Crafting History: 90-Year-Old Dutch Door Restoration in Waldo

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Last updated on March 31, 2025

Nestled in the heart of KCMO, a piece of living history stood slightly weathered and worn – a 90-year-old Dutch front door, its vibrant charm faded by decades of sun and seasonal elements. Casey Lynch of our Handyman Services Team took on the challenge of bringing this weathered beauty back to life, and the results are nothing short of remarkable. 

Photos of the Door Before the Restoration 

The door had experienced normal wear and tear over the decades and was missing part of the strike plate. 

Image of interior view white 90 year old dutch door before restoration process
Exterior view of 90 year old dutch door while door is open. This side of the door is grey and has brass hardware such as the knocker and handle
Image of cracked piece of glass at the top of the door for decorative appeal and as a way to see out.

 Professionally Repairing the Old Door 

Casey marked the location of the mortise bolt for security, so we knew where to install the new strike plate. There was a cracked piece of glass that needed to be replaced as well, along with some small holes and dents. 

Image of exterior view of the 90 year old dutch door, the hinges are visible from this angle.
Image of exterior view, bottom half of 90 year old dutch door before restoration.

The door needed to be removed from the opening by taking off the hinges from the jamb. Of course, a temporary closure was added while the door was being re-finished in our shop. 

Interior view of the temporary door closure that was put up to keep out seasonal weather elements and pests.
The exterior view of the temporary door closure that was installed behind the clear storm door.

The temporary closure is installed and next, Casey took careful measurements, and a new piece of glass was cut to fill the opening.  

Image of the glass inserts in the door covered with blue painters tape to protect the glass while the door is prepped,primed, sanded, painted, etc.
Image of the prep process while the door is being sanded, in between steps of the refinishing process.

The hardware was removed from the door and set aside so he could focus on prepping the door. The new glass was installed, and each pane was taped over to keep them protected from the prep and paint process to come. Casey filled and sanded the nail holes or other damaged spots. Skimming, sanding, priming and paint came next! 

Top half of the dutch door has been prepped and primed in this image. There is a white splotchy coating as this is an in between stage of the restoration process.
Image of top half of dutch door layed on a saw horse to be sprayed with paint. The door is now grey and shiny with the fresh paint on.
Image of the top half of the dutch door on a saw horse after it's been painted bright white.

Once the damage was repaired and the door was primed and painted on both sides, Casey reinstalled the hardware. He then installed a new slide bolt strike plate in the bottom door to match the existing one. The door slab pieces were both reinstalled, adjusting the door hinges as needed. He also installed foam corner seals at the bottom of the door opening to add an extra layer of protection from weather elements and pests.  

Image of bottom of restored door where it meets the floor to show where the foam corner seals at the bottom of the door opening have been installed to add an extra layer of protection from weather elements and pests.

A Beautifully Restored Dutch Door 

Image of interior view of the newly restored dutch door. The inside is white with the fresh glass accents at the top.
Image of fully restored dutch door from the exterior view. Door is dark grey and has shiny brass hardware now that it's restored.
Image with exterior view of fully restored dutch door but the top half of the door is open this time. The door is painted dark gray and has brass hardware.

The final result? A beautiful Dutch-door, restored to like-new condition and with a shiny fresh coat of paint. 

Casey also cleaned up the brass hardware, so everything looks polished and fresh!

Image of golden brass hardware that had been removed from the dutch door prior to restoration. The pieces are being polished and made to look new and shiny again.
Freshly polished brass door knocker with bird accent detail on grey dutch door background.

Casey did a great job with this one, and our lovely client thinks so too, per her kind Google review. 


- handyman services Client-

Casey recently finished my 90 year old front Dutch door - and it's beautiful! Thank you, Casey, for such careful, thoughtful, and highly skilled workmanship!

For projects big or small, new or old, you deserve the assurance of expert craftsmanship. Schloegel's Handyman Services delivers quality results you can trust. Ready to experience the difference? Contact us today! 

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