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Hi Eric:
I have a fir 15 panel door that faces south here in CT. The builder put on Quick 15. Bad idea.
I have had pretty good success with a blend I found in FHB a few years ago:
3 parts polyurethane spar varnish
2 parts high quality turpentine
1 part boiled linseed oil.
This is pretty thin and drippy. Use multiple coats, long time to dry after the second coat.
The best part is in a year or two, when you need to refinish, no sanding, just a light cleanup, and
you can recoat.
This aged to a kind of antique finish, and looks nice in addition to stopping cracking of the door.
Steve
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I use the same finish as Steve except a 1:1:1 mix. My door is west facing in coastal so. CA. It weathers well and is a easily applied renewable finish.
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Norm - sorry for takin' so long to see this question, darn board is gettin' so big, I can hardly keep up.
Whether Watco and satin would LOOK good on Mahogony or not is an opinion. It might turn kind of dark. But then, you might like that look. I will say with confidence though, that it will last.
Knot's is the Fine Woodworking discussion board. If you go to the FWW home page and scroll down, you'll find it. There is an entire section over there on "finishing" and some really knowledgable folks are regulars there. That is the one section at that board that I read every post, (ah, besides the Cafe) as it is probably my weakest area in our profession. - jb
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I am about to install a new fir entrance door, which will have a southern exposure (massachussetts) and a clear coat finish. My questions are as follows.
1. which type of top coat is preferred oil (marine varnish etc.) or waterborne polyurethane?
2.storm door? should i leave the screen in year round or, if i install the glass will it create to much heat and ruin the finish or even the door itself?
any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
*Eric - there is an entire section on "finishing" over at "Knots". You might get more response there. For what it's worth, I have a Fir exterior door on the South facing wall in my house that I put in 14-15 years ago. I used a couple coats of exterior type Watco Oil (natural) and then two coats of exterior Varethane (satin, I think). It has aged to a beautiful orange/red, and looks great.We live in Western Washington, so our climate is gentler than yours, but we get some pretty dramatic seasonal moisture swings. As for your question about trapping heat behind the screen/storm door, look around your community. Find a few homes that have similar exposure/door configurations. I have been known to knock on strangers doors and ask them about their buildings. As long as you're sincere, most folks are willing to at least talk to you, especially older folks. - jb
*I use marine products on my wood doors. The product I use is "Decks Oleja". ( the spelling is not correct) This stuff is a non harding finish. They have 2 versions of it a flat and a gloss I use the flat finish and put many thin coats until i get a semi gloss shine. It lasts a long time and recoat is very easy just wash and a light sanding and recoat. I realy like this stuff is use every where on exterior wood that need a shine.
*Hi Eric:I have a fir 15 panel door that faces south here in CT. The builder put on Quick 15. Bad idea.I have had pretty good success with a blend I found in FHB a few years ago: 3 parts polyurethane spar varnish 2 parts high quality turpentine 1 part boiled linseed oil.This is pretty thin and drippy. Use multiple coats, long time to dry after the second coat.The best part is in a year or two, when you need to refinish, no sanding, just a light cleanup, and you can recoat. This aged to a kind of antique finish, and looks nice in addition to stopping cracking of the door.Steve
*There seems to be great information in this conversation string, but not enough detail for me:Jim Blodgett: Where can I find "Knots"? Is it a web site?14-15 years sounds good, I may use your finish for my door. Do you think it would work as well with a mahogany door? (mine are painted now, I will strip and help protect with storm doors after, as I live in Lower Michigan). And your suggestion of looking at houses in my area is a good one.Steve Bond: 1 to 2 years sounds pretty frequent to me to refinish a door, but I don't have any experience. What is the reason to mix the turpentine and linseed oil? I thought polyurethane was so tough. Is that why you have to refinish so frequently (or is that due to the fir and your exposure)?Thanks, everyone for any replies.
*This subject came up once before and one suggestion was to take the door to a body shop and have automotive clear coat applied.