# 1930s Door Frame Restoration Finishing



## pollys13 (25 Aug 2009)

Hello all,
My home is a 1930s semi, I've started making leaded stained glass windows for my front door sidelights. I used a heat gun to remove all the old paint. I've also been using a sander with coarse grit 40 sheets, to remove the old undercoat, down to the bare pine.

The 40 grit gives a nice enough finish for me, so I won't be using finer and finer paper. Not only have I sanded down the inside of the front door, I,ve also been doing the other interior doors, door frames and staircase.

I have several bottles of button polish and a big can of Briwax antique pine wax to apply to the wood when all ready.

On the wood you can see where the nails are, on top of each nail. Something like filler has been applied. A friend suggested I can remove this by tapping with a nail. I have a tin of Coloron Antique Pine wood filler.

I would like to know please, If I put the wood filler in. When I apply the button polish and wax will it all match up? Or stick out like a sore thumb.

Any advice help on this would be most welcome.

Cheers.


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## yetloh (25 Aug 2009)

It is impossible to say. 

In this sort of situation the only safe option is to do a trial run. Choose a surface that will not normally be seen, make a small hole, apply your filler, leave to dry in accordance with the maker's instructions and then apply your button polish. This will dry very quickly so you will soon be able to see whether or not the combination works on your wood. 

By the way, I have a lot of doubt whether button polish over a surface sanded to 40 grit will leave a finish you will be happy with. It does not form a thick skin like paint and the sheen will make any imperfections in the surface very obvious. I would normally expect to sand at least to 120 grit and preferably 180, going through all the grits. I know this sounds like a lot of time and trouble but time spent in preparation is always richly rewarded in the final result. 

One last point, if it is a 1930's house and you are taking off original paint, this may well be lead based and the dust is very toxic. It is safer to remove it with a chemical stripper. If you are using a sander, at least make sure it has some extraction rigged up to it. 

Jim


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## pollys13 (25 Aug 2009)

Hi Jim,
Thanks I do use a proper face mask. As I've taken most of the rough off, I assume going through the finer grits will be a lot quicker? What about leaving out the button polish and putting the Briwax on the 40 grit finish?
Would it blend in with the antique Pine filler?
Peter.


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## yetloh (25 Aug 2009)

Hi Peter,

Glad to hear you used a mask. Do vac around very thoroughly, particularly if there are small children around as they tend to transfer from surface, to hand to mouth a lot.

Yes, it certainly will be much quicker to go through the grades than the initial sanding. Fillers tend to be impervious, unlike wood so it is hard to say what the outcome would be if you left out the button polish so again, you would really need to try it out and see what happens. The advantage of using the button polish first is that it will seal the surface making it impervious to dirt and stains. Go on, do the job properly, you know you want to really and you won't regret it!!

Jim


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## pollys13 (25 Aug 2009)

Hi again Jim,
Mask yes, I went into the safety aspects when I became interested in Stained Glass. Asked people in the know on the forum. Also told the manufacturers of the mask what it was exactly for, what I would be doing.
The mask I have is completely sealed around my nose and chin, so no dust can get in. I also vacuum up, no children only Polly the cat and I shut her out of harms way in the kitchen.

Oh yes I want to do the job properly, though it has been taking quite a long time. Though iit s nice when I get down to the bare pine.

Regards the grades of paper what do I need to get? Any idea of amount, what amount of use to take down to grade of finish, before I go onto the next one? How do I tell when the grade I'm working with is ready?
Thanks Jim,
Peter.




yetloh":313gekk3 said:


> Hi Peter,
> 
> Glad to hear you used a mask. Do vac around very thoroughly, particularly if there are small children around as they tend to transfer from surface, to hand to mouth a lot.
> 
> ...


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## yetloh (26 Aug 2009)

Hi Peter, 

I suggest you get 80, 120 and 180 grit abrasive. There are lots of different makes but my favourite is Abranet. Unlike most it is on a mesh substrate rather than paper. It is very resistant to clogging and easy to unclog when it does. Being on a mesh substrate it is very flexible which makes it ideal for sanding mouldings of which I guess you will have quite a few in a '30s house. It's a good deal more expensive per square inch than paper but lasts for ages. Toolpost www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Abrasives/Abranet/abranet.html are offering 2 strips of each of these grades plus 240 and 320 for £3.19 which will probably be enough for you, but you may want to go for four of each to be on the safe side; it is always useful to have. 

If you look closely at the surfaces you have sanded you should be able to see scratch marks left by the 40 grit. When you go to 80 grit, just sand until these marks have all been replaced by finer scratches. as you go through the grits the scratches become harder to see but your fingers on the surface will tell you when you have made a significant advance on the feel of the surface from the previous grade. That is the point where you switch to the next one. 

I had a further thought about your filled holes. In the thirties, 
the bare wood would normally be painted or covered with some sort of dark varnish/stain. Prior to this the holes would be filled with putty or a natural stain which will normally be more or less white. The bare wood you have now exposed is probably quite light in colour but will naturally darken under the influence of light accentuating the pale colour of the filler. For this reason, I think you would be better to dig a little of it out and refill, preferably with a colour which is a little darker than your finished wood colour will be. A slightly darker filler will tend to be less noticeable anyway and will blend in over time as the wood darkens. 

Jim


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