Door Problem
Rotten Door Replacement
Stop patching it. Replace the door and solve the actual problem. Standard replacement from $1,350 inc GST supplied and installed. StormBloc™ with RotGuard™ from $2,200 inc GST supplied and installed. Final price depends on door size, frame condition, and extras identified in your photos.
What’s included in every supply & install quote:
- Delivery to your door
- Professional installation by our own team
- 3 × premium hinges
- Zanda Zenith entrance set (handle + deadbolt, keyed alike)
- Old door removal & disposal
- Full site clean-up
- 2-year workmanship warranty on the install
Final price depends on door size, frame condition, and extras identified in your photos.
The Cause
Why Doors Rot
It starts at the bottom edge. Every time it rains, water pools at the threshold. Splash-back from the porch, runoff from the wall above. It all ends up in the same place.
Most doors have almost no protection down there. Just a thin coat of paint over exposed end grain, with no drainage path and no barrier. The manufacturer assumes someone else will seal it. Nobody does.
Moisture wicks into the timber through that exposed end grain. Doesn’t take much. Once water gets inside the core, rot works from the inside out. Slowly at first, then fast.
The door can look fine on the surface while the structure underneath is already gone. You push your thumb into the bottom rail and it goes straight through. That’s when people call us.
Melbourne’s climate makes it worse. Wet winters and humid summers keep the timber cycling between expansion and contraction. Paint cracks. Moisture finds a way in.
The Wrong Approach
Why Patching Doesn’t Last
We get why people try to patch it up. The door still opens. It still closes. The rot is only at the bottom. Surely you can fill it and move on.
It just doesn’t hold. Here’s what actually happens:
- Planing the bottom removes material and exposes even more unprotected timber. You’ve actually made the problem area bigger.
- Filler is cosmetic. It doesn’t bring back structural integrity, and the timber around the filler keeps rotting regardless.
- Repainting over rot seals moisture inside the door. The decay speeds up underneath that fresh coat of paint.
- Once moisture has reached the core, no surface treatment can reverse it. The damage is already internal.
- A patched-up door rots again, usually faster the second time. There’s less healthy timber left to protect.
The Right Solution
Full Replacement
The only permanent solution for a rotten door is a new one. Filler, paint, and planing won’t reverse structural timber decay.
But here’s the thing most people don’t think about. If you put the same type of door back in the same spot, with the same exposure, the same thing happens again. Give it three to five years.
The question isn’t just “replace.” It’s “replace with something that won’t rot again.”
The Permanent Solution
StormBloc™ with RotGuard™
Not a better timber door. An engineered system that eliminates the failure mode entirely.
Colorbond® Steel Face
The external face is steel, not timber. It won’t absorb moisture, won’t rot, and never needs repainting. Water hits it and runs off.
RotGuard™ Treated Perimeter
All four edges treated with RotGuard™, including the critical bottom. The end grain that normally absorbs moisture is sealed and protected before the door leaves the workshop.
Bottom Edge Independence
The bottom edge can stay unpainted. RotGuard™ handles moisture protection independently of paint. When the paint eventually wears at the base, the door doesn’t care.
Engineered, Not Improvised
This isn’t a timber door with a coat of something on it. Steel face on the outside, treated pine around the perimeter, engineered ply in the core. Every part is there for a reason.
Real Results
Before & After
Pricing
What It Costs
Standard Replacement
From $1,350 inc GST supplied and installed
Final price depends on door size, frame condition, and extras identified in your photos.
New timber door, properly sealed and finished. Good for sheltered locations where the door has some protection from weather. Think porches, awnings, or recessed entries.
StormBloc™ Upgrade
From $2,200 inc GST supplied and installed
Final price depends on door size, frame condition, and extras identified in your photos.
The permanent solution for exposed spots. Colorbond steel face with RotGuard™ treated perimeter and engineered core. Built for doors that keep rotting from weather exposure.
All pricing includes supply, fitting, hardware, and alignment. Frame condition is assessed as part of every replacement. If structural work is needed, we’ll tell you upfront.
Common Questions
FAQ
Can a rotten door be saved?
Not for long. Once moisture reaches the core, surface work delays the visible damage but rot keeps going underneath. You can fill it, sand it, repaint it. It’ll look alright for six months. Then it comes back, usually worse. Replacement is the only permanent solution.
Why does my door keep rotting at the bottom?
Water pools at the threshold and enters through exposed end grain at the bottom edge. Standard paint isn’t enough protection, especially on weather-exposed entries without a porch or awning. The bottom edge is the first point of failure on almost every rotting door we see.
How much does it cost to replace a rotten door?
Standard replacement from $1,350 inc GST supplied and installed. StormBloc™ with RotGuard™ from $2,200 inc GST supplied and installed. Final price depends on door size, frame condition, and extras identified in your photos. All pricing includes supply, installation, hardware, and cleanup.
Will my new door rot too?
A standard timber door can, if it’s in the same exposed position. That’s why we recommend StormBloc™ for any spot where a door has already rotted from weather. The steel face and RotGuard™ treated perimeter eliminate moisture ingress. They remove the cause, not just the symptom.
How long does replacement take?
Most rotten door replacements are done in a single visit. We handle supply, fitting, hardware, and cleanup, so you don’t need to source a door separately or coordinate multiple trades. Quote to install is typically within 28 days.
Don’t Wait
Your door won’t fix itself.
Send us a few photos and we’ll tell you what’s going on. Most rotten doors can be assessed from photos alone, so no site visit is needed for the initial quote.
Takes less than 60 seconds.