How to Refinish or paint front doors?
by
Lori
+4
I have double, solid wood red cherry stained front doors with six lites in each. The other six panels are carved. The doors are about forty years old. I would like to change the glass to something more current and either paint or stain the doors. The old finish is pretty bad. Although they are north facing and under cover, they are faded and the finish has dulled. There are a couple of deeper scratches on them. Which would you recommend as the most feasible and easiest for a novice? What steps would you take? Thank you!
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I would do everything I could to refinish them. Sand them down lightly with a fine grain paper, treat the wood with a good oil and then re-stain. I'm all about preserving wood.
Is there a way for you to attach a couple of pictures and I might be able to offer some suggestions.
I would fill the deeper scratches or any cracks in the wood with wood filler or wood glue. The glue needs to cure 1-3 days, depending on the humidity. Then restore the wood with mink oil or something similar. Staining over the restored door should show the wood grain. The scratches may be sanded out or any cracks be filled, but the stain will cover them and they should appear to be more wood grain. be sure to seal your door with outdoor high-heat brush on sealer. If the glass in your door is letting in too much light, paint the little windows with glass paint in the same or different colors. When the sun shines through, you will see lovely shadows.
Best wishes in your choices. ☺️
Here's a good tutorial to help you out! https://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/exteriors/front-door-makeover-27375853?r=1
Front Door Makeover
This is a photo from Christmas from my mobile phone. They were once beautiful doors. If you zoom in you can see that the finish is completely worn away in some places and the doors look dull. There is quite a bit of carving to sand. I would like to change the pebbles gold glass to a textured clear glass to update them a little. Thank you for your help!
If you are wanting to re-stain, this is what I would do. First, contact a glass company to come out measure and quote you a price for new glass and installation. Second, after glass is replaced, I would sand these as much as you can, clean, and use a gel stain like Java.