How To Restore A Weathered Wooden Front Door: Easy Procedure For Restoring A Weathered Wooden Front Door

Easy Procedure For Restoring A Weathered Wooden Front Door

A Weathered Wooden Front Doors are warm, inviting as well as visually dramatic. A wood exterior door is an exceptional entry choice. Its outdoor position also makes it vulnerable to weather damage, mostly from the damaging rays of the sun. A sun-damaged wooden door can be restored within no time provided you follow the right technique & use the right tools and materials. A wood front door is considered one of the great features with regard to your home’s curb appeal. However, a great deal of exposure to sunlight, rain, snow, as well as frost can considerably damage an exterior wood door and make it look worn out. If you maintain & take good care of your wood door, then it can last for many upcoming years. But if your exterior door is looking out of date & has not been maintained for a long time, then it may be time for some serious restoration. In order to restore a weathered wooden front door, follow the below-given steps carefully:

Step 1: Remove The Door From The Hinges

The first & foremost step is to eliminate the door from its hinges. Solid wood doors are, to a very great degree, heavy so to remove the door, you will need assistance from someone. Open the front door and place some wood blocks underneath the bottom edge to help support the door. Eliminate the hinges by attaching the pins with adhesive tape using a flat head screwdriver. The door should now easily slide out from the hinges. Place the door flat on your sawhorses. The best option is to work outside in the shade due to the reason that you don’t want to expose the door to the sun when staining or applying varnish.

Step 2: Remove All Door Hardware

If you feel that the door is still in extremely good condition without a great deal of degradation, then you can get away with just re-coating with some spar varnish. Otherwise, remove the door entirely before refinishing. Firstly, eliminate all the door hardware, which may include the handle, deadbolt cylinder, mail slot, knocker, kick plate, etc.

Step 3: Sand Down The Door

After removing the hardware, sand everything down. As far as the flat surfaces are concerned, use a power sander, however, it is important to sand the woodwork details by hand. Start with 60-grit paper before moving to 180-grit paper. You need to ensure to strip off all the previous finishes.
Tip: Carefully sand down the wood that is adjacent to glass as sanding will scratch the window. With the help of painter’s tape, protect the glass. This will also be very helpful when it comes to stain & varnish.

Step 4: Remove All Traces Of Sawdust & Apply Stain

Next, apply a preferred stain, if desired. But first, vacuum away all the sawdust as well as wipe down the door. Use a paintbrush or rag in order to saturate the wood with the stain, before wiping it off with a painter’s rag. Varathane's “early American” stain is highly recommended to use on the door as it is similar to the original door color. Put or spread a second coat, if desired.

Step 5: Apply Exterior (spar) Varnish

After the stain is fully dry, coat the door with the help of exterior varnish. Exterior varnish, sometimes referred to as spar varnish, is unique from interior varnish as it has special additives that are very helpful in protecting the wood from UV rays and from the elements. Apply nearly 2-3 coats of varnish. The satin finish is the best option in order to give the door more of a mat look, however, you can get varnish with a glossy finish if you want.

Step 6: Reinstall Hardware And Hang The Door

After allowing the varnish to dry fully as per the instructions, reinstall the door hardware. You can also polish any brass fixtures if any, like my door’s highly tarnished brass kick plate. Brasso metal polish is perfect in order to restore the kick plate. However, restoring brass to its original shine is a tricky task that needs a lot of elbow grease. In spite of that, the final result is highly satisfying.