Farnham Door Restoration – Strengthening a Weakened Door
Original features are at the very heart of a heritage property. Unfortunately, many property owners rush to replace period features when age starts to take its toll. At Fortis & Hooke, we think there is a better way.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link – and a home is only as beautiful or as robust as its weakest feature. When that property happens to be in one of England’s most historic and picturesque towns, the deficiency stands out like a sore thumb. With 17 listed buildings on a single street alone, Farnham in Surrey is a delightful hamlet filled with remarkable architecture and picture-postcard buildings.
As a result, Fortis & Hooke were called to a home in the Surrey township to ensure the original door of a residential property was in keeping with the prestige and panache surrounding it. As well as suffering from fatigued timber that had been weakened through decades of use, the aesthetic appearance of the door was also crying out for renovation. Luckily, we were on hand to provide the expertise and experience necessary to restore its former brilliance.
CALLOUT AND INSPECTION
The property in question is a stunning example of Farnham’s architectural prestige, with red-brick charm set off by clean white curves in its outer façade. The portico of the entranceway also features twin columns of eye-catching climbing vines, which frame the door itself and set off the building’s exterior perfectly.
Unfortunately, the door itself had become a little worse for wear. As well as requiring a cosmetic makeover in the form of a lick of paint for both the door and its surrounding framework, the client requested that we reinforce the timber through our patented Longaevitas technique. They also wanted us to bolster its overall security through the installation of a new Yale lock and deadbolt, and enlarge the letter box to allow for easier delivery of larger letters.
REMOVAL AND RESTORATION
With any job of this kind, our first priority is to ensure a thorough and professional service which incurs minimal hassle or inconvenience to the customer. With that in mind, we first targeted a safe and speedy removal of the door and an immediate replacement with a bespoke wooden substitute to ensure that the client could go about their daily business undisturbed by the restoration efforts.
With the door safely transported in our workshop, we were able to lay the necessary groundwork to ensure a top-class job. First, we removed the old paintwork by hand, before treating the surface of the timber with a strengthening resin and a fresh coat of paint, and equipping it with draught-excluding capabilities. We also enlarged the letter box and upgraded the locking mechanisms as requested, resulting in a remarkable finished product.
FULL STRENGTH ONCE MORE
After the Fortis & Hooke team had worked their magic, the Farnham house front regained the final piece of its puzzle and took on a commanding presence worthy of its surroundings. Not only had the door’s security features been upgraded and its structural integrity shored up, its aesthetic value had also been greatly enhanced thanks to the new paint job and replacement letter box.
All in all, the efforts of our team helped to salvage a weakened door that, in the hands of another operator, may have been destined for the scrapheap. It’s now strengthened to the point that it has years of life left in it. Those are years which its owners are sure to enjoy, as will every guest who visits their home and lays eyes upon its enchanting frontage.