Church Doors #1: Refinishing exterior doors

This is the second time I’ve been here because I have 0 experience with church doors. I have stripped some furniture and used chemical stripper. If I was doing it I would use stripper. It seems to me you lose too much wood and surface detail if you sand. I just used some Man-O-War spar varnish on my new bench top. I think I got it at Lowe’s or HomeDepot. We did the front door on the shop with spar varnish and it looks good. The rain and sun have beat on it for the last year and a half and it still looks good and we never got the second coat on it.( A lot more sun than rain) My sister-in-law just did her log home with 1/3 spar varnish, 1/3 boiled Linseed oil, and 1/3 turpentine. I’ve also read about using this mix to start and then switching to half oil and spar. I don’t know if this helps, Dock, it’s probably worth what you paid for it, Ha ha.

-- Thos. Angle

Go to a professional paint store and talk to them. I use a product called Prothane a exterior grade polyurethane that I spray like lacquer. Expensive but I’ve never had good luck with marine varnish.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

I used SeaFinTeak Oil on our doors and we live in the northwest…

My mom had stairs built (with western exposure) and the carpenter used a boiled linseed oil and turpentine blend – her stairs are black. They have to be completely sanded and refinished at some point. I think Thomas’ suggestion of the blend with the inclusion of a varnish is probably a good idea…

BTW – The color of the doors that you posted looks great!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

McCloskey's
Epifanes
Two brands of marine or spar varnish with good buzz (ie recommended in the last several years in Fine Woodwoorking).

The McCloskey’s has a punch in your zip code link.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Doc

Two links to follow:

Free month of FWW.com

good only for four more days (8-15-07)

Then go back to this LJ topic

Talks about the Epifanes marine varnish over an epoxy primer coat for a long lasting outdoor finish.
Now you will be the wood go-to-guy and the finishing go-to-guy at church. Good luck!

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Doug when you said they have a good buzz I thought you meant the vapors LOL

-- DocK, WV

Doc,
I know I’m one of those “old and in the way” aging hipsters (I just read a quote from David Lee Roth where he used the phrase Rockers with Walkers), but I never went in for the paint fumes!
Some folks wonder, no doubt, after some of my rambling posts, but I swear I’m faithful about wearing a respirator!

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Rockers with Walkers; I like it, makes me think of Ozzy and Mick

-- DocK, WV