One of the great things about Accoya repairs is that the areas of exterior joinery most susceptible to the weather are replaced with the most rot-resistant timber available, whilst in most cases keeping the existing locks, keys, glass etc. So many timber doors and windows head for landfill within 20 years of fitting, simply because 10% of the joinery is rotten. Plus, in all but the most severe cases, repair is more affordable than replacement AND lasts longer if done well.

This customer was delighted they could keep the colder weather out this winter and to be able to have the door open come the warmer weather!

Most exterior joinery has very robust joints to withstand the elements and rigors of life outdoors. This porch was no exception so we paid our initial attention to the mortise and tenons around the structure. Once they were sound, we were ready to deal with the sill itself.

The sill was made from especially large section of Accoya. A fiddly area, due to the sheer size of the timbers, was the mitre on the corner. We carefully cut this to match perfectly at the corner as it’s the most exposed and vulnerable area of the sill.

Once the repairs were in place and jointed into the original posts and any areas of original sill that were to be kept, it was ready for a few coats of good quality primer.

All that remained to be done was replace the decorative finishes for the doors which in true Edwardian style consisted of architraves with a fairly wide ogee profile. We gave some very careful consideration to the choice of material for the architraves and after a cup of tea and a head scratch followed by some test cuts, we opted to make them from joinery standard pine and have them pressure treated. Once coated up with a long-life paint and assuming the paintwork is maintained to a reasonable standard, they should have a similar service life to the Accoya linings they are fixed to.

The last job was to install the architraves with nice, tight mitres, using the right weather resistant materials to ensure the most vulnerable areas of the design will last long into the future.

Being made from high quality Baltic pine, most of the panels were in good condition, despite 150 years of standing up to the elements. In the interest of preserving as much of the original door as possible, we only machined away the rotten part of the panels.

Whilst machining, we created a rebate for the repair to join to. At the bottom, we machined a groove into the bottom rail which would take a tongue of the repair.

We were then ready to made the repair sections of the door from Accoya.

This complex repair kept as much of the original door as possible whilst the use of acetylated pine for the repair means the most exposed parts of the door are protected by the best possible materials.

This repair required a full replacement of the bottom rail and lower sections of the stiles. It also required some repairs to the sill with Accoya. Finally, we reglazed the double glazed unit to prevent future problems with rain water getting into the timber.