Learnings from Refinishing Wood Front Door

I've been procrastinating refinishing our front oak door for a couple years, since I was concerned I would mess up and end up with a horrible job and the high cost of having someone redo the work correctly.   20 years ago, I tried to stain a pine desk for my spouse and it turned out blotchy.  That experience has made me hesitant to try staining again.

I decided to take it in baby steps:

• First, I found the stain and polyurethane that was used by painters 10 years ago.  The stain still seemed good, but the the spar urethane had gelled and no longer usable.
• I had purchased a battery operated oscillating tool for another project.  I decided I needed an orbital sander in addition and purchased one.
• I tested the sanders and spar urethane on some outdoor furniture over the summer using a brush.  It seemed to work well.
• I decided to wait for fall weather temperatures before doing the front door.
• In the meantime, I checked the internet for recommendations on staining and applying polyurethane.
• The key learning was that the stain should be applied with with a cloth or stain pad.  A brush had a tendency to cause brush marks or dark areas.  
• A second key learning was to do step sanding: initial 80 grit, 120 grit, final 220 grit, before applying stain.

.I did the project over 4 days, mainly because it was the last 4 consecutive days in November of being over 55F during part of the day.   Here were the steps, without removing the door:

• Day 1- Remove hardware and sand all the flat sections.  Replace hardware at end of day.
• Day 2 - No need to remover hardware. Sand curved and recessed panel areas.  
• Day 3 - Remove hardware and oil base stain.  Clean dried stain areas lightly with water and sand any raised grain with 220 grit.  Replace hardware.  Allow stain to cure overnight.
• Day 4 - Remover hardware and put 5 thin layers of water based spar urethane, semi gloss.  Allow 30 minutes minimum between layers.  Reapply hardware.  Wait one extra day to attach the kickplate.

Each day took about 2-4 hours of work time each day.  I even did other projects, such as changing the water in our hot tub, and raking up leaves during the wait times.

The finished door looked great.  I'm hoping it will last another 10 years.  If not, I think I can refresh sections as needed every 2-3 years since the bottom sections seem to deteriorate faster.  We shall see.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial, wood staining, nor door maintenance advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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