Opinions needed...Entry door refinish...

(See pics below)... That door is...

  • Awesome...just put a waterproof finish on

    Votes: 6 100.0%
  • Hideous...you'd be better off setting it on fire.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Somewhere in between.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Potato.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    6
  • Poll closed .

Missourian

Diamond Member
Aug 30, 2008
33,601
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Missouri
...wife says it's hideous.

It's going on the shop so I get the final say...but I wanted a second opinion...


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What say you?
 
...wife says it's hideous.

It's going on the shop so I get the final say...but I wanted a second opinion...


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What say you?
1500 select western fir or hemlock? Really nice old school door. That ought to turn out great! Refinshing a fir stile and rail door is an act of love. Back in the day, I knew these doors by brand, (that is the shape of cut of how the stiles fastened into the rail, eaach MFG had their own distinctive cut), most visible from top or bottom, as it was necessary to know and recognize for warrant, because often there was no other way to tell after the door had be finished on the jobsite.
Don't forget to make sure after staining, your sealing finish coats are UV Neutral, especially if western facing. Most standard poly urethanes no longer are, but many a spar varnishes are.
 
1500 select western fir or hemlock? Really nice old school door. That ought to turn out great! Refinshing a fir stile and rail door is an act of love. Back in the day, I knew these doors by brand, (that is the shape of cut of how the stiles fastened into the rail, eaach MFG had their own distinctive cut), most visible from top or bottom, as it was necessary to know and recognize for warrant, because often there was no other way to tell after the door had be finished on the jobsite.
Don't forget to make sure after staining, your sealing finish coats are UV Neutral, especially if western facing. Most standard poly urethanes no longer are, but many a spar varnishes are.
I found it at Habitat when I was looking for an entry door for the workshop and loved it.

No way this door is manufactured via automation is there? Every joint, mortis, miter and seam is perfect.

Thanks for the advice on the polyurethane...got some spar urethane with UV protection. :thup:

Check out the next post. Have any thoughts on the system I'm preparing to use?
 
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Minwax antique maple gel stain.
3 coats of oil based polyurethane.
It'll look like a million bucks.

Thanks for the reply...I know this is right up your alley.

It's fir... I thought Douglas Fir but White 6 says likely Western Fir...something I've never worked with before.

I thought I'd condition first with Rust-Oleum Water Based Conditioner, then use my homemade walnut hull stain (it's water based), then the UV protective top coat spar urethane White 6 recommended.

I'm doing a test run on a pine 2x4 I used to practice mortising the hinge pockets.

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Seems to be working out well so far...have two more hours to the second coat.

What do you think?
 
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I think you should YouTube it since you're doing all this advertising and product placement anyway.. who knows? Maybe you'll go viral and become like Derek the Vise-Grip Garage guy?
I use YouTube quite a bit... but honestly I'm not an expert on much of anything. Just about the time I learn to do something well enough to be considered marginally competent I never do it again.

There are enough people on YouTube showing folks how to do things the wrong way...

How does that quote go... Those videos fill a much needed gap. :lol:
 
1500 select western fir or hemlock? Really nice old school door. That ought to turn out great! Refinshing a fir stile and rail door is an act of love. Back in the day, I knew these doors by brand, (that is the shape of cut of how the stiles fastened into the rail, eaach MFG had their own distinctive cut), most visible from top or bottom, as it was necessary to know and recognize for warrant, because often there was no other way to tell after the door had be finished on the jobsite.
Don't forget to make sure after staining, your sealing finish coats are UV Neutral, especially if western facing. Most standard poly urethanes no longer are, but many a spar varnishes are.
You know wood
 
I found it at Habitat when I was looking for an entry door for the workshop and loved it.

No way this door is manufactured via automation is there? Every joint, mortis, miter and seam is perfect.

Thanks for the advice on the polyurethane...got some spar urethane with UV protection. :thup:

Check out the next post. Have any thoughts on the system I'm preparing to use?
Pieces are, assembly is not. That is the real deal. It quit being a fast mover in the late 80s or early 90s. The non UV neutrals will yellow and break down, especially on western facing. Mine is a fir/hemlock 4041 series that has the speak easy port with amber waterglass in the center behind decorative wrought aluminum. I have refinished it once, but need to again. It is western facing and you can tell where the sun line comes to. I have it behind an insulated hurricane glass full view security door, so it not only gets strong sunlight, but a lot of heat build up in afternoon sun. Inside looks brand new. Being from that industry, I love wood style and rail doors.
 
Thanks for the reply...I know this is right up your alley.

It's fir... I thought Douglas Fir but White 6 says likely Western Fir...something I've never worked with before.

I thought I'd condition first with Rust-Oleum Water Based Conditioner, then use my homemade walnut hull stain (it's water based), then the UV protective top coat spar urethane White 6 recommended.

I'm doing a test run on a pine 2x4 I used to practice mortising the hinge pockets.

View attachment 618791

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View attachment 618793

Seems to be working out well so far...have two more hours to the second coat.

What do you think?
If you have not applied conditioner, you may not need it. The neat thing about the conditioners is they absorb into the wood to give an even stain absorption on the next step. This is real important with pines, but yours (being select grade fir or hemlock probably does not require it. The doors like yours have excellent even stain absorption without the step or requirement of a conditioner. Pines are a lot trickier stain absorption, some parts of the same door will suck up the stain while other parts on the same rail may not and will piss you off.
 
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