Dog damage to wooden door

Started by Adam Roby, December 24, 2021, 01:20:59 PM

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Adam Roby

Hi everyone,

I had a quick question for you wood workers. We just had a renter leave our cottage, and tried really poorly to hide this:









They said they left their husky (were not supposed to have any pets) in the house when they went shopping, and the bathroom door closed behind it and it freaked out.

The doors are pretty unique, all doors in the house are the same.  I would like to keep the same look, but I don't think I can find an exact replacement at a big box story.  We have our regular winter renters coming on January 1st, so I don't have much time to fix this, especially with Christmas coming tomorrow.  I was thinking to sponge down whatever garbage they filled the scratches with, sand as smooth as I can, and stain as close as I can in place.  Then when spring hits and our renter leaves, see if I can do a better job or replace it.

Any ideas are welcome, and Happy Holidays!!

Redoverfarm

You apparently know what the permanent fix requires.  But in a short term you might try using paste wax and buffing it out.  I would be reluctant to put any stain on the scratches as this may discolor the actual wood that cannot be removed later when you go to a permanent fix.


MountainDon

Ouch!

There wouldn't be a same size door in another part that is less obvuous or less used would there?

Is the damage confined to the inside face? Swap with a dame size, same swing closet if you could be so lucky.

Is that pine? A panel like door? It may be possible to find a similar design.

I too hesitate to try to stain the scratched parts as a temporary fix. If that putty or whatever can be removed it might be best left untouched till spring.

I got very lucky many years ago. A tenant punched a hole in a hollow core door. They had come from a local door company and were old enough they were no longer made. The panel style was discontnued. I was able to find a good door just like it that someone removed in a remodel at the ReStore. You good get lucky between now and spring.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Adam Roby

#3
Thanks for the suggestions.  I will look for some paste wax and try that first. 
It is confined to the inside, so when open you won't see it.  There is one door that may be a candidate to swap, it is a bedroom door so maybe less often used than the main bathroom.  That's something I did not think about.  The closets don't have the same type of doors, unfortunately.

They are panel doors, not sure what type of wood but I believe they are solid as they feel heavier than the doors at home which are the cheap white hollow ones. 

This would be the door to swap if it's the same width (will measure on Sunday).


ChugiakTinkerer

Quote from: Adam Roby on December 24, 2021, 08:36:23 PM
This would be the door to swap if it's the same width (will measure on Sunday).
Be sure to check the height too.  A little variation shouldn't be a big thing, but save yourself some trouble if it's too short or too long.
My cabin build thread: Alaskan remote 16x28 1.5 story


Adam Roby

So the height was a problem after all, I would have needed to remove about 1" off that door, and I did not have a saw up there to do a proper job.
When I started removing the junk filler that had put, I used the sink next to the door and it was not draining.  Opened up underneath and the trap was completely clogged with dog fur.  Cleaned it all out, put it back together, and everything was leaking.  The old metal pipes were so thin they cracked and started leaking.  Changed one pipe, another one broke, decided to swap everything (45 minute drive to the hardware store get's frustrating, just replace it all) but the darn thing was still leaking.  Was running out of time before the next renter, threw the dice and a half tube of silicone at the remaining joints and it finally stopped leaking... for now.  Come spring I will have to take it all back apart, and remove the door and see if I can do a more permanent fix.  For now, I removed all of the crap filler above the handle, but below it was too thick to remove, so I added a more closely matched filler and used a touch up pen for furniture.  I know it was not an ideal solution, but I wasted so much time with the water leak I didn't have much time to deal with the door.  Renting sucks...



Redoverfarm

Looks good considering the before pictures.  Think I would reconsider letting people rent that have pets or adding a security deposit to cover damage.

Adam Roby

Quote from: Redoverfarm on December 31, 2021, 05:41:09 PM
Looks good considering the before pictures.  Think I would reconsider letting people rent that have pets or adding a security deposit to cover damage.

Thanks.  That is an argument I've had with my wife going on some 5 years now.  We do ask for a security deposit (which we kept all of it after this rental), but I wanted to add an extra for anyone with animals and anyone under 30.  We already have a minimum age of 25, but the 25-29 crowd seem to not understand what "clean" actually means (I like to call them the "good enough" generation).  They seem to do the bare minimum, like mowing around a chair on the lawn instead of actually moving it to one side then another.  Ideally I would not allow pets at all... actually I would not even rent it, but it is kind of a retirement plan.  Wife is thinking of getting a second one, something that we might consider moving into one day and selling the main house in the city.  Only problem is that I am getting older, and these long days of fixing stuff between rentals is catching up to me.  It is a bit remote, so getting anyone out there to fix stuff is a real challenge.  I have to put on many hats, learn how to do a lot of stuff on my own, which is fine under normal circumstances, but when you only have a day between rentals and need to do major plumbing or electrical work, it can get scary. 

Redoverfarm

Well it is a new generation being they depend on someone else for everything and actually they really can't be blamed because that's how they were raised.  Thank goodness my children are not part of that majority.😊


MountainDon

Best of good fortune.

I/we have grown weary of renting. 25 years worth. We have one long-term rental condo left. We hope to sell to that tenant in spring. But one way or another it will be sold.

Happy New Year and may the next one be good.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

pmichelsen

Quote from: Adam Roby on December 31, 2021, 05:36:39 PM
So the height was a problem after all, I would have needed to remove about 1" off that door, and I did not have a saw up there to do a proper job.
When I started removing the junk filler that had put, I used the sink next to the door and it was not draining.  Opened up underneath and the trap was completely clogged with dog fur.  Cleaned it all out, put it back together, and everything was leaking.  The old metal pipes were so thin they cracked and started leaking.  Changed one pipe, another one broke, decided to swap everything (45 minute drive to the hardware store get's frustrating, just replace it all) but the darn thing was still leaking.  Was running out of time before the next renter, threw the dice and a half tube of silicone at the remaining joints and it finally stopped leaking... for now.  Come spring I will have to take it all back apart, and remove the door and see if I can do a more permanent fix.  For now, I removed all of the crap filler above the handle, but below it was too thick to remove, so I added a more closely matched filler and used a touch up pen for furniture.  I know it was not an ideal solution, but I wasted so much time with the water leak I didn't have much time to deal with the door.  Renting sucks...

I have not been impressed recently with the quality of metal traps sold at the big box stores, most of the time I just go with the PVC ones assuming it's in a place that isn't visible. They too are thing, but I find they hold up and seal better than the tinfoil ones.

Adam Roby

Quote from: pmichelsen on January 03, 2022, 05:01:46 PM
I have not been impressed recently with the quality of metal traps sold at the big box stores, most of the time I just go with the PVC ones assuming it's in a place that isn't visible. They too are thing, but I find they hold up and seal better than the tinfoil ones.

I would have preferred replacing it all with PVC, but I wasn't sure how to marry it all together.  All the PVC that was there was glued so much it could not be removed without a saw, and there was no room to cut and then reattach anything without opening up a wall.  I may remove it all and do it over come spring, see how well the silicone is holding up.

Cassy0110

it's better not to buy a new door until you teach your dog good behavior, I have a cat with the same behavior.