Lagoa Municipal Library
Timber door restoration at Lagoa Municipal Library
Restoration of the main timber door: the old varnish stripped back to bare wood and finished in burgundy.
Scope
- Location
- Lagoa
- Property type
- Public works
- Service
- Painting
What we did
At Lagoa Municipal Library, restoring the main timber door was a small job on a very public building: it is the door every library visitor walks through, beneath a stone arch in a pink façade.
Before the work, the door's old varnish was worn and chipped, especially at the bottom, where rain and daily use are hardest on timber. In that state, a new coat on top does not bond properly and starts chipping again before long.
So the varnish was stripped completely, back to bare wood. The panels were left stripped, clean and ready for the finish. Any old varnish left in the mouldings would have shown through the new colour. That is the stage the before-and-after slider shows next to the result: bare timber, then the finished door.
The deep colour sits well between the stone arch and the pink façade and gives the entrance the presence a main door should have.
For the building, it is an entrance restored rather than replaced. For anyone with old doors at home, the job is the same: strip, prepare the timber and protect it again, keeping the original piece.
Materials
- Burgundy timber finish
Gallery
Gallery
Before & after
The same façade. A different light.
Area
The library is in Lagoa, where we have also worked on a villa and on the Civil Protection warehouse. On public buildings the work happens in full view of passers-by and, on a main entrance, with the building needing to stay accessible; that calls for work organised in stages and left clean at the end of each day.
Frequently asked questions
Can an old timber door be restored rather than replaced?
Often, yes, provided the timber is sound. Here the old varnish was stripped back to bare wood and the door given a new burgundy finish. We assess the timber on the site visit.
Do you work for local councils and other public bodies?
Yes. In Lagoa, on the Municipal Library and the Civil Protection warehouse; in Faro, on the University of the Algarve's Gambelas Campus. IMPIC licence (alvará) no. 151991-PUB.
