My front door looks terrible. Is there a way to rescue it?

Washington Post

18 hours ago

Q: The exterior side of our front door looks like it's spotted with mildew. I asked two house painters if they could fix it but they were not interested. What should we do?
A: A front door should smile at all who enter. But a door with worn or peeling finish and patches of mildew is not smiling.
If mildew were the only issue, you could probably just wipe it off. The finish on exterior wooden doors is usually slick and washable. It needs to stand up to rain, after all. But, judging from the picture you sent, the finish on your door appears to have flaked off in areas. UV rays from the sun could be the main culprit. UV degrades wood fibers near the surface enough so that they lose their hold on the wood underneath. The fibers slough off, carrying the finish with them. This gives moisture an easy path in, causing further damage.
At this point, the only solution is to remove the finish, smooth the wood and start over. You could opt for a door that looks like natural wood enhanced with a stain to add a little color. Or you could go for an opaque stain or even paint. You could tackle the job yourself or hire a pro. Some house painters might be happy to do the work, but you're more likely to get a commitment from a company that specializes in restoring woodwork. In the Washington metro area, one option is the D.C. location of Doorstain, a company that started in Atlanta seven years ago.
Russ Rol, a supervisor at the D.C. Doorstain, looked at the picture you sent and gave an estimate: $1,530. That would include chemically stripping the old finish, sanding down to bare wood, applying a wood conditioner to ensure that the wood absorbs stain evenly, multiple coats of an oil-based stain, a sanding sealer and one or two coats of an oil-based marine varnish that protects against UV damage. The work would be done in one day, at your house. The crew would start by taking off the door and covering the opening with plastic, then they would do all the prep and staining steps with the door horizontal. Typically, that's done by 4 p.m., Rol said, leaving enough time to reinstall the door and brush on the varnish.
With all these steps, how long does the finish last? Maybe four or five years, Rol said, but he noted that there can be great variation depending on whether the door gets direct sun or is sheltered by a porch roof. If a customer pays attention and has the door refinished when the old varnish is just beginning to show a few cracks or dullness, it's possible to spruce up the finish without sanding down to bare wood. Doorstain offers a basic refinishing package — including a light sanding, an application of stain and new varnish — for $1,310.
Homeowners who can't find someone willing to tackle a door refinishing project, who are on a tight budget, or who enjoy DIY projects can redo a door on their own at far less cost. A trusted handyman service might also be an option. The biggest challenge is removing the old finish and sanding down to bare wood. Switching to a painted door would minimize the work because the surface just needs to be smooth and devoid of loose bits of finish and wood fibers; stained wood fibers and even intact areas of finish can remain as long as edges of the remaining paint are rounded over and the entire surface is at least scuff-sanded. And a painted door will stay in good shape much longer — probably 10 years or more — than one with stain and varnish.
Whether you are aiming to stain or to paint, to get off the old finish and the loose wood fibers you could use a sharp paint scraper followed by sandpaper, starting with a coarse grit, maybe 80, then a medium grit, maybe 150, and finishing with 220 grit. Sanding sponges in the various grits would be helpful around edges of the panels. Pay attention as you sand, though: Some doors have a thin veneer, and you don't want to sand through it. If you see that happening, use a chemical stripper to get off the old finish and just lightly hand-sand.
If you're painting, Sherwin-Williams has a good online guide about the steps involved. They suggest leaving the door in place and covering hardware with tape or, in the case of the knob, aluminum foil. But when there is a lot of old finish to remove, as on your door, you might find it easier to work on the door when it's off its hinges and resting on sawhorses. Front doors are heavy, though, so have someone assist. Don't try to unscrew the hinges while the door is vertical; instead, tap up on the hinge pins and remove them. To minimize the time with the door down and the entry to your home covered with plywood or another temporary fix, try prepping the lower part of the door while it's in place and tackling only the higher sections when it is down.
If you want to keep the natural wood look enhanced by stain, Sherwin-Williams recommends using Minwax Gel Stain. Gel stain is an oil-based product with a thick consistency that is designed to be rubbed, rather than brushed, on. The color sits on the surface of the wood, so there's less risk of the blotchiness that can occur with standard oil-based stains, which penetrate into the wood. Over the gel stain, the company recommends Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane, which comes in an oil-based formula or in a water-based formula. Between the two coats, lightly hand-sand with 320-grit sandpaper. Other paint companies also offer gel stains and clear coatings that have UV resistance built in. Generally, it's smart to stick to one brand to avoid possible incompatibilities in the products.
Whether you hire someone to stain and finish the door or do it yourself, remember that you will need to do frequent maintenance to keep it looking great. Asked whether an oil-based urethane would last longer than a water-based one, a customer-service representative for Sherwin-Williams wouldn't say. 'It's a maintenance application no matter which one you use,' she said. 'In three to five years, it's going to need attention.'
But if you do give the door the care it needs then, you can skip all the hard work of removing the finish and starting over. Washing the door and lightly hand-sanding just to dull the surface is enough. You don't need to take down the door for this. Then brush on a coat or two of the same finish you used initially and you're good to go for another three to five years.
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