New Member

[Hootsmon]

Hi All,
This looks like a great forum. My girlfriend and I have just bought our first house in Bentleigh, Vic. Its a 2 bed semi BV with tile roof with a sun room out the back. The bath and toilet are separate. My question is this. The folk we bought it from lived there for ten years and apart from a lick of paint pre auction didnt do much to it, renos or cleaning!, anyway the woodwork is gingerish wood which matches the doors and floors throughout. Only the paint job aint too great as there is drips and drops all over it. Does anyone have experience with this type of wookwork and stain removal? Also one of the kitchen doors has rotted away partially around the hinge. The one under the sink so does anyone know where you can get white chipboard laminated doors for kitchens in the melbourne area? Thanks in advance for all help.

[seriph1]

Hi .... or should that be Och Hai!

Either way, WELCOME!!!! You shopuld find a wealth of info and opinon here.... To your issue: do you have a digital camera? If not, I suggest picking a cheapie up so you can post pics of what you need advice on. It has really helped a lot of folks.

WRT your paint drips? Do you mean there's paint on your timberwork? or do you mean the painted timberwork was done very badly?

Your door will have rotted due to getting wet I imagine - there are a huge number of places to buy white melamined or laminated doors, but you will need to work out which laminate it is in order to match it correctly/well enough. Also can you identify exactly what caused the damage? You may be able to prevent future damage by doing so.

Have Fun!!!!!!!

[Iain]

Universal Timbers in Dandenong will laminate any chipboard any colour and cut to any size and edge.
If it's in a wet area go for the 'green' chipboard or MDF as it is relatively waterproof/resistant.
Universal are on the Princes Hwy next to Audel Power tools.

[Hootsmon]

Thanks Guys,

The paint is acrylic splatters on stained wood, mostly edges, skirting boards etc. The wood damage is caused by splatters from the sink as there is no leak that I could see. I've got a digital camera but I thought piccies of my splatters and rotten door would not make interesting viewing. There are gaps between skirting boards and walls about 3-5mm. Would it be advisable to seal them up with say a flexible caulk with masking tape to cover about 2mm onto board in order to tidy it up? the only other solution I can think of is to take all edges off sand and restain?

[seriph1]

Hi again!

I would try removing the spatters with a quad 'o' steel wool, available from antique restoration places - what suburb are you in and I will give you a name.

Digital camera is always handy - perhaps not for rotted chipboard but the other stuff :)

the gaps bweteen the skirting boards is probably due to carpet having been laid there, but uncertain. Do you feel a draft coming from there? If not, 3-5 mm is not something I would worry about, especially as it is no small job to do an entire area. if you do decide to caulk, there is a wide range of coloured caulks available now that are water-washup. So you would be able to just wipe off the excess, leaving only the gap filled. You just need to wipe it off relatively soon and with fair care. I did it with the split tongues in our hallway floorboards. messy, but worth it. I found in my case, a stiff sponge was best as it didnt depress into the gaps and remove the filler - it just wiped off (after several goes) the stuff on the top of the boards.

have fun!

:D:D:D

[Hootsmon]

Thanks Mate,

I'm in bentleigh. The gaps in question are between the skirting board and the wall. I'll post some piccies tommorrow to clear things up.

[seriph1]

aaaaaaah - apologies.... I read it totally incorrectly. Interesting problem though, gaps between skirts and walls .... caulking is probably the way to go if you can't identify why there's a gap.

Hmmm Bentleigh - Try Period Details on Burwood Rd. Also, I mentioned this to someone today who said they feel certain Bunnings will have Quad '0' steel wool now, so try them too. But grab a yellow pages and look for any antique restoration place or period renovations places. They will know what youre after and at least be able to direct you.

[Shaty40]

Bunnings do stock 0000 stell wool, you will find under all the sand paper in the paint shop.

Tim:D

[Hootsmon]

Thanks guys I got the wool and it works a treat. Any special tips about cutting the laminex doors to size? I'm off to bunnings for a jigsaw today and other odds and sods?

[Wood Borer]

Hootsmon,

Welcome to the BB.

Don't try to cut the melamine with a jigsaw unles you like the jagged edge look.

It might pay to measure up the sizes and get them cut by someone with a panel saw with scribing blades etc. Iain's suggestion sounds like a good idea here.

[Justin]

G'day Hootsmon,

I also live in the Bentleigh area, and have done a lot of work on our 50+ year old BV, with all the "charming" features of tas oak joinery, separate dunny out the back in the laundry, claustrophobic bathroom etc. We are in a bit of a pause in the proceedings at the moment, have decided to extend upwards to get more living area but retain the nice big yard......

On the topic of kitchen doors, try Plyboard Distributors in Noble Park, just on the outskirts of Dandenong. I installed our kitchen using flat pack melamine modules and a benchtop from them (did my own doors).

Depending on the age of your house and the kitchen, you may find that the doors will be a non-standard size, so costs might be higher for the supplier to make up to suit, rather than something they have ex-stock on the shelf. Do the doors use older butt hinges, or the newer style of cup hinges ? If they use butt hinges you'll need to make sure you replicate the original design of the door and how it fits into the gap of the frame. It would be a good idea to take the actual door/s, and a printed out photo of the door in situ and ajar from the rear, along with you when you talk to prospective suppliers.

Good luck in starting down the slippery slope of renos, they have a habit of growing alarmingly in scope, time and cost as you uncover more and more......but it's still great fun. You just have to be objective in your assessment of the benefits.

I know some good suppliers of various bits and pieces in the local area if you're interested, reply to this post or PM me for more info.


Cheers,


Justin.

[Hootsmon]

Justin,

Thanks for the reply. Yes the renos seem to spawn more jobs than the original one! With regards to the kitchen door it's one replcement door at this stage as the hinge has repeatedly failed and has been rescrewed badly many times damaging the chipboard in one area to the extent that it wont hold any more. I'm not sure what a cup or butt hinge is though. I'm open to all help for suppliers as well.

[Iain]

Once again, Universal Timbers, they have absolutely everything and are one of the cheapest outlets I have found.
If they haven't got it, it probably doesn't exist.

[Hootsmon]

Ian,

Thanks for that. I'm gonna ring them this week for a price of an average size cabinet door. It is under the sink so I'll ask for the 'green' chipboard. Thanks for the advice