trying again with pics:
Hall door:
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Closeup of bubbled area:
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bottom of door:
{{gwi:2004943}}
Closet door:
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split in panel near top of door:
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bubbling on closet door panel:
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inside of closet door (was not painted):
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closeup of bubbled area:
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Are you sure that the previous coats of paint weren't oil based?
Painting latex over oil can cause bubbling to happen.
Solid doors usually don't have any veneers.

happy,

Thanks for your response. I can't be sure what paint was on the doors already, but we have painted the doors in adjacent rooms with the same latex paint and not had any issues. The doors we painted appeared to have the same paint on them to start, as well. I thought the same thing about not having veneer... Something just isn't adding up.

Your doors are solid wood not veneer. By looking at your photos of the unpainted inside.....your doors were in no condition to simply slap on more paint. You can only have so many layers of paint. Yours doors have been stained and repainted numerous times since 1926. The beginning decades of painting used oil lead paint. The beginning layers of paint are so hard that the paint is cracking and you have excess buildup of paint in areas that you have simply been adding more paint to. You also failed to mention if the last paint job had a gloss finish, if this time around if the doors were properly cleaned, a proper primer used and the type of paint you used.

That painter does not know what he is talking about. Do not let him at your doors.

You should remove all of the paint from your doors either by chemical paint remover or sanding which most people do not like to do. Chemical would be recommended. Once all the layers of paint are removed your wood doors will look brand new. You can not simply keep covering up problems with more layers of paint.

Premier,

Thanks for the info. I know it is very hard to see details in these photos but I have a couple of questions. First off, I don't think the doors had that much paint on them to begin with--perhaps 2 coats? It was a either semi-gloss or gloss. It was chipping off quite easily in places and the chips that flaked off were not very thick *at all*. The original finish in the areas where the paint had chipped looked to be in very good condition, i.e. no crackling. The sticking is also quite clean without any paint build-up. All this to say that I don't think a ton of prep was actually called for in this instance, and as I had mentioned we have lightly sanded and painted a couple of other doors that turned out fine. I do realize how hard it is to see in these pictures. I'm not sure if the doors were primed before painting with the latex semi-gloss we used this time.

BUT, the bubbling happened on the INSIDE of the closet door which was not painted, corresponding to the same area on the other side of the door which was painted. If it was an issue with too many layers of paint, improper preparation, etc., would BOTH sides of the door been affected?

The reason I'm trying to get to the bottom of all this is I need to know how to proceed. We made a mistake in that we have paid in full for the work, which I now wish we hadn't. I'm just trying to determine if this problem was a direct result of a mistake on their part (i.e. leaving the doors out in the rain, etc.) or if it was just an unlucky coincidence. In any case I don't believe we'll let them do any more work on the doors.

Thanks again for your help!

If I could see your doors in person I could definitely say. I have restored many old doors like this. I can only judge based on the photos and some detail is blurry.

Let me start by saying again, your doors and molding and hinges have not been properly cared for. That I know is true. I can see the excess build up of paint which has been painted over. Your doors are no longer smooth like the original wood door was. Previous paint failures and defects have been painted over. A light sanding only roughens up the gloss finish. It does not remove the old painting problems. Only full removal of all paint will.

I find it hard to believe there are only 2 layers of paint on the doors. Do you know the year in which the doors were first painted over the stain. Normally with each paint job, you would use a primer and 2 coats of final coat which is 3 layers for one paint job.

The paint is chipping on your doors which have nothing to do with what these painters did. If paint chips, but the remaining paint is hard...can not stratch off with your finger nails...it means that the paint was oil paint which never stops curing and has gotten so hard it is chipping off. It separates from the wood. If it was a matter of someone improperly using a latex paint without properly preparing a stained door, you would be able to stratch the paint off with your nails as none of the paint ever penetrated through the stain.

I believe your doors were previously painted with oil paint even if you later repainted with latex. Once paint starts chipping...you have to remove all of the paint. You can patch the chip spots and repaint. But before you know it, you will bump into the door and it will start chipping off.

With old doors like this which are chipping, if the paint is not all removed, you must undergo careful preparation with special primer in addition to cleaning, sanding. I believe your doors are beyond this.

And what do you mean the painters left your doors out in the rain????? That is a huge problem. There is no excuse for that. Even if a door was in good shape, if it gets rained on, it will absorb a lot of moisture. Besides from possible permanent damage to your wood and joints....the door would have to dry out for days in direct sunlight. If these guys merely dryed the surface off and painting, the paint job will fail and you will get bumps and tons of other wierd stuff.

Yes it is strange the bubbling occurred on both sides. But considering that the doors were left out in the rain, it could well be all the rain water seeped through to the back end. That is serious.

You have to get all of that paint off those doors and allow them to properly dry out and then fix whatever wood damage the rain caused. Then you can paint.

It would be better if the doors were left out in the sun but if you can't, use some household fans to dry out these doors. There has to be moisture inside the wood. The paint will hold the moisture inside the wood which will ruin the wood.

I would insist on all your money back and would hold them liable for the door damage.

Painting is not as simplistic as you seem to view it. You can't just hire guys to paint and not know if they are going to prime or what prep work they are going to do. It doesn't appear that the guys you hired were professionals.

Short explanation...because of the rain there was moisture in the wood and prior paint layers. The moisture left in the wood and other paint layers are trying to get out...to the surface area. The moisture is causing the new paint to bubble and raise.

Premier,

Sorry, I didn't mean that my painters *had* left the doors out in the rain. I was suggesting that as a possible explanation for why the bubbling was happening.

I know all that is involved in a good paint job. I ALWAYS have done it myself. However, I have not-quite-a-year-old twins who arrived in the midst of a full blown renovation, so this particular paint job (since it required scaffolding for the stairwell) was something we hired out. My husband did all the contract stuff since I am a little busy these days and although I normally would have handled it myself it is just one of many things I had to hand over control of. That's why I don't know if they primed or not.

But I do believe there was minimal paint on the doors before we bought the house two years ago. I can't say what year the doors were originally painted, but my guess is between 15-20 years ago. I can contact the previous owner and perhaps find out. They had owned the house since the mid-70s. The other original doors that have not been painted since we moved in indeed chip pretty easily, i.e. with a fingernail.

These doors are all on the second floor, and while the door trim and baseboards all have multiple layers of paint (easy to tell because it has been several different colors), the doors appear to only have the top-most layer or so of white paint. These doors have not been previously painted by us. And I know the hardware is not in good shape but we asked them to leave it alone as we plan to strip it ourselves.

*SIGH* I appreciate you taking the time to help me through all of this. Here are some more pictures that I think show the damage a bit better, all from the inside of the closet door which was not painted by them:

area around interior knob, with paint chipping. it can be chipped off with a fingernail:
{{gwi:2004949}}
another close-up of bubbled area inside door (I chipped some of the paint of the raised area):
{{gwi:2004950}}
bottom of door, with a split in the wood near the joint. this was not there before:
{{gwi:2004951}}
split in panel (not just cracked paint):
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The painters are coming by today. I just need to know what to say to them. I guess my concern at this point is that if we strip the doors, are the doors and/or panels so damaged as to not be salvageable?

You have flat panel doors. These are generally made up of plywood. So you do have veneered panels. These doors need alot of help. Painting them is a waste of time in there present condition and I don't know if their condition can be repaired enough to warrant salvaging them. They need to be completely stripped down to the bare wood. The doors are cut too short, so a piece of wood needs to be added to the bottom. There are panels that need to be replaced and cracks that need to be filled. These doors are of no architectural interest to bother with all that. It would probably be cheaper to replace them then to fix them.
And even if you replaced them, the door frames would need to be rehabbed. Looks like a hundred years of built up paint on them.
Ron

The original layers of paint are no longer adhering to the stain. These are original doors and aren't made of plywood. In any event, yes the doors can be restored and they wood look like brand new but it is very time consuming and labor intense.

The painters should have told you that the poor shape of the door would prohibit painting. Instead they slapped on the paint and took the money and ran.

Painters are not generally restorers. To hire out will be very expensive due to the man hours. I would suggest you do it yourself and take your time.

I'm a big believer in retaining original doors. They give character to the house.

You have to get all of the paint off. Either get a mask and sand it off or use a chemical paint stripper. Not a whimpy stripper...the most powerful one they have. Even if the wood is split through to the other side, it can easily be repaired once the paint is off. Your molding also needs to be stripped. Hinges should never be painted. There is a good chance that the hinges are brass and a little baking soda and a toothbrush will make them shine if they are brass.

Ron is right that the doors are to short. Someone must have cut them for a carpet allowance. That might be a little harder for you to do. If you can manage the paint stripping and door repair, you can then consider adding wood. Don't forget all of the build up of paint around the panels.

Do not be tempted into light sanding and some patch. Someone can do that and while it might look good at first, it will just end up chipping and the paint not properly adhering.

Its up to you if you want to invest the time. I do a lot of restoration and it truly looks brand new and perfect in every respect but I put in a lot of time to achieve that. If you don't want to invest in restoring them, save your money and stop painting them or purchase new doors like Ron suggested.