Chosen Wood Window Maintenance

Door Repair & Restoration

Restore wood and steel doors to their former glory and boost the value of your home. It’s true what they say, “they just don’t make them like they used to.” That’s why repairing your existing historic door is a rewarding project that will make you happy every time you arrive home to see it.
503-266-3830 (Oregon)
206-565-3113 (Washington)
office@chosenwwm.com
Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm (PST)

Moisture Related Wood Door Problems?

Locals understand how much damage prolonged moisture can create. Wooden doors are very tough, but extended exposure to the elements can take its toll. Our moist environment can cause damaging dry rot, mold, and mildew, and will remove paint or varnish over time as well. These issues start out small, but soon can compound to damage your door if not taken care of.
Two unfinished wooden doors side by side in a workshop. The doors have similar panel designs but slightly different wood tones. Tools and construction materials are visible in the background, indicating a woodworking environment.

Common Exterior Wood Door Issues We See

Cracks from seasonal swelling
Warping from humidity
Chipped paint from prolonged exposure to the elements
Loose or damaged hardware
Dry rot and water damage
Moss growth
A gloved hand uses a stiff brush to clean or strip paint from a wooden surface. The area appears wet, suggesting use of a cleaning or paint-stripping solution.

No More Door Worries!
We’re Experts at Restoring Historic Doors & Windows

We have decades of experience in restoring and repairing doors here in the Pacific Northwest.

We start every door restoration project with an assessment of how the damage was caused. Then we get to work on making your antique door look good as new. Giving your old door a second chance is a great way to preserve the value of your home without compromising on functionality.

How Our Door Restoration Process Works

01
Architectural elevation drawing of a typical door and frame, showing the arched transom lights, the door and trim schedule, the sidelights and the surrounding trim.

Assessment and Inspection of Your Doors

First, we’ll assess the damage and inspect the surrounding areas. We’re always hoping to answer the question, “What caused this damage?” and figure out a way to prevent it from recurring. Our door restoration services take beauty, functionality, and history into account as we create a plan to restore your door to its original glory.
02
A person holds a removed, damaged wooden section next to a wooden door with a new matching patch installed, illustrating a repair process on the door's mortise area.

Wood Repairs and Moisture-Resistant Patching

Next, we bring the door into our workshop to make repairs. Our team will draw from decades of experience using moisture-resistant wood fillers, replacing areas of dry rot with high-quality vertical grain fir (VGF), and chemically stripping old paint to reveal the wood grain underneath. No two antique door restorations are identical. We will dig into the types of wood, amount of damage, and style of your door might even unearth new finish options or surprising existing finishes.
03
Two door lock cases side by side on a workbench: one polished back to bright brass, the other still in its worn dark original finish.

Hardware Replacement & Sourcing

We’ll take off existing hardware and do our best to polish knobs, remove rust, or use paint stripper to reveal the original metals. If they’re beyond repair, we’ll source replacements that feel consistent with the era of your home to maintain the look and feel of your historic door. If your door is missing its original hardware, we’ll look for clues in the millwork and design to help select era-appropriate knobs, handles, and hinges.
04
A restored historic entrance with new multi-panel doors beneath an arched fanlight, flanked by original ornamental medallions on a freshly painted facade.

Finishing and Sealing with Varnish for Protection

The final step, when your old door is looking good as new, is to finish with several coats of varnish to seal it properly. For extra protection, we can utilize a process that includes both epoxy and varnish to add another layer of protection from the elements. This will protect the door against rain and humidity for at least 3-5 years, depending on its location. If your door exposed to harsh elements, you may need to reapply it every 2 years or so.

25+ Years of Happy Customers

“They did an absolutely AMAZING job on our 80 year old bay windows and front door, far exceeding our expectations. Hunter and Caleb were prompt, meticulous, perfectly professional and very helpful. They both clearly take great joy in their work The level of craftsmanship on display is exemplary. We will be using them again (there is always more to be done in an old house…) and recommend them with the highest level of confidence. Chose Chosen and it will get done right.”

Scott Poehlmann

“Our lovely home in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle was built in 1926. It was important to us that we could find craftspeople capable of restoring, not just replacing, our beautiful leaded glass windows, their frames and sashes. Unlike other companies who send estimators who do not actually do the work, Will discussed the specific details of our job and how he and the window restorers would proceed.  I thought the pricing of the quote was quite fair.

The windows were removed and sent to Portland to be restored. When they returned we were amazed at how nice they looked. I recommend Chosen Wood Window Maintenance to my friends and neighbors and will use them again on any future projects.  Nice work team!” 

Allen Goldstein

“Chosen Wood Windows is an unbelievable resource.  They really are wood window experts. It’s been great working with them and learning about all of the resources they have available. I like that wood windows can be restored – it’s a sustainable and smart way to take something old and make it new again. And they can make windows more energy efficient than the originals. Their capabilities are impressive.” 

Kim Pendarvis

“I couldn’t be happier with the work that was performed. We had one window with a broken glass pane that they replaced, one with two broken cords that now functions perfectly and one that rattled when the wind blew that is now weatherproof. The crew was wonderful. They arrived on time and got right to work. They were efficient and left absolutely no mess. They were so polite, professional and kind. I will not hesitate to use them again when we can have our other windows taken care of.” 

Marsha Parsons
Two Chosen Wood Window Maintenance crew members in hard hats, high-visibility vests and work gloves setting a large restored multi-light door unit into a brick opening.

Why Work with Chosen?

We’re a locally owned shop, and we’ve been restoring wood and steel windows and doors across Portland, Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest since 1998. The same crews who know what this climate does to old wood are the ones who show up at your door.
Award-winning preservation work. Restore Oregon’s DeMuro Award, and windows and doors restored at the Oregon Supreme Court House.
Safe in older homes. We work to EPA Lead RRP and OSHA standards, with full lead and asbestos containment.
Accredited and affiliated. Better Business Bureau, Historic Seattle, Restore Oregon, and the Association for Preservation Technology.
Repair before replacement. The most sustainable door is the one you already have, so we save the original wherever we can.

Our Work

Timberline Lodge

Mount Hood, OR
Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Administration Building
Crater Lake National Park, OR
Mahonia Hall
Salem, OR
Oregon Supreme Court Building
Salem, OR
Mount Tabor Reservoirs
Portland, OR

Admiralty Head Lighthouse

Whidbey Island, WA

Restoration
vs
Replacement

Repairing or restoring a vintage wood door is a wonderful way to preserve character in a home. New doors are expensive and often lower quality than historic ones. Repairs are a more cost-effective way to maintain the quality of your existing historic doors. In the long run, maintaining the existing doors will increase your home value and showcase the historical character of your home, whereas new doors often make a home more generic.
Older wood doors are made from stronger wood — with expert restoration, they can be as good as new again.

Why Restore? Restored Wood Doors Bring Beauty and Value to Every Home!

New doors are expensive and often lower quality than historic ones. Repairing the door you already have is a much more rewarding investment.
Preserve the original character of your home.
Old-growth wood is stronger than what new doors are built from.
Repair costs less than replacement.
Increase your home’s value.
Showcase your home’s historical character instead of making it generic.

How We Approach Vintage Door Restoration Services

Each vintage wood or steel door is unique, so we don’t apply the exact same formula every time. The key difference from a standard repair is in the materials: vintage wood doors are often made from old-growth wood, which requires specialized care to remove decay or dry rot. Non-standard sizes and original hardware can only be repaired or preserved by an expert.
Person wearing gloves cutting wood on a table saw in a workshop, demonstrating a woodworking process with safety precautions.

What Sets Our Restoration Work Apart

Historic Preservation Board Approved

As historic door and window specialists, we understand how important it is to preserve the historic integrity of your home and its features. Your front door not only impacts the curb appeal of your home, but also the value. We make sure all work is in alignment with historic preservation board requirements and best practices.

Hardware Replicas & Sourcing

Wherever possible, we’ll preserve what hardware we can, but if that isn’t possible, we’ll help source replica hardware that may even be stronger or better suited for our PNW climate than the originals. It is as important to keep the aesthetic as it is to find hardware that is durable and long-lasting, and as the Pacific Northwest’s historic door experts, we know our way around knobs, handles, and locks!

Beyond Historic Wood: Modern and Steel Doors

Historic wood doors are our specialty, but they are not the only doors we work on. If you have a modern door or a steel door that needs attention, we can help.

Modern Door Repairs

Not every door we restore is a century old. On modern doors we replicate door panels where the originals have rotted, replace failed insulated glass units, and repair door frames — the same craftsmanship, applied to a newer door.

Steel Door Restoration

Steel follows a different process from wood. We start with lead containment, then remove and restore the hardware, strip the door to bare metal, make steel epoxy repairs where the metal has corroded, repaint, and reglaze.
Upgraded glass, on wood and steel alike. When we reglaze a door, matching the original glass is only one of the options. We also fit upgraded glass — insulated units for better energy performance, and tempered glass wherever code requires it.

Maintenance Tips for Wood Doors

Wood door maintenance is very simple!
A person in work clothes and gloves uses a table saw to cut wood in a carpentry workshop filled with tools, lumber, and equipment.
Simply wipe them down with a damp cloth once a month or so.
Keep an eye out for any loose hardware, worn varnish, or cracked weatherstripping.
Give the whole door a good once-over, including the edges, and make sure everything is opening and closing smoothly.
Take a look at the door frame and make sure the door seals properly on all sides.
If you see major issues like daylight coming through the seals, warping, or difficulty opening or closing, or worn-off varnish—give us a call to repair sooner rather than later, before it becomes a larger project.

Contact Chosen Wood Windows Today

Fill out the form below, or give us a call now to move forward with your door restoration.
We look forward to meeting you.




    Project History

    Chosen Wood Windows was founded in 1998 in Portland, Oregon, by Vern Forrest. Since those early days, we’ve expanded our business to serve the entire Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, Washington, and other areas, both rural and urban.

    In addition to our local projects, we have had the opportunity to take on projects from across the country as well as commercial restoration projects for some of our nation’s landmarks throughout the country. 

    We’re Your Local Historical Door Repair Company

    Our historic door restoration specialists are ready to help bring your home back to life! From identifying the cause of damage to helping you select the right color stain— we’re here at every step in your journey to bring your doors back to their former glory. Contact Chosen to get one of our team members out for an assessment for our door repair services today, and check out our other offerings like wood window repair and complete vintage window restorations.