I have work on 17 large doors (2-1/4″ thick) in a frat house built in 1903.
Mostly mahogany painted but some still have the stain and urethane finish on the lower floors. Most have damage where the old morticed locksets were. I’ve been able to find contemporary sets to fit the 2-1/4″ thickness of the doors through a company called Emteck. That was the first hurdle. I’ll be using a lot of glue and dutchmans to fill in missing pieces but can anybody refer me to a durable filler that can stand up to the abuse these guys can dish out to this beautiful place?
Replies
Bondo (auto body filler)...
HD even sells it now!
Minwax makes a two-part fioller that we use a lot. It is light brown/tan and can take soome stain. mix in small batches ( golf ball size or less) and work shaping it while it setsby getting it placed first, then shave with a chisel just as it kicks, that will reduce the amt of sanding you need to do. Keep some acetone handuy for cleanup and if you are doing a lot, get a dust msk and vinyl or other gloves
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Just thought of another material...Durham's Water Putty...tan colored powder..mix with just a little water...dries hard as a rock...takes stain...
Again, HD sells the stuff...maybe a better solutionfor the stained doors...
I used to use that, but I find that the bondo or minwax bonds better and is less likeluy to chip away, especially when building up an outside corner.BTW, the EMTEX knobsets are a good choice.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Regarding Emtek interior door locksets, I used them for the first time on my last job, and while nice and heavy, and well finished, I prefer the mechanism of Schlage's A-series.
Schage A used to be priced about where Emtek is, but comes in a little higher now.
I presume we are talking about typical interior door functionality . . . privacy, passage, and dummies on doubles.
Schage offers the option of radius corners on the strikes and latch facepieces, which can save some installation time. I have not seen that option from Emtek.
Schlage A's finish options are just as rich, but they may not have as many handle, knob, and rosette styles as Emtek.
I like Schlage A's privacy function lock/unlock mechanism better than Emtek's. The Emtek latch sandwich goes together with visible screws, while the Schage A has a snap-on rosette on the interior side, which conceals the assembly fasteners.
BTW, my hardware jobber, for the past 8 years, has been Woodward's Ace Hardware, in Santa Ana, CA. My man there, Ron Horn, is an expert salesman, and takes care of me well, for all hardware needs. Getting a whole-house hardware order right, takes attention to detail, and Mr. Horn does that very well.
What little problem-solving we've had to do, happens next-day air.
Sounds as if your jobber is very customer service oriented. If the jobber is in CA and he resolves your problems next day air, where are you located?? Been there and done that on large commercial jobs and have never experienced that level of service.
Best Regards,
Neil Wilhelm
I'm in NY, but it doesn't matter. Next day air from Orange County, CA, can get stuff just about anywhere.
I'm not saying these guys are perfect, but in my location, there isn't any such thing as a professional hardware jobber. My nearest Wal-Mart is an hour away.
I can get hardware through my lumber suppliers, but in dealing with them, I am dealing with hardware dummies.
You have got to have your sh*t together to deal hardware right. I've been in commercial, and know. For residential work, Woodward's Ace does everything I need.
In my remo work, Emtex has what it takes to emulate if not replicate the old styles. They have quality close to Baldwin at far less money. Schlage is my first choice in new work, but they do not have as many options and look less historical, but the quality is good
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Durham's Rock Hard is just that, impossible to sand and non-resistant to shocks, like a rock. Bondo will bust, too, though not quite like the Rock Hard. The min-wax stuff, I don't know, it works for filling non-shocked stuff, but how do you tell when it's mixed? Everythings the same color. Both are polyester resins.I thought the original poster was dealing with mahogany doors. I have dyed bondo with minwax stains...but maybe frat boys won't notice?I'd go with dyed epoxies. Lots of choices, but since I've got a Woodworker's Supply right up the road...MAS. Don't worry, we can fix that later!