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

A metal storm door! - sunlight will never go through.

Mart> gregz wrote:

We all learn that eventually, don't we? Unfortunately, we generally learn it the hard way :(

Stain is a spawn of the devil.

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.

For what its worth - Assuming the door is in good shape (which it looks) and is the color/hue that you desire, I'd put numerous coats of "Helmsman" varnish on it with very light sanding in between. This is a marine type varish and offers great protection from water and sun rays. With sufficient coatings it will las a long, long time.

Most home stores have it. I believe its "Minwax Helsman"

Good luck.

Treat is like its a hatch on a boat. What you need in this situation is a very good marine grade varnish with UV protection. Many varnishes come in colors, and matte or shiny. Spar varnish would work for the door and frame (it feels hard but is actually fairly flexible so it doesn't crack when the wood expands or shrinks. But it shouldn't be used for the sill, as it wears easily when you walk on it.

You should remove the door so you can finish all 6 sides so you never get water under the varnish. The best varnishes are designed to be thinned quite a bit before application, so you end up with 6 or 8 thin coats, rather than one thick lumpy one. And with any varnish, you should recoat periodically, at least every other year, depending on the exposure. To apply well, you need a very good brush, with natural bristles, such as badger.

Don't expect to find really good varnishes at home centers.