Pine doors in need of restoration

[Martin Brown]

I need to restore some Pine doors which have just seen better times. I am fine with scraping and sanding but does anyone have a suggestion for the best filler?

Which brand will do a job that lasts without shrinking/discolouring please?

Who might give me the best choice of colour match?

Thanks

Martin

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Martin,

I've always found commercial fillers very disappointing. There are two problems - first, the colour never seems to be anything like what it says on the tin. Second, because the texture of the filler ends up being much smoother than the surrounding wood, it reflects light differently and shows up if the area is at all large.

To get the colour right the only option, I think, is to try mixing different colours or adding some compatible wood dye. As you are starting with pine, which is fairly light coloured, this might not be that easy. If the bits you are trying to fill are small, you might be better off using a darker colour and making them match the natural blemishes in the wood (knots, etc). If the areas are large another option would be to cut away wood and glue in new bits.

To get over the reflection problem, I would go for a matt finish when finishing the doors.

Probably not of much help

Paul