Oak door finishes

[mikel]

We have a huge front door on our new old house. 46" wide heavy solid raised 6 panel oak door that someone refinished before we moved in. The finish is real thin orange looking clear/varnish. We want to sand it and make it a lot darker with a stain/dye that still shows the grain but a lot darker.

This door gets full sun all late morning till sunset. Will making it dark black stained make it get too hot and crack?

The inside is painted white...

What should we use to stain/dye it darker?

thanks...


...mikel

[crokett]

I don't think making it a dark stain will make it crack. With that much sun you do need to look for a final clear coat that includes a UV protectant.

[mikel]

I just wondered because the door the color it is gets real hot in the summer.

Any idea's for what to stain it with?

...mikel

[crokett]

Spar varnish. You can do a search on refinishing an entry door and it should turn up several hits. Personally whatever I used I would want something that can be stripped and reapplied - a stain really can't be without a lot of sanding. My reasoning is as it weathers/fades a surface treatment can be renewed, or removed and another treatment applied.

[cabinetman]

I've done the spar varnish trip, and in So. Florida, the finish needs work in less than a year. Stripping that stuff, especially on a front door is time consuming and a hassle.

My last door experiment I used an oil finish. Didn't have to be stripped, just reapplied when needed. A good oil finish like General Finishes "Outdoor Oil" or a good teak oil works good.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

[jziegler]

I wouldn't reccommend wood dyes for this, stain should be OK though. Most of the dyes warn about fading in sunlight.

If it's an orangish finish, that's probably just plain oil based varnish of some sort.

Jim

[mikel]

thanks.

...m