I have approximately 30 or so interior pre-hung doors to finish for our new house. They are going to be finished with Sherwin Williams BAC Wiping stain and SW Hi-Bild lacquer.
The question is how to hold/position these doors while I finish them. I plan on only finishing 5 or 6 at a time (don’t have the room for all 30 to be finished at a time) plus if I only finish 5 or 6 at a time it will make this task seem a little more surmountable.
I was thinking about making individual jigs to hold the doors, like a frame with screws that would screw into the top and bottom of the door to hold it. Or maybe just laying them all flat (easy to work that way) and staining one side and flipping them over when the stain is dry and then staining the other side. BAC wiping stain only takes about 30-45 minutes to dry but it sure would be nice to finish the whole door, especially when it comes time to spray them.
Any thoughts on this subject?
Oh, by the way, the doors and frames will be finished separately obviously.
Edited 5/22/2008 3:09 pm ET by jurassicjet
Replies
jurassic
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Rich
With that many doors, stand them up, at a slight angle edge to edge (think zig-zag) and nail long battens across the top of the "wall o' doors"....make sure you have some blocks on the bottom, if they don't have factory shipping blocks. Stain & lacquer away
Thanks guys for the ideas! I especially like the pieces applied to the end of the doors that hold the door off the floor/table whatever.Starting on them this week.
I think I'd be inclined to wait until they are installed (leaving out the hardware)then finish them on the hinges. That way, less chance of dings while they are being hung. No dings = no need to do any touch up.
Just my 2 cents
I'm no expert either, and nor do I have 30 doors, but I just put up doors in our basement and am just going to finish them on the hinges. I did take them off to paint the tops and bottoms easier, but given it's a small basement, it'll be easier to finish them on the hinges.
I 3rd the hanging 'em first method. No hardware but the hinges. Mask off the hinges and do yer finishing. Stick a wedge under the door to keep it from swingin while you work. The only reason I can think of to not do it that way is if there's too much traffic going on, otherwise it's the simplest way I know of. Basically, you already have the perfect jig.--------------------------------------------------------
Cheap Tools at MyToolbox.netSee some of my work at AWorkOfWood.com
The problem with hanging them and finishing in place is the lacquer. I spray all of my stuff with Sherwin Williams Hi-Bild Pre-cat lacquer. The overspray around the doors (walls are already painted) and the potential for overspray on the windows is too high of a risk. I also think it would take more effort than it is worth to plastic off the area around each individual door. Brushing the lacquer on is not an option either (it will drag the stain) and polyurethane is horrible to work with IMHO.The key for me I think is to do each room or set of rooms so I limit my finishing to 5-10 doors at a time. Right now, if I think about finishing 30+ doors the task seems almost insurmountable. If I can break it down into manageable sizes I think I will handle it much better.
I am also custom milling all of my own trim (birch), plus finishing and installing that too. 4500 sq. ft house. Man o man.... what did I get myself into? ;)
See the pic for one way to do it. This works well for painting and clearcoating, especially using a sprayer.
The strips are inexpensive furring, and they are tacked or screwed at the top. It takes two to tango doing this; you'll need a helper to stand the first two in each run.
In a production setting such as a plant making cabinet doors, the stain step is done by using a sprayer, and quickly following behind with the hand-wiping.
View Image
"A stripe is just as real as a goddamn flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
jet
If you do the stand up method, beware of spraying in the inside corners. You can get laquer to build up there preety fast.
I buy a roll of 36" wide construction paper ($10 at Lowes) or rosin paper and roll that out under my doors.
Not matter how clean you think you have your floors a sprayer tends to blow stuff off the floor and on to your doors.
Be sure you seal the top and bottom of each door to.
Have fun spraying.
Rich
I did it by installing four long screws in each door, two at the top and two at the bottom. Set the doors between two saw horses resting on the screws, apply your finish, carefully flip the door over(you'll need a helper) and finish the other side. Stand the door up and lean it on a 2x4 rail installed at the height of the top screws. Repeat.