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Vintage Rail and Stile Garage Doors

dtown | Posted in General Discussion on September 14, 2006 08:44am

I am in the process of restoring a set of 70 year old paneled garage doors.  These are not carriage doors but wood roll up units.  They originally had plywood and glass for panels between the rails and stiles.  The plywood was extremly warped.  The plywood was originally set in the dado of the rails and stiles with solid material on each side.  The glass was held in with a molding.  I have removed both and have routed the profile on the inside of the door so the panel can be layed in without full disassembly of all of the frame joints.  I have cut 1/2″ Birch marine plywood to be place in these pockets.  These panels have been primed on all sides. 

I am now wondering how to reassemble for security and longevity.  I plan on setting the panels in and sealing with a flexible caulk so they continue to float.  Would it be wise to bed them into the frame like glazing a window?  I also am looking for an elegant way to secure the panels for final assembly.  One thought was to use a molding held with trim screws.  The other is to possibly pocket screw them to the frame.  Both of those methods see to work but might be prone to compromise if anyone decided they might want to bash a bit at the panels.  These doors and their track were selected not only because they look great but they will provide security far above a typical metal garage roll-up. 

Is there anything I am missing here?

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  1. DanH | Sep 14, 2006 09:54pm | #1

    If you want security it seems that the way to go would be to use metal flanges attached to the back of the door (and through-bolted), all around, after installing the panels with molding and finish screws. Or run two or three metal bars across the back of each panel.

    The metal bars might be best -- they could be arranged to lock into a railing placed behind the track, so that even if a hinge was dislodged the door would be secure.

    If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
  2. scrumseeker | Sep 14, 2006 10:26pm | #2

    Typically, when repairing / replacing a panel on a wood door, a molding is used around the perimeter of the panel on the4 inside of the door.  I would normally just use some wood glue and some finish nails to secure the molding, but I suppose trim screws would work.

    Remember the springs on the door are designed for a particular weight and may need to be changed if the replacement panels differ significantly from the original material in weight.

  3. dtown | Sep 18, 2006 05:11pm | #3

    Thanks for the suggestions.  I spent a bit pondering this and came up with a few other ideas.  I am thinking I will go with 1/2" Aluminum angle making a continuos frame around the backside of the panel.  If it is readily available I may see if there is a double angle that would wrap onto the face of the rail and stiles.  Someting like a 1/8" thick "Z" flashing. 

    I am still debating how to bed the panels.  Should I apply a caulk to the mating surface and set the panels in then caulk the outside? Skip the bedding and just do the outside? 

    1. DanH | Sep 18, 2006 05:22pm | #4

      I think the usual practice was to bed the panels in a product resembling glazing compound, with no additional caulking. A little of the compound would generally ooze out, creating a caulk bead of sorts.

      If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

  4. doorboy | Sep 18, 2006 07:03pm | #5

    All of the suggestions are good and reasonable. But if this is a historical renovation, you may be limited as to how much you can modify the original methods. If it's not a historical renovation, you may consider putting it back together in its original state so it may be considered for historical status in the future.

    "Kinky for Gov. of Texas"

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