Refinishing a wooden door?

Oil based polyurethane works fine if not in direct sunlight and the added benefit is you can get it in different glosses.

The ultimate protection, in my opinion, is Marine Spar Varnish and you can get it in glossy or semi gloss with certain manufacturers. This is the product used on refinishing wooden boats.

Sorry so vague. Yes I want stain and seal. Thanks!

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I think it's fir? Was installed 8 years ago. Truthfully, I don't remember.

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So this door has been finished before and needs a fresh update. If stained, you should strip the door entirely. You can use liquid paint stripper to do this and I'd recommend taking the door down and doing this on a set of saw horses to make the job easier.

Once the stripper has been removed, wipe the door down a few times with a rag and fresh water to neutralize the stripper. All this will raise the grain, so after it dries, you will need to sand it smooth.

After sanding, you will need to remove all the dust, so a shop-vac followed by a tack cloth is your friend.

Once the dust is removed and if I was doing it, I'd use a piss-coat of shellac which is 2 parts denatured alcohol and 1 part shellac as a base coat. This will make staining come out very evenly on the door. Let the piss coat dry then use 220 paper to sand it smooth, shop-vac and tack cloth again, then stain.

After the stain is to the tint you want, then apply your first coat of finish product. Lightly sand when dry to smooth it out and apply a second coat.

If you are happy with that, go with it, but I'd go a 3rd coat if mine.

I always told my customers that once you have stained / varnished an exterior door, it becomes a maintenance problem. Stains fade, varnishes (including spar) get cloudy and begin to delaminate. Expect 18-24 months max service before you have to redo the door.