We were asked to take a look at restoring the function and appearance of these doors which belong to a 250 year old barn.
It quickly became clear that the tongue and grove boarding (made from a fairly cheap and cheerful treated pine) was rotting but the frames of the doors themselves (much older elm) were in very good condition.
We removed the doors and took the boarding off the frames, setting the strap hinges to one side to be cleaned-up.
For the replacement planks, we chose western red cedar. Although not a native species, it’s very stable, available in good quality and has exceptional resistance to fungal growth, decay and insect infestation: All of which are common problems in barns or storage areas.
You’ll have heard of putting cedar balls or using cedarwood hangers in wardrobes and cupboards to stop moths from eating clothes. We once even made some draws for built-in dressing room furniture from cedar so the moth deterrent was built in. Cedar is also a great choice for garden furniture. It’s used in this butterfly greenhouse for a feeding table so these Glasswing butterflies aren’t tempted to make lunch out of the table once they’ve finished their fruit salad.
We turned our attention to the hinges, which got a few coats of rust-resistant paint and a top coat of black. For the frames, we used something more breathable than the old, pealing latex paint that was stopping the timber from drying out and the new cedar planks were oiled.
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