Remember all those posts about the pocket doors we’ve been restoring on and off since before Katrina? There’s been another development to the saga.
Paul was set to finish them last summer while I was in Mobile awaiting Kate’s arrival. He took apart the wall, repaired the brackets, and hung the doors (after having them all dipped to remove the paint that coated them). Once hung, it was obvious that one of the doors was seriously warped… so much so that the wall would have had to open a foot or more to accommodate the curve in that 100-year old beautifully carved 9′ cypress giant. Progress on the doors came to a halt.
We tried several months of pressure with water cooler bottles (10 or more for a good 8 weeks), nothing. It was clear that the door would need to be steam pressed, a process where the wood is soaked, bent, and dried into an appropriate shape. Unfortunately, the place that used to do that kind of delicate and difficult work does not exist post-Katrina. So…. we hung the door and have let it sit while we looked into other options.
Out of nowhere, I found a post on Craigslist about a local woodworker who mentioned specializing in old doors and facades. I emailed him and Bingo! He can do it! Ready for the price? $650 — includes stain and poly. A bargain considering that the estimate to rebuild a similar door was $2,025.
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