What do you put on a brown wood door facing the sun & rain?

I've a brown wooden door which is peeling yellowish flakes all over and the bottom floorboard (cherry?) is worn to the bare wood getting wet in the rain.

What do you put on this kind of door to protect it?

Reply to
Tony Palermo
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Your mother-in-law!

Reply to
razzledazzle

Bite your tongue My late mother-in-law was an angel. Who is now much missed.

Reply to
Attila Iskander

Seriously. What information do I need to give you for you to advice me?

Reply to
Tony Palermo

Storm door.

I got a door to refinish. I'll probably take it off, sand, and refinish with polyurethane. I insulated one of my hollow doors, but this one is not hollow, still an issue.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

Floorboard? Mean the lower part of the door? I would not use clear finish on a door getting lot of sun....sand, prime and paint it and then put some sort of kick plate across the bottom. Of course some sort of awning would help...clear finish in strong sun works a little like a greenhouse and lets sun deteriorate the wood more quickly.

Reply to
Norminn

Even if I take it off the wood all around both sides of the door also needs to be refinished and it is not smooth so it needs special help.

What more information do you need to advice me? Let me know.

Reply to
Tony Palermo

Maybe that is the problem. There is awning but it faces the sun so it is not working.

You suggest brown finish but is that varnish or stain or urethane or what is best for brown door all wood very thick and very heavy?

Reply to
Tony Palermo

Here is the picture of the floorboard.

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do not know what is on there but it does not seem like it is paint. It seems like a stain or a varnish or a sealer or a lacquer or something?

Reply to
Tony Palermo

I do not think storm doors would be apropriate in this set up as it is a front door to the house with a big opening and side panel.

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This is what the outside is peeling like.
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The inside is very dark stain of some sort.
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Your advice is suggested.

Reply to
Tony Palermo

Tony Palermo:

If it were me, I would use a coating that's called "Marine Varnish" by some people, and "Spar" Varnish" by others. You should be able to buy it in any paint store, but any marinas in your area will certainly carry it.

Marine/Spar varnish is similar to an alkyd based polyurethane, but it doesn't dry as hard and is very much more naturally resistant to UV light from the Sun.

You can buy alkyd based polyurethanes that have lots of UV blockers in them for use outdoors as well, but I don't know about their hardness. With hardness comes rigidity, and wood is a natural material that swells and shrinks with changes in it's moisture content caused by seasonal changes in temperature and humidity. So, if it were me, I'd use a product that's naturally UV resistant and and dries softer than regular interior polyurethane SO THAT it retains enough elasticity to stretch and shrink with wood outdoors.

I looked at your picture.

If it wuz me, I would use a paint stripper like PolyStrippa to remove what's left of the peeling coating on your exterior doors. I suspect the coating is peeling because someone used an interior oil based coating on that wood, and the coating isn't soft enough to stretch and shrink with your wood. Then, if those orangy stains come off with the coating, you might only have to sand those black stains out.

You then need to get a wood stain mixed up at any paint store to match the stain you have now, and use that to restain your THRESHOLD (not "bottom floorboard") and any areas where you sanded the stain off the same colour as what you have now.

Then apply multiple coats of Spar/Marine varnish.

I'd also ask at the paint store or marina where you buy the spar varnish whether they have a "wiping" marine varnish. Wiping "varnishes" or "polyurethanes" are made with much smaller resins than regular "brush on" varnishes or polyurethanes, and that means that they're not nearly as viscous as regular varnishes or polyurethanes. The advantage to that is that they won't leave brush strokes on your wood even if you paint them on with a corn broom. They're meant to be applied to a dry rag and wiped onto the wood surfaces being varnished.

(Keep your wiping rag in a plastic bag to slow the rate at which the wiping spar varnish cures with the oxygen in the air to form a solid. No matter what you do, the spar varnish will absorb oxygen as long as the rag is exposed to the air, and that oxygen will cause the spar varnish to solidify even when the rag is wrapped in plastic. But, wrapping it in plastic will at least allow you to use the same rag 3 or

4 times, rather than just once. Use a clean WHITE rag as any dyed cotton rags could discolour your varnish.)
Reply to
nestork

Your door looks to be Phillipine mahogany that has been varnished. The varnish is in terrible shape and needs to be totally removed either by sanding and/or scraping or chemically (paint remover).

Once the existing finis is gone you have to apply another. You have two options: paint or a clear finish. If you want a clear finish, you have these choices: varnish (poly or not), lacquer or oil.

No finish will last indefinitely. Paint will last the longest. Oil (tung or boiled linseed) is the easiest to apply and reapply. Varnish in your situation might go for a couple of years before it needs renewing. Maybe longer but not much.

If it were my door, I would use a marine varnish making sure it had an additive for UV protection.; 4-6 coats. I always liked Z-Spar varnish, would probably use one of these...

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?pid=100 The trick to maintaining a varnished surface is to add another coat at the first sign of disintegration. That would be dulling; lifting or peeling is too late. When redoing, the surface should be sanded with fine (180-240) paper to remove the oxidized layer, provide tooth and to avoid building up an excessively thick layer of varnish.

Reply to
dadiOH

That's a threshold (aka "sill")

Reply to
dadiOH

I recently came up against a door with similar finish issues. I took the door down and used a belt sander with 80 grit to take all the existing finish off then used a palm sander with 120-180 grit to smooth it out. Next, after vacuuming, I rubbed it down with laquer thinner and applied 3-4 coats of "Helmsman" clear varnish waiting overnight between coats. It came out great and it still looks like the day it was done. But its only been a little over a year.

At least this is one idea. Good luck.

Reply to
BobMCT

Just out of curiosity, how much of the door and sill are exposed when the sun is on it? South side of house?

First, it appears that part (or all?) of the peeling problem is due to moisture seeping into the wood through the joint at base of door frame...I don't think it would peel that badly if just sun and weather caused the problem. In order for any finish to adhere you need to sand away the weathered (gray) wood....looks like a very nice door and home, so sanding should be done carefully. It also looks as if soneone applied a water-based clear finish to damaged wood; that is a poor choice.

If you use a clear finish, I would make it solvent-based. First two coats should be thinned as much as the label allows. Brand? Just pick a name brand. Be sure to recoat according to label instructions and not during hottest sun exposure. When the finish is CURED (not just dry), apply a clear caulk into the joint. The sill could probably use one or two more coats that the door since it will have more wear. Two,or three at most, should be plenty for the door.

If painting, sand as before. Then prime with oil primer (I think oil is better on exterior wood because it sinks into the grain a little better). When primer is set, apply paintable caulk along all seams, pressing into the seam and smoothing the surface. Two coats of semi-gloss alkyd paint from a good paint store.

Reply to
Norminn

What size is that door ?? I had similar setup with single pane, and 36 inch solid wood door. I installed insulated window pane, because it was too cold. Wood was just painted, not stained, except I redid the rear of the door back to stain.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

The door is very dark on the one side away from the sun. It is very light on the other side facing the sun.

Do you think there is stain on the door in addition to varnish?

Here is the inside of door color that I wish to match on outside.

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Do I add dark brown stain to the varnish first?

Reply to
Tony Palermo

The opening is about 7 feet by 7 feet. The glass is two pane thick. The door itself is only 3 and one half feet wide and feels like solid. I do not think I want to paint. I want to stain to same color and then protect best.

In this picture taken right now you can see the two different stain color at the bottom of the door at the "sill" on bottom.

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Reply to
Tony Palermo

Yes. South. Sun all day. Rain blows in with wind. Always sun. Always rain. So I need best protection I can give the door. Plus it must be darker.

Here is the picture taken just now showing it already being wet outside.

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I see you said not to use water based. I will use what people suggest so no water based varnish.

Reply to
Tony Palermo

Here is what that sill is.

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Reply to
Tony Palermo

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