DIY How to Refinish the Front Doors

My front doors were rough. The finish was flaking off and cracks had formed in the lower panels. There are periods during the year they sit in direct sunlight. The finish wears quickly. About every three years I have to refinish them.

Supplies

For this project I used a square power sander. It is less destructive then an orbital sander. However, it is so much faster then sanding by hand. What would take half a day to hand sand I could do in an hour with the power sander. For this project I used the following:

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Exterior Satin Finish

Safety first. Always wear safety glasses, dust mask or respirator, hearing protection. Heavy gloves for rough edges and debris. This project was messy. I also wore a shop apron and rubber gloves.

Preparing the Doors

I began by dusting the doors. Dirt and debris gather in the cracks and crevices. I then began sanding the doors using 150 grit, careful to go in the direction of the grain. It's important to not put pressure on the sander. Let the sander do the work. If you push too hard you can gouge the wood or cause bare spots. I tried to make even passes, removing as much of the old finish as possible. Where the sander couldn't reach I sanded by hand. I dusted out the cracks with an old paint brush and used a leaf blower to blow out all the extra dust. I then wiped down the doors with a clean cloth. All the glass needed to be taped off as well as the threshold and stucco edges. I also taped newspaper down on the inside of the house. Since I am not removing the doors, I will have to open them to get to finish the edges as well as allow them to dry.

The door panels are in full sun most of the year. They expand and contract and will split over time. I used a putty knife to apply wood filler in the cracks of the panels. I wiped along the edges as best I could. Filler doesn't absorb stain well so you want to minimize the overlap. Once the filler dried I sanded the areas down.

Staining the Doors

I stained the doors with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. Make sure you stir the stain. Solids will settle in the bottom so to get the correct color always stir first. I also like to take a hammer and nail and make holes along the inside edge of the can. That will help with preventing drips from buildup along the top. I brushed to get a nice wet coat on the wood. It was very dry and soaked it up. I used a clean rag and wiped excess from the doors the doors evenly following the grain.

Applying the Finish

I allowed the stain to dry several hours before closing my doors. The next morning I started brushing on the first coat of satin finish. I started on the bottom, focusing on the panels, with a thin coat. Three coats is the goal. Then I worked the long areas. My personal approach is to work upwards from the bottom, that way you naturally tackle any runs and dripping as you go. Always try to brush with the grain where possible.

I let the finish dry about four hours. Once dry to the touch, I lightly sanded the doors with 400 sandpaper. Clean rags were used to remove the dust. I repeated all the steps two more times.

After the third coat was dry, I removed the blue tape, well mostly, you can see I missed a piece in the photo!

I hope you have enjoyed this Instructable. Please take a moment to view my other projects. I look forward to your questions and suggestions in the comments section.

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