
1. Buy a nice solid wood door and cut the hinge pockets with a
router. This is tricky, I've never done it on a replacement door. A good
carpenter should be able to do this in a few hours, so even if it cost
you $100 to $150 in labor it might be worth it.
2. Investigate fiberglass doors. I've never worked with them, but
they are gaining in popularity. And they don't rust, won't rot, and some
can be stained with wood-tone colors. I'd ask around... and look beyond
Home Depot and Lowes, ask at your local lumberyards.
3. Repair the existing door. I would try this first because it is
cheapest and you can do it yourself. It's best to remove the door by
taking out the hinge pins, though, so look for a nice day (or cover the
entry with a tarp or plywood). Lay the door on a pair of sawhorses in
the garage. Put old rags on the sawhorses to prevent them from
scratching the exterior paint. That loose strip on the bottom is just a
door sweep. Some doors have replaceable sweeps. Maybe yours is just
ripped and needs to be replaced. But you can always buy a sweep that is
screwed to the bottom of the inside of the door.
What I would do is this:
- Remove the sweep.
- Scrape off the loose paint and rust
with a putty knife.
- Use a small orbital sander to sand
down the ENTIRE door except the outside. Sand the interior and all
the edges. Sand until all the rust is gone.
- Use sanding sponges or steel wool
for the details.
- I would then apply a coat of quality
primer (such as Rustoleum) from a spray can. When this is dry I
would paint those surfaces with a can or two of spray paint. You
want to use a quick-drying paint for this, or you'll be without a
front door for too long. Read the can before you buy... some dry
quite fast, some take many hours. It might take two cans to cover
the areas you need to paint.
Spray paint has the disadvantage of over-spray, which may require laying
drop-cloths on everything around the area.
Alternately I would consider brushing on a coat of oil-based paint
instead of spray paint (but you'll still need primer... either a spray
can or quart can of oil-based). With a fine bristle brush and careful
strokes the brush marks will be hard to see. Oil based paint is better
because it's harder... and the water in latex paint may aggravate the
existing rust condition.
I'm willing to bet that if you do a careful job of sanding down the rust
and cleaning off the dust, a good oil paint will last for 5 to 10 years
before you see any more rust. The darker the color you use, the better
it will be at hiding any future rust.
Personally, I would sooner repair serious rust damage (i.e. holes) with
automotive Bondo than pay big bucks for a new door. This is no more
difficult than auto body repair.
And remember... if you only get part of this job done by the end of the
day, you can always stick the door back in the opening and resume work
later. That is, unless the paint is still wet.
Bruce W. Maki, Editor.
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