Dog locked himself behind a door—he’s out, but is the door salvageable?

Submitted by PeezkyWeezky t3_11uz9g6 in DIY

(Edit: TLDR and link to pics at the bottom of this post)

What a weekend. I’m dog sitting for a buddy (who is on his honeymoon) and as I’m arriving the other night I walk into a nightmare scenario. A pipe had burst right before I arrived at the house. I was able to get to the emergency shut off, but not before a ton of water flowed into the unit below my buddy’s place. Everyone is alright and we’ve had emergency plumbers in and out to fix the issues and dry out both units, but it was a scene.

During the chaos, I put my buddy’s very anxious dog behind a bedroom door so the plumbers could do their work without the dog barking at them too much. The dog managed to lock himself in from the inside while pawing at the door. I checked with my buddy and there were no keys to the door, so it was on me to get the dog out by hook or by crook. I haven’t watched the lock picking lawyer in a while, but I gave it my best shot. I tried sneaking a credit card and part of a plastic bottle between the door and the lock; I tried a butter knife, bobby-pins; I tried using a flat head screwdriver to bully the locking mechanism; I even tried a last ditch effort with a wire hanger to no avail.

Ultimately, with the dog freaking out, I gave up on the subtler methods and decided to nuke the door handle with a rubber mallet and attempt to access the inner mechanism with a flat-head screwdriver.

The mallet did the job 😬, but it wasn’t pretty and I’m wondering if the door is toast. I’m hoping that maybe with some wood glue, clamps and some touch up paint, the door could be salvageable and the cosmetic damage would be hidden underneath a new handle. Any chance of that or is it time for a new door? If a fix is possible, I’d like to try to get it started over the weekend and save my buddy some work—he has enough on his plate as it is.

Thanks for any help and ideas you have and obligatory pic of the doggo enjoying his new found appreciation for freedom.

https://imgur.com/a/65WF0y7

TLDR: dog locked himself behind a door by pawing at the handle. I nuked the door handle with a mallet to get him out. Wondering if I ruined the door or can fix.

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barbarossa1981 t1_jcqy8j6 wrote

Seen and fixed worse. Glue and clamp back the wood, use woodfiller for any divots/scratches, sand, paint, then get a new handle with a larger panel that ideally screw into place. If not get four matching or complimentary screws, and carefully (and slowly, in spurts) drill some guide holes in the panel.

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ClearlyInsane1 t1_jcr12hn wrote

^ this. It can be be fixed to look very close to the original. An expert could get it to look indistinguishable.

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BZ2USvets81 t1_jcqp340 wrote

A photo would help but based on your description it might be fixable. However, interior door slabs are really cheap and I would just buy one, hang it, and paint it.

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PeezkyWeezky OP t1_jcqqqza wrote

Pics didn’t upload first time around. Here are a few pics of the door https://imgur.com/a/65WF0y7

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BZ2USvets81 t1_jcqr2w7 wrote

Good job on the pics. I would definitely just buy a new door. If you need advice on how to get the right one and how to install it you can DM me. I'll be happy to find a good video or two that will show you the steps.

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No_Coyote_ t1_jcqt904 wrote

It’s toast. You’ll never get that to look original.

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No_Coyote_ t1_jcqt9xx wrote

It’s toast. You’ll never get that to look original.

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UseABiggerHammer t1_jcrg5qi wrote

You can buy a U-shaped metal sleeve in almost any finish you want that goes over the edge of the door and both knob holes. Look up "door reinforcement plate". I'd still glue and clamp up the edge of that door just to clean things up and strengthen it as much as you can, but for $15 or less this drops right on in minutes.

I was in the same boat as you with our pantry that had a keyed lock. Some kid locked it and the key was MIA, and my door looked kinda like yours after bashing the knob off. The plate covered all the damage and tightened the door up nicely.

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Hot_Historian1066 t1_jcrihwk wrote

Automotive bondo, a sanding block and sandpaper, and a fresh coat of paint should get it sorted.

I did this to repair a door my BIL pried open with a crowbar when he forgot his key.

https://postimg.cc/nXNwmcKd

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OriginalSuggestion87 t1_jcrp0i4 wrote

I'm gonna disagree with all the "it's ruined" posts. It may not be "the right way" or look 100%, but wood glue and clamps then some wood putty (or even better, Bondo) to smooth out the rough spots will get you 90% of the way there.

If you're good with your putty (try using the edge of a putty knife to continue the fake "grain" lines) and sanding, you may not even be able to tell once it's painted.

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Barnettmetal t1_jcrp2go wrote

I don’t know, I would take the dog and just high-tail it to Mexico or something, live your best lives and start over.

How much do you really like this guy? Chances are with his new wife you guys aren’t even gonna be hanging out that much. I would forget that chump and throw my chips in with the dog.

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[deleted] t1_jcrzflk wrote

I know this is a joke, but there are people out there are broken people out there who would do just that? Thanks for the laugh.

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PeezkyWeezky OP t1_jd1h9f8 wrote

We made it to Sinaloa and the dog is camouflaged in bondo that I’ve made look like wood grain. We’re making friends—wish us luck on this new chapter.

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Osiris28840 t1_jcqnhwp wrote

It would help to have a picture of the damage to the door. If it’s purely cosmetic damage it’s probably salvageable, but if the damage is a bit too much it could make the door weaker and more likely to break again in the future (without the help of a rubber mallet, that is).

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Syndicofberyl t1_jcqzat1 wrote

Nope. That Masonite will never be the same. Time to go door shoping

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Hot-Creme2276 t1_jcu7vt3 wrote

I had to cut my door with a multitool when the lock jammed. And the kid needed their stuff ASAP. No advise, just commiserating.

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skydiver1958 t1_jcum9hc wrote

Anything is fixable. Myself it's a new door because although with some talent and time I may get the grain to look good but I wouldn't waste the time myself. But hey have a go at it.

Now what you should have done was pry the door stop off. Ya you would have had a bit of touching up to do but it would have given clear access to the strike to slide it back.

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jeffersonairmattress t1_jcrcz85 wrote

So you don’t want to hear this but you had all the tools to open this door. Clothes hanger hook behind the latch bolt and the flat screwdriver slowly prying it out of the jamb, maybe 0.025” at a time, but eventually you will expose the slanted face and can use the hook or knife to open it.

This latch bolt is only sprung- it’s not a deadbolt.

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