I think the problem is that the finish deteriorates because of the sun exposure, not the sun light going through.
A steel door would have to be painted, you could paint a wooden door with basically the same results as the steel door.
Clear finishes let sun light through, even those that block UV, and they break down much more quickly than an opaque paint.
Personally, I think Tony may not be describing the scenario accurately. I = think he is using terms not quite appropriately, as we understand them, tho= ugh his intentions are obviously well meant.
That door, the sidelights and the sill are in bad shape, finish-wise. Some= one mentioned mahogany. I can't tell if the wood is mahogany, Spanish Ceda= r or what.
It appears to me some finish is still on the woodwork, giving those areas t= he wet look, and Tony may be assuming these areas are stained areas. It ap= pears the finish has been removed from some areas (no matter what removed i= t, if so) and these areas may appear, to Tony, to be raw wood or a differen= t "stain" color. Other areas seem to have been silvered/grayed, from sun e= xposure.
If this above assessment is correct, then Tony needs to strip, sand, scrape= or whatever it takes, to completely clean the doorway of all previous fini= sh (and stain, if applicable), so that he has a completely raw wood doorway= . Once clean, he can wipe down some or all areas with mineral spirits to s= ee how dark the woodwork will be, when a clear coat is applied, i.e., the w= et look. We all know what this wet look is, but is Tony aware of this wet = look effect? I'm suspecting not. This wet look may be the same "stained" = look (darkness?) he is assuming is at the bottom of his door... and sill.
He needs to clean the door of all finish and whatever, then give it the min= eral spirits wipe down, then assess if he wants a stain. I highly suspect = he will not want a stain. I really think the wet look is the darkness he w= ants to achieve, that same darkness that is still on some areas of his door= - way.
Sonny
Personally, I think Tony may not be describing the scenario accurately. I think he is using terms not quite appropriately, as we understand them, though his intentions are obviously well meant.
That door, the sidelights and the sill are in bad shape, finish-wise. Someone mentioned mahogany. I can't tell if the wood is mahogany, Spanish Cedar or what.
A look at the picture reveals what an "ugly on an ape" situation you have.
If I were to attempt this job, I'd pull the entire door/sidelight assembly and lay it flat, say on saw horses in the garage and board up the opening with plywood to maintain security.
A Fein Multitool, while pricey, will pay for itself very quickly.
Also a 6" ROS, such as a Bosch 3727 will be worth it's weight in gold.
You are still going to have a lot of hand work with scrapers and profile blocks.
Expect to spend a month, probably closer to 2-3 months, stripping, repairing, and finally refinishing.
Approach it this way and it won't hurt so much.
The only difference between this project and building a boat is that this door project will take less time.
Lew
x-no-archive: yes
what a beautiful door :)
Mike Lal> Just out of curiosity, how much of the door and sill are exposed when
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.
I see you said not to use water based. I will use what people suggest so no water based varnish.
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