Without better pictures of the overall area in questions I would say yes a terrible idea.

Why do you want to take it off?

@wiscokid old presumably lead paint wearing off on the jamb and other parts of the frame

Get a test kit from the hardware store to verify the presence of lead. If yes, paint everything (multiple coats) to encapsulate - but I would keep the door so you have the option to close it when you have company or don't want to see the mess. Or when your kids are old enough to toddle in there an pull stuff of the shelves/climb on them, etc. Or if you get a pet that wants to do the same.

ETA: I'm not implying you have a messy pantry, but very few look like The Home Edit or pinterest all the time, and that's a lot to keep up with.

Test the shelves for lead paint, too. I'd keep the door. If there's wear and tear that's causing lead paint to flake off, you could take the door to be stripped professionally, then primed and painted. It may need to be planed down a bit by a good finish carpenter before priming and painting.

What they said, keep it. IMO

If lead paint is a possibility, what about other surfaces? Or is that the only area flaking? if so, just paint to encapsulate. If you removed the door, you would still have to paint the jamb anyway.

Keep the door.

Buy a new door if you are worried about lead but aren't interested in painting. Don't remove the door.

If you are concerned about matching the rest of the doors, don't worry they still make 2 panel solid wood doors.

Another vote to keep the door. That's not an area where you want open shelving.

I'm with the group: While your pantry is highly functional, it is not a pretty space. I'd want to keep the door. My thoughts:

- Yes, test first. Mayhap you're worried about nothing.

- If this door is painted with lead, what about the rest of your house? Your windows, door frames, etc. throughout the house?

- Replacing the door might be easier than repainting it -- doors at the Habitat for Humanity Restore are only $10-15.

- If it IS lead paint, take it seriously. Lead poisoning is for life and is very serious.

And a personal experience: I'm expecting my first grandchild in a few months, and my mother gave me the very beautiful 1940s wooden high chair in which she and her brother, then me and my siblings sat. Somehow my own children missed out on this chair. Considering it's 80 years old, the paint was in excellent condition, and it was REAL WORK getting the paint off. I'm fairly well experienced in refinishing furniture, and I think this was my first time working with lead paint, and -- again -- it was REAL WORK. I understand why people wanted it (back when they didn't know how dangerous it was)

My husband is certified in lead abatement and our house is 110 years old. We stripped the wood with stripper made for lead paint, and encapsulated what we didn't strip. Then we skim coated all the walls for a level 5 finish and covering all the old lead paint layers.

If you decide to strip the wood you need a gel stripper that works over a long period of time. I used soy gel because it encapsulated lead paint.

Or when your kids are old enough to toddle in there an pull stuff of the shelves/climb on them, etc ..

It looks like you have little folks running around - I would strongly suggest keeping the door on the pantry until they are old enough to not want to pull everything off the shelves for their own amusement. And on a personal level, if someone could possibly tell me when that time is, I'd be super appreciative. :)

@Mrs Pete yes most of our woodwork likely had lead (baseboards, doors, trim, etc.) we've had the whole house freshly painted but i'm concerned about friction points.

@Sherry Brighton thanks so much Sherry. is there a way i can message you/your husband separtely with some of my concerns? if not, totally understand! thanks.

I don't know if the forum has a messaging system. but you can ask here and I will answer.

Just an FYI lead concerns are real but mostly from sanding lead paint and the particles it causes. As long as children aren't eating chips or licking exposed lead paint it is not a huge concern. It becomes a big concern when people try to sand lead surfaces and release the dust into the air.

It is like asbestos wrapped pipes in walls, as long as it is not disturbed it is fine, once you open the wall abatement is necessary.