Wood Front door refinish advice - Ceramic Tile Advice Forums

FactorXII · 08-09-2002, 10:20 AM

I have this front door made from mahogany(?) and it has wood carving overlaying the glass. It needs refinished. The weather has peeled the varnish and stain on outside. What is the best way to prep this door for new stain and clearcoat?
Any advice thanks in advance.

Mick

Bud Cline · 08-09-2002, 03:05 PM

Stripper?

tileguytodd · 08-09-2002, 04:15 PM

Wire Brush?
Sonny should be here

bbcamp · 08-09-2002, 04:41 PM

How bad's the wood? How are you gonna refinish?

Bob

cx · 08-09-2002, 11:39 PM

Good lord, Bud, can't you let the guy get one serious response before you change the subject?

He didn't axe about what jumps out of the big bagel in Dallas, he axe how to refinish his door.

CAMI! Can't you do something about Bud?

Sorry about that, Mick. Don't pay no attention to these distractions.

If you're serious about a good refinish, first thing I would want to know is whether the glass is readily removable. Is it a large lite with a wood overlay, or individual lites set into the carved part?

You got pichers?

Sonnie Layne · 08-09-2002, 11:55 PM

Hi Mick,

believe me, we're not all nuts on this site.

You don't want a 'clear-coat' on your entry door. Won't work, I don't care what HD Expo tells ya'.

You want an oil finish, tung oil is great, but not the kind that's mixed with urethanes. Only other choice really is Spar Varnish, which darkens so quickly and radically that it's lost it's importance in that field.

I'd strip it, oil it (prob'ly around between 4 coats and 5000 coats depending on how many arm wrestling championships you've aquired in the past year or so). Really, the stripping will be the most difficult. Sorry, I don't see another way of doing it. Ain't no such thing as UV resistant Polyurethane no matter how straight the face of the liar that says so. Just not possible chemistry wise.

They can call me, I'll stand there right behind you

painter, poet, cheese-sniffer,
Sonnie

Bud Cline · 08-10-2002, 02:30 PM

See I was right again....Sonnie likes strippers too!!!

Ron Teti · 08-10-2002, 11:27 PM

I was talking to a guy the other day who told me he used about 3-4 coats of flecto varathane. He said its been about 3 years now and its holding up good. He lives about 3 mile from the ocean and the door faces the ocean. To prep I would strip (easy guys) sand, to about 180-220 then use a sealer then finish unless your gonna add stain then stain before the sealer.

kdzgon · 08-11-2002, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sonnie Layne
...painter, poet, cheese-sniffer,...

chemist,

FactorXII · 08-11-2002, 12:03 PM

Thanks for suggestions. So far I have gone over it with steel wool to remove the flakes of varnish. That was upon advice from Homeless Despot people. Next I plan to use this stuff called TSP Substitute which is used to kill mold and so forth. I will take some pictures but I don't have digital camera so it will take awhile to post.

Mick

Sonnie Layne · 08-11-2002, 08:57 PM

Mick,

That won't work. You have to get down to raw wood fibers (ain't gonna get into the cellular schematics here) for them to absorb the oil, which will result in a contraction of the interstitial spaces, given that it's a properly cured wood, which it is at this point. Anyway, likelihood is that the door was shot with a couple coats of urethane varnish, which is still a varnish, which ain't gonna be UV resistant I dont' care what shape the salesman's face is in.

Only after you get the crap off the top of the wood (the urethane won't penetrate deeply), can you then finish with the tung/walnut/mineral oils (or a mixture of these with appropriate colo(u)rants. Stay away from the Danish oils, it's a mix of tung and polyurethane. Rub the door down with one of the solid oils I mentioned. Sun ain't gonna bake that stuff off, and as an extra benefit,,, it's repairable, just scuff it, rub it lightly with oil and your're good as new.

Sonnie
don't worry, the painter will fix it

FactorXII · 08-11-2002, 09:52 PM

Some clown painter who said he would refinish the door for $300.00 minimum said if I decide to do it myself not to use oil under any circumstances. I trust the BB more than him.

Mick

Sonnie Layne · 08-11-2002, 10:17 PM

Well, don't use Old English Lemon Oil... so I guess he's saved his own skin.

Don't use "Danish Oil" which is a combination of urethane and teak oil.

Just use tung oil. As many coats as you have patience for. Walnut oil is good, but not necessary.

Then, you just have to scuff the surface once every 1-10 years and rub some more tung on it and you're good to go.

If it doesn't seem to work, call me and I'll make it right for you. First, tho', you must remove all the existing urethane finish. This can be done by sanding. Chemical stripping by your option. Main thing is to open the grains of the wood to the oils you're going to apply. The oils have to get into the cells of the wood.

You can call me 5 years from now if that fails.

kdzgon · 08-12-2002, 08:09 AM

Sonnie,

If you finish an exterior door this way, you mean it'll hold up to weather, or only if protected by a large porch/overhang, etc?

Laurie

Sonnie Layne · 08-13-2002, 09:59 AM

Yes, it's UV protected or resistant. I've got one door that's 8 years, a couple that are 5. Others that are protected by a covered porch. I was recently by one of the five year doors. Client said he'd touched it up a couple of times, but that's just a matter of light sanding and a couple of swipes with an oiled rag. That's the big thing I like about it, it's easily repaired/touched-up by the homeowner.

I used to use it on my boat.