Main Entry Door finish

[mrojec]

My douglas fir front door has a satin polyurethane finish on it that is about 10 years old and is starting to look pretty tired. I plan on sanding it down to bare wood and refinishing it with a more weather proof concoction. I'm not crazy about spar varnish because of the difficulty with drips I always seem to get brushing on vertical surfaces. I have a critter spray gun but I'm an inexperienced at spray finishing (haven't used it yet!). Any one have experience with wipe-on finishes like Water Lox? Looks and durability are the prime considerations. thanks!
Mark

[cabinetman]

If the door is that far gone you might consider just a chemical stripper. It would be faster and a lot less work. You could use an MC (methylene chloride) based stripper which is the most effective, but very toxic, or a water based one like Citra-Strip, which can be used indoors. Some finishes can be thinned and wiped on and come out great. Use an appropriate finish that is meant for the actual exposure your door will receive.
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[BobSch]

I'm not crazy about spar varnish because of the difficulty with drips I always seem to get brushing on vertical surfaces.

Have you considered pulling the hinge pins and laying the door down so you won't have to worry about runs? We re-did our front door several years ago and taking the door off and setting it on saw horses was easier than doing it in place.

[themachine]

Our local woodworking store "finishing expert" suggests using an exterior paint base stock, #4 on most scales, as a perfect clear coat finish. This is the base stock that absolutely has no pigment in it, and is usually the base for darker colors. As an exterior paint, it comes complete with UV absorbers, mildewcides, etc. He says it has very good longevity on exterior door applications. And do not use a polyurethane formulation, as the urethanes are particularly susceptible to UV damage.

[MikeMcCoy]

I asked a similar question several months ago on the Woodnet forum based on an old post about using neutral base paint that I had read but couldn't remember.
The link below takes you to that thread if you are interested.

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthr...v=#Post3438775

[shoottx]

Yeah, I am familiar with Waterlox on weathered front doors.

One of my projects this summer was redo an east facing front door. I had tried not to install a wood door in Texas much less east facing, but that is another story. I stripped the doors with a water based chemical stripper (Zip-Strip water rinseble industrial strength) to remove the original poly and most of the stain. After stripping, sanded all of the *^&*&*&^ panels and molding trim by hand. I applied two coats of Waterlox Sanding Sealer and a Coat of Waterlox Marine Finish.

I am a huge fan of Waterlox. In fact the person that introduced me to Waterlox was Frank Klauz. (see other thread)

If you have questions about this drop me a PM

The molding and panels took a lot of time and effort but here are the results.

[drdoor]

My douglas fir front door has a satin polyurethane finish on it that is about 10 years old and is starting to look pretty tired. I plan on sanding it down to bare wood and refinishing it with a more weather proof concoction. I'm not crazy about spar varnish because of the difficulty with drips I always seem to get brushing on vertical surfaces. I have a critter spray gun but I'm an inexperienced at spray finishing (haven't used it yet!). Any one have experience with wipe-on finishes like Water Lox? Looks and durability are the prime considerations. thanks!
Mark

I never touch a door to refinish with a sander untill I strip the old finish off first. The problem with douglas fir is that is is veneered. the veneer is not very thick and if you decide to try to remove the finish with a sander, you risk going through the veneer. The other fact is removing finish with a sander does usually results in a very uneven surface, ( like a bad bodywork job on a car).