A potential client has asked me to refinish their entry doors and sidelights. I do a lot of door installs, the painter that I work with is on vacation for two weeks, and I need to get to this soon.
The door is under a covered entry. The gutters are full, so some water is splashing back on the left side, and the finish is flaking off. I’m not sure what the finish is. The brick mold and fluted columns seem to be mahogany. I think the doors are white oak. Appears to be something like a golden oak stain which has darkened a bit. There are also numerous spots of water staining.
Everything looks sound.
I’ve used various forms of oxalic acid on oaks and had mixed luck. Since the sill is the worst (and greyest), I thought I might sand and stain that darker and use Waterlox Marine finish.
I’m not completely sure how to strip the old finish off the doors and sidelights. Any ideas. The owner’s don’t want a shiny finish and are leaning toward Waterlox tung oil finish, which I have had good results with, as long as it was cleaned and kept up with.
I know the BT brain trust can give me a bazillion alternatives, and I’d love to hear them before I tear into this. Or should wait for the painter?<G>
Thanks,
BB
Don’t worry, we can fix that later!
Replies
Clean the gutter and wait for the painter...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming....
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I'm old, I'm ready for some toxic adventure<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Help yurself..
I'd paint it for ya but you know what could happen there...
Put in a call to Goldhiller or RW... They'd know...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Here's a little something for the knuckle dragging dial-uppers<G>
Don't worry, we can fix that later!
What's wrong with taking it slow and laid back???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
"What's wrong with taking it slow and laid back???"
That's my specialty, and is probably what will happen. Just sittin' aruond the homestead, waiting for jobs to start. I'm bored, man<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I don't know what you are frettin' about -- a couple of can of Kylon and your done. Thats what the PO did in my house.
That might be the ticket. Painter just called in and he can't get to it 'til the next millenium. Strypeeze and spar varnish...with a top coat of Krylon<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I think you will hate yourself for taking this job before you're done. It will be almost impossible to get this looking good with a light transparent stain like it has on it now. You will need to upgrade it to a semi-opaque finish or (even better) a painted finish. If you do manage to get a decent look without adding a lot of pigment this door will need at least annual maintenance repairs to the finish. Exterior doors finished bright are all that way. This unit has a ton of crevices and stripping will be an absolute heartbreaker. Talk them into a painted or semi opaque finish. If I was your painter I'd make DAMN SURE that I NEVER found time for this job.
I have to disagree with ya here Clay. Not that he may regret doing it.lol but, it can and has been done..I personally have done it to at least 5 various entrance systems.
Paint it? Not on my watch. Stirpping it may not even be needed, first the finish needs to be determined, and second whether or not it ever was actually stained..most likely it is just yellowed or altered by the actual finish itself..Probly a long oil varnish, factory or endused applied.
A good going over with a TSP and bleach soak..followed by a gentle pressure wash, a bit of sanding and he may just be in like Flynn..oil away.
Granted all exterior finishes (even paint) need periodic maintenance..but to paint that door way IMO would be assinine.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Yeah there won't be any painting. These are handsome oak doors, and everybody wants to keep them that way. I am going to give them a good, careful cleaning with TSP, then I will be able to assess the situation a little better. But I think the pressure washing is out cause of the stained glass. I don't want any leaks to the inside, because it really is really nice. The owner's now understand the importance of maintenance, so I think they will keep up with whatever I put on.
Clay may be right about having to go with a darker stain. We have discussed it, and they're ready to look at samples.
So what's a test for varnish? Spar varnish under cover might be the best bet?
Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Edited 6/24/2004 9:06 pm ET by bucksnort billy
dear god painting those doors would be a sin, and butt ugly too.
no help on stripping and refinishing, just had to say that much though.
last think I stripped and re-finished was an old oak kitchen table I picked up at a flea market with like 20 layers of various paint on it, looks good now, but NEVER again.....till I find some chairs that match the table *G*
Clay may be right about having to go with a darker stain. We have discussed it, and they're ready to look at samples.
Billy; Whether the stain is darker or not is unimportant. More opacity is the key. That can be accomplished with a light tint too. I would probably go for something along the lines of a buckskin tan. I usually have to mix my own using my clear finish as a medium and adding tinters. A buckskin tan uses white, raw sienna, burnt sienna, and raw umber (mostly ... sometimes a dash of this or that is needed to get the tint just right). I don't like to do such things with stains. I usually use glazes (which are simply thin, tinted, varnishes or other clearcoats). The advantages of glazing are that they have some body and will adhere to the surface so that color can be built up in multiple coats giving you very accurate control of opacity and hue. A light glaze that roughly mimics the original wood tones covered with one or several coats of darker (though quite transparent) glazes does a decent job of imparting the look of depth that bright finished wood has. The light underglaze effectively covers most of the gray weathered areas(it can be applied more heavily or with an adjusted tint to minimize the contrasts of the weathered areas).
Edited 6/25/2004 1:50 am ET by Clay
buck-
None of these guys know what they're talking about. Those doors are toast and you should tell the owners to replace them with fiberglass.
I'll come out and remove the doors for you to save you a trip to the dump.
Wait one minute rez....
I was into it 1st and I have the Blue Saffire paint standing by...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
BTW... I'm sure we can find a small dog from some where's
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Sphere
I'm with you on all that you said, there is no reason that those doors can not be brought back to "new" again.
I have seen far worse than that only to see some brand new looking doors.
One place that you were wrong though, " be in like Flynn" the proper phrase is "in like Flint", movie with James Colburn in it.
Maybe your just to young to have seen it. :)
Doug
Edited 6/24/2004 10:27 pm ET by Doug@es
Errol Flynn..a common mistake.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Thanks for all the faith and encouragement LOL
I have done a lot of refinishing on boat brightwork, it's just in much smaller areas than these doors. I haven't used this stuff before, but it might be just the thing: a little tung oil, a little spar varnish, a hint of polymerization.
http://www.tungoilfinish.com/marine.htm
I don't want to do too much sanding, because of the patination. Does anybody have a systematic approach towards blending in the water spotting? One big spot<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I'm with SPHERE on this one... That doesn't look to hard a job at all. A little time with a detail sander can get to the inside corners and edges of the panels that are greyed. the rest can probably just be lightly sanded with 120 grit. Then i'd apply a good grade of spar varnish. Yeah, the stuff is shiney... Somebody probably makes it with a flatner added, though I don't know of any. You can always finish it with gloss varnish... let it cure a couple weeks and then wet sand it with a scotch brite pad to get a satin finish.
I think Waterlox... even the marine stuff is way to high maintainence for me. There has got to be a reason why boat people are still using $80. a gallon spar varnish... If there was something better, they'd be using it.
That's a beautiful doorway... be damed if I'd paint it!
I thought I didn't know much about this until I read some of the other replies--don't mean to insult anyone, but I hope those who said replace or paint the doors were kidding. I agree with the first reply about first cleaning the gutters. I don't think the finish could be anything but varnish, if they're as old as they look. Shellac or lacquer wouldn't have lasted a year outside. I'd strip the old varnish, maybe use a brass wire brush if needed, maybe a little sanding, perhaps Golden Oak stain and then spar varnish. Stuff has UV protectant in it and shouldn't flake off like polyurethane. That's my 2 cents.