As with any diy project preparation is key.
Restoring hardwood door rail.
Other rot prone areas are the exposed ends of door components since end grain cuts absorb water more quickly than surfaces parallel to the grain.
This gives you a good key for the new coats of primer plus your chosen exterior paint for wood in whatever colour you fancy.
Refinishing your wood door with quality stain every one to two years prevents weather damage and keeps your door looking like new.
On this weekend workbench segment blake sloane of the rebuilding exchange helps ryan restore a sad old door without sanding stripping or any hard chemical.
Once stripped the door should be lightly sanded with a 120 grit sandpaper to remove any remaining traces of paint and paint stripping product.
Keep the palm sander moving.
Priming end grain areas before reassembly is a good idea especially for exterior doors.
Hopefully this will restore the original integrity of the door by maximizing the glue surface of the joints as originally intended and perhaps they will last another 70 years.
Rot is often caused by water collecting at the bottom of panels in rail and mullion grooves.
Coat both the mortise and tenon sides with a good wood glue to and tightly clamp the doors back together.
Wear safety glasses when using a palm sander.