FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
Video Series

Video Series: Finishing an Exterior Door

Article Image

In this series, editorial director Justin Fink travels to East Haddam, Connecticut to visit with finishing expert, Peter Gedrys. These seven episodes will take you through the process of finishing an exterior door. Anybody with the proper tools can stain and varnish a door, but the end product will resemble the work of an amateur. To create a beautiful door, you need to do a little more than stain and varnish—which this video series will cover. So, if you’re going to proudly display your work on the exterior of your house, why not make it something you’re proud of?

This series stars with the very important initial step of sanding and prepping the door—a step plenty of people mistakenly skip entirely. The sanding will soften edges and eliminate snags and splinters in the wood that won’t accept color well. After, Peter shows how to create a ground color for your door. The one surefire way to make sure you’re 100% happy with the color of your door is to develop it yourself. It’s not hard, it just requires patience and a little experimentation. A coat of shellac is applied next to seal up the dye that creates the ground color. Then, Peter shows how he creates a stain and mixes it with glaze, so it can be applied most efficiently. The techniques in this step are incredibly important. This step allows for freedom and creativity, so you can get your door to look just right, but you have to go about it the right way or your stain might not apply properly or look how you thought it would. Once the stain is applied and touched up, on goes the varnish to really bring the color alive.

Peter’s experience in the field shows through this video series. He could sand and coat a door with his eyes closed if he had to. He understands what small details and technique help create a better final product. From gently dipping a foam brush and letting it absorb the paint slowly to brushing away from edges instead of pulling, Peter is a perfect person to teach this craft.

Read the related article:
Fabulous Finish for an Exterior Door

inishing an exterior door

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
X
X
Start Watching

Videos in the Series

  • Sanding and Prepping the Door

    Finishing an Exterior Door, Ep. 1: Sanding and Prepping the Door

    Although often rushed or skipped completely, hand sanding is a crucial step when staining or painting a wood door.

  • Finishing an Exterior Door, Ep. 2: Mixing and Applying Dye Stain

    A concentrated dye is used to create a ground color.

  • Finishing an Exterior Door, Ep. 3: Sealing with Shellac

    Lock in the dye before adding more color.

  • Finishing an Exterior Door, Ep. 4: Mixing Pigment Stain

    Decide on your stain color, then mix it with a glaze base for easier application.

  • Finishing an Exterior Door, Ep. 5: Applying Pigment Stain

    Learn how to apply the second layer of color and finesse it until you get the affect you want.

  • Sanding and Touch Ups

    Finishing an Exterior Door, Ep. 6: Sanding and Touch Ups

    Hide blemishes and prepare the surface before applying the protective top coat.

  • Finishing an Exterior Door, Ep. 7: Applying the Varnish

    For a smooth final finish, you need good brushing technique and thin layers.

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

About Video Series

Fine Homebuilding is constantly producing new videos to provide you with the details and techniques you need to build beautiful, high-quality homes. Watch all of our videos to see builders, remodelers, and other tradespeople demonstrate how to do a top-notch job when installing foundations, roofs, and everything in between.

Watch our latest videos

Up Next

Featured Story

FHB Podcast 346: Music Studios, Reducing Building Costs, and Indoor-Air Purifiers

Podcast 346: Music Studios, Reducing Building Costs, and Indoor-Air Purifiers

Matt, Kiley, and Patrick hear from listeners about energy-integration experts and ICC lawsuits before taking questions on converting a hog barn into a music studio, reducing costs in a new build, and the effectiveness of indoor-air purifiers.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • What You Need to Know When Working With Hannoband Tape

  • Podcast 341: PRO TALK With Color Expert Sue Wadden

  • A Versatile Paint Pail for Faster and Easier Projects

  • Historic House, Contemporary Floor Plan

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast 193: Understanding Permeability, Insulating Behind Fiberboard Sheathing, and Building a Patio Door

  • How to Frame an Arched Doorway

  • How to Test Paint Stripper for Your Next Refinishing Project

  • Video: Build a Dutch Door

View All

Doors

View All
  • how to choose the best windows and doors

    The Cornerstones of Comfort: How To Choose the Right Windows and Doors for Your Climate

  • Help with Heavy Doors

  • Replacing a Basement Door

  • Simple Technique for Round Corners

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 298 - April/May 2021

    • Butt Boards for Smooth Ceilings
    • Help Installing Gutters
    • Safety Bucket
  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in