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A few weeks ago I recounted the sorry tale of a door.

If you recall we’d acquired three reclaimed doors to cut down and fit into various locations around the study. All went well until the now infamous ‘Creosote Door’. As Mike had started to rub the thing down it became clear that what we’d thought was paint wasn’t that at all.. the black surface coating didn’t come off easily as expected, instead it got sticky and clogged up the sander. And then there was the unmistakable smell. Not what I needed in the house at all.

Cathy from Rambling In the Garden (here) immediately set me a challenge. If we couldn’t find an old door to suit, why not knock one up using reclaimed wood? How hard could it be?

Armed with little more than a list of promising places for lunch we set off around the salvage yards again. No need for a white van this time, the single planks would fit nicely into the car. Of course they would.

There was one particular yard I had high hopes for. It has a massive stock of everything, even a Russian armoured personnel carrier casually parked slap bang in the midst of the garden architectural antiques. It’s not for sale. How do I know this? Because Mike asked. Why? WHY? As if we actually NEED a Russian tank? His war against the mice may be getting a tad out of hand.

 

I digress.

  The owner of the yard spent several minutes showing us around his fine array of portals. Ancient oak, absolutely gorgeous and bearing price tags that rose logarithmically with age. And then a selection of made to order examples in pine. Mike’s eyes started twinkling. Our new chum got into his stride. Could he be pushing at an open door? But, alas and alack, none of them had the required look for me. No, what I was after was Rustic.

 

And I’d spotted just the thing in a heap on the floor..

 
 

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We spent the best part of an hour sorting through the pile of old boards to select the best examples..

 settled with the owner upon a reasonable price..

and then borrowed a saw..

with which to fit them into the car.

 

Please excuse the appalling state of the path. The photo is from a while ago and we’d yet to do any post winter clearing up.

The metal object on the far left of the picture is a mouse trap. Of course it is.

 

.

 

Now, this was never going to be easy. Mike is a man who takes great pride in workmanship and there followed a very long ‘debate’ on the true meaning of ‘Rustic’.

 
 

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I managed to secure unequal widths of board and successfully fought to keep the sander away from the front face of the door.

But I did have to concede that the planks would fit tightly together and that the cuts at each end would be even. In this picture they are resting on top of our old friend Creosote Door. Trimmed to size ahead of its aborted installation, it could at least be used as a template.

 
 

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Final assembly.. fixing the ledges to the back of the door

 
 

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Have Marigolds Can Lime Wax..

Liming gives the wood a weather-beaten appearance.

 
 

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Ta Daa..

 
 

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Who’d a thought it. Perfect!

 
 

Except..

Against this paragon of rusticity, the main door to the room (just seen in profile) now looks too new.

There’s only one thing for it then.

 

I’ll try and get a photo of the tank while we’re there.

 
 
 
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