Restoring badly weathered exterior door

[carrie mclaren]

Hello, I'd like to restore my front door but can't afford to hire anyone to do it, so I'm wondering if there's anything I can do myself. (I've done some paint stripping, sanding, and finishing but am squarely a novice.)

Does it make sense to strip the wood on a door as badly weathered as this? (for whatever it's worth, the matching storm door still looks beautiful.) What else might I do to not only make it look nicer but to help preserve it?

http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/house/weathered-frontdoor1.jpg

http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/house/weathered-frontdoor3.jpg

http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/house/weathered-frontdoor2.jpg

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[Steve Schoene]

Sure, it makes sense, but it is a very challenging project. It also will be quite hard to do with the door remaining in place. Also, do not expect to end up with a clear finished door. Paint will be dramatically more protective over the long term.

First, it would need to be stripped. Methylene Chloride strippers are most powerful but must be used only where there is excellent ventilation--not just a couple of open windows in a room. You will find it takes quite a few applications, since each application of stripper will only remove one or two coats of the previous finish. Scrapers, some with curved blades to fit some of the detail will help remove the softened paint.

You will not be able to get every trace of paint in the crevices since it looks like there has been some damage to the underlying wood below earlier coats.
You do want to get to the point where paint is only in those crevices and not on surface patches. By doing this you can then consolidate damage by sealing the the door with a low viscocity epoxy. Smith & Co. CPES is one. This is very thin and penetrates. (It has strong solvents and could lift paint left on the surface.) Other similar products come from Git Rot and System Three. Then, use the related epoxy filler putty to fill cracks and crevices. Sand carefully to restore the original profiles. Then, you can prime and paint using a high quality oil based exterior enamel, scuff sanding between coats. Light colors are generally best for weathering. Read manufacturers directions carefully as you work.

[Mark Rios]

Carrie, what's not to like about the old weathered charm of your front door set? I'm especially drawn to the bird poop accent striping. Very natural.

:D :D :D

Just teasin'. Although it looks like there is a lot of work to do on your doors, it also looks like they would be really wonderful looking to restore them. Just be aware that you probably won't have a front door (assuming you do one at a time) for awhile. You could strip them in place but with the fumes and the mess involved it would probably be VERY inconvenient, maybe a little dangerous. Depending on how heavy they are you could pull the pins every day though too. (Assuming the old hinges have hinge pins.)

Maybe you could find a cheap door to hang in place of the door you're working on, or a pair for that matter, at some sort of old building material auction/sale place. Just something ugly barfy cheeeeeeaaaaappppp. Then your neighbors will be SOOOOOOOOO happy when you get the original doors done you'll be a hero.:D

Keep us updated, it looks to be a neat project to follow.

[carrie mclaren]

Thank you, thank you! This is exactly what I needed. I'll let you know how it turns out.

best wishes (and thanks again!)