Sun damage to solid wood doors is inevitable but luckily treatable. As soon as you start seeing any damages to your door, it is time to address the matter.
Varnished or oiled doors are the most vulnerable and need regular care; even one coat of finish can minimize damage.
Front doors are expensive to replace, and not something you want to do regularly. Follow these simple steps to protect your wooden door from the hot summer sun. A proper paint or varnish job is the key to long term protection and beauty.
- First, you want to lightly sand down the door and give it a good wipe down. Scrape to remove any loose or peeling paint or varnish.
- Next, apply a coat of varnish or primer that will seal the wood. In the case of a painted door, provide a good surface to caulk or putty to if necessary. In the case of varnish, the wood will have changed colour. If you should opt to putty or patch, you’ll be able to pick a colour that will be close to the finished door.
- In most cases, damaged wood will get darker when sealed. If you feel that stain might be needed, wet the wood with water or solvent before the first coat of varnish. Everything that turns dark with the wetting will get at least that dark when stained. Areas that don’t change colour or change very little will probably react the same way with the stain.
- One or two more coats of the finish enamel or varnish will finish the job.
- Sand lightly between coats to remove any dust or debris that may have stuck to your door.
- If the finish looks a little uneven or partly soaked in, then give the third coat. If it doesn’t change the appearance, then it’s probably a texture difference you see, and additional coats won’t change it much.
Varnished doors should be evaluated every year, especially if they get a lot of sun.
Damaged to the point of no repair, we can help
Master Doors has hundreds of standard options to choose from in a variety of wood species, sizes, and glass options. We have everything from wood front doors, solid wood exterior doors and custom entry doors. Browse through our website for the latest elegant styles available for your picking.
