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Refreshing exterior wood doors
Posted on 7/3/22 at 11:14 am
Posted on 7/3/22 at 11:14 am
I’ve got a few old, solid wood exterior doors that are in bad shape from exposure. Does anyone have experience with sanding them down and refinishing them without removing them? There is no way I can take them off in this heat. Better to wait until it cools down in 5 months? Thoughts?
7
Posted on 7/3/22 at 11:27 am to Kvothe
I have to sand and stain mine every 5 years or so. I don’t sand thoroughly, but just want to smooth any rough spots and roughen any glossy spots. Finish with spar urethane.
Posted on 7/3/22 at 11:32 am to Kvothe
The amount of work and frustration saved by taking them down will be near-infinite but it can be done. If it were me I would get a 4x8 sheet of rigid foam board and replace the door with it while working on each door if you are worried about conditioned air loss. If the doors aren't the same size use it on the widest door first. If the door slab is over 8' tall you may need two sheets to cover the opening. You could also use a sheet of plywood or OSB etc if you have one laying around.
Posted on 7/3/22 at 12:12 pm to Kvothe
Sanded mine down, then applied General Finishes gel stain followed by GF Exterior 450 satin poly.
With gel stain you don’t have to completely strip it. Just sand it down smooth. Goes on like paint, although I used a glove and sock.
Sorry OP. You weren’t looking for the info above. I had an exterior glass door so I was able to keep the door off during the day and put it back on at night. In the fall though.
With gel stain you don’t have to completely strip it. Just sand it down smooth. Goes on like paint, although I used a glove and sock.
Sorry OP. You weren’t looking for the info above. I had an exterior glass door so I was able to keep the door off during the day and put it back on at night. In the fall though.
This post was edited on 7/3/22 at 12:15 pm
Posted on 7/3/22 at 12:21 pm to Obtuse1
quote:
The amount of work and frustration saved by taking them down will be near-infinite but it can be done. If it were me I would get a 4x8 sheet of rigid foam board and replace the door with it while working on each door if you are worried about conditioned air loss. If the doors aren't the same size use it on the widest door first. If the door slab is over 8' tall you may need two sheets to cover the opening. You could also use a sheet of plywood or OSB etc if you have one laying around.
This is good advice.
Posted on 7/3/22 at 12:39 pm to Kvothe
quote:
Refreshing exterior wood doors
you cant do it right without removing them so wait for the fall to do it. the sides edges and bottom will be warned bare and need touching up as well.
give it a good sanding then restain and cover with a few coats of urethane or repaint them. if you are painting them then fill any cracks dents or bad spots with auto repair bondo
Posted on 7/3/22 at 5:33 pm to Kvothe
If you don't want to take them down to do them right, just wait for cooler weather. Besides, it will make the finish turn out better since this extreme heat is not good for painting or finishing woodwork.
Posted on 7/3/22 at 6:02 pm to Kvothe
My last home had a door that did not seem to have a "film" (i.e. polyurethane voating) type of finish. About once a year, I'd just wipe it down with Boiled Linseed Oil. Brought it back to life without full sanding and taking it down. I have plans to eventually build a solid wood door for my current house and I'm definitely looking for finishes that are simple to maintain in that way.
Posted on 7/4/22 at 9:17 am to Kvothe
quote:
without removing them?
No. I took my from door off to do this work. I have a glass storm door though. It gave me plenty of time to do this right, outside. I'd wait for it to cool off to remove the door if you can wait.
My front door was really weathered with the varnish/clear coat on the outside deteriorating. It was painted white on the inside. Probably a pine door. I took the door off and stripped and sanded both sides. I used a Dremel tool with a sunburst looking attachment wheel to get into the corners and crevices to get the paint out. The attachment roughed up the wood some and gave it a nice rustic look after it was stained and finished. I wasn't trying for that look but it turned out nice. Use a Spar Varnish if in direct sunlight for UV resistance. Mine worked out really well.
Posted on 7/5/22 at 5:28 pm to Jon A thon
quote:
My last home had a door that did not seem to have a "film" (i.e. polyurethane voating) type of finish. About once a year, I'd just wipe it down with Boiled Linseed Oil. Brought it back to life without full sanding and taking it down. I have plans to eventually build a solid wood door for my current house and I'm definitely looking for finishes that are simple to maintain in that way.
May want to look into Osmo brand wood wax.
I did exterior wood doors with their exterior wood wax years ago. I like the natural look much more than stain + poly. It was easy to apply and you don't need to sand or strip them in future. Refresh by simply re-waxing them.
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