I’m working on a project where the contractor is going to remove 120 year old, 6 panel, mahogany wood doors. (8’x3′) How should these doors be stored? These doors will be stored for approximately two years. They will be refinished before returning to the site. All doors will be tagged and will go back in the same loction that they are removed.
Is it better to store them flat, like a stack of pancakes (with homosote in between each door) or should they be stored on end like I’ve seen them at the architetural salvage yard.
Any insite would be helpful.
jlbero
Replies
My suggestion would be to store them flat.
Make a level, untwisted platform to lay the doors on, so that when they finally go back they will still be flat.
The homosote's a good idea, but I would cover the last layer with a good drop cloth, too. Don't use plastic- condensation could build up under it and damage the doors.
Thanks for the suggestions the Window and Door Association also recommends that they be stored flat. I'm waiting on my contractor to get back to me on where the doors will be stored long term. I want to ensure that they are stored in a space that the temperature and humidity are controlled. My one gripe is that they have taken the doors down and temporarily stored them on site, and then will have to handle them again to move them off site. I would have preferred that they just get handled once.
Thanks again.
"...doors ...just get handled once"
Most doors have a handle on both sides.
Sorry - couldn't resist.
As the doors are removed they should be checked to see if they are flat. A couple of doors in my house have developed a twist as the house has shifted in the past. They fit great and I would of never noticed it until I refinished the doors and they rocked when placed on my workbench.
All the doors are getting cataloged. This includes photographs of both sides and a diagram of the door showing all scuffs, gouges, old hardware markings, fades surfaces etc. So we should have a pretty good record of the condition of each door prior to being removed. All hardware is being removed and cataloged as well.
By homosote, do you mean non aspaltic building paper? (thats probably what I would use)Or masking paper,and I concur with laying flat,with no hardware...
Scribe once, cut once!
Homasote is a cellulose ( newspaper) product, usually 1/2" x 4' x 8' used for sheathing, sound reduction, floor protection, etc.
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The only insight I can provide is that your storage area should be exempt from extremes or big swings of temperature and humidity. It would probably be better to store them flat, 'in stick'--the way lumber is stored for drying. You might want to weight down the stack, or possibly create a press using four or six bar clamps. Wood tennis raquets used to be stored in a press to prevent warping. (That was before Piffin invented Graphite, of course <G>....) Since they are going to be refinished before being re-hung, protecting the existing finish doesn't sound like it's a big priority.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
if I werre stpring them flat, I would have to be sure that the support for them was absolutely flat to prevent them from taking a bent in the ensuing time frame. i would also use stickers instead of homasote. I have seen it take on moisture and breed mildew. A lot depends on the storage facility and the climate.
.
Graphite! My buddy, God invented that just before I was born.
;)
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
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Who's going to refinish them, and when? It seems like you have an opportunity here to give the new finish plenty of time to dry. Perhaps your re-finishing person can make good use of that time.
-- J.S.
It sure must be nice that your contractor has controlled environment to keep the humidly controlled and a storage pallet that is flat to .001 so your doors don’t warp.
I'm gonna take the other avenue here... store them vertically, not leaning against each other at an angle against the wall, but nice and plumb. My assumption would be that they are probably not flat now, not perfectly flat at least. If you store them in a flat stack for two years they will change over that time and will not go back quite the same as they are now. If the door stops are removable, it may not matter much as you could remove and reset the stops to match the 'new' door plane.
Anyway, they've been living vertical for a hundred years, why change now?
You have got the best answer. I would not risk the chance of racking to some other plane.
CurlyHand Hewn Restorations Inc.
Restoring the past for the future.
I have to admit my first reaction was to stand them vertical as well. Most of the information that I can find recommends to store them flat. However, most resources are for NEW doors, not nessicarily for old doors. I'm fighting to make sure that the historic elements of this project are protected and preserved for the another 100 years. This project is a national historic landmark. However, most of the space is not going through restoration, but rehabilitation. I'm the bad guy on the site reminding everyone that we still have a responsibilty to protect all the historic fabric including these doors. The client and the contractor keep reminding me that we aren't doing a preservation project. This is definately a deadline driven project. In the mean time I just don't want us to ruin these great doors. It looks like the contractor want to store them flat and the client isn't willing to explore(spend money) storing them any other way. With any luck I won't be around in two years to see who's right. I know that attitudes sucks, but sometimes you've got to pick your battles.
2 screw hooks from the hardware store-screw to top of door, hang doors vertical from ceiling joists w/ cheap chain....you can even chuck another screw hook into yer cordless drill to run them in...you could hang alot of doors this way in a small space.
That is probably the best idea so far. I like it so much I wonder why I didn't think of it myself!
Good one.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
I am with the verticle storage too...air circulation, is a good thing. I addition it takes less floor space and a whole lot easier than stacking up a pile of doors.
I dunno if I'd do the chain thing tho, that sounds like a bunch of potential dings.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Best would be to hang padding of something like a heavy velvet curtain between each door, and, obviously, make sure they're hung in an area where nobody's going to be walking by with a chop-saw in their arms or a stack of 2x over their shoulder....Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?