How to Refinish an Exterior Wood Door

An exterior door that has been hanging on the outside of a building for a long time is a prime candidate for a new, fresh coat of varnish, wood stain or paint. The longer the door has been exposed to the elements, the easier it will be to remove the old finish and put a new coat in its place.

Things You'll Need

• Saw horses
• Turpentine
• Paint remover
• Sandpaper
• Paint scraper
• Molding scraper
• Screwdriver
• Hammer
• New finish (shellac, varnish or polyurethane are the common choices)
• Paint thinner
• Orbital sander
• Palm sander
• Wood stain
• Cotton rags

Instructions

Refinishing an Exterior Wood Door

1. Remove the hinge pins from the exterior door so that the door can be taken down and worked on. Start with the bottom hinge pin and work up toward the top, removing the top hinge pin last of all. Use a hammer and the tip of a straight edged screwdriver to first loosen each hinge, and then tap the hinge upward until it comes loose.

2. Set the door on a pair of sawhorses and remove all metal hardware, including hinges, handles, locks, knockers and doorstops. Then closely examine the door to determine the best way to remove the old finish. Sanding is usually preferred to chemical stripping. However, sanding works best when the door is solid wood with a flat surface. (See Section 2 for an explanation of chemical stripping.)

3. Start your sanding with 80 grit sandpaper fitted to an orbital or palm sander. Sand with the coarse paper until the wood becomes clear.

4. Take out the coarse sand paper and put in a medium grade sandpaper (100 to 120 grit), and continue sanding. Keep sanding until all surfaces have been smoothed over with the medium grade sandpaper.

5. Switch to fine sandpaper (150 to 180 grit), and keep sanding until the door is smooth.

6. If you do not like the natural finish of the wood of the door, you can add a penetrating stain to the door. Apply the stain with a bristle paint brush and make sure your brush strokes go in the same direction as the grain of the wood.

7. Add a finish to the stain or the bare wood. Common choices for a glossy finish are varnish, shellac or polyurethane. Apply the finish with a bristle paint brush, and sand between coats if you are applying more than one coat.

8. Reattach all hardware. Then slide the door back into place and reinsert the hinge pins. This will be easier if you have a helper to hold the door steady while you work.

Stripping the Finish Using a Chemical Stripper

1. Follow Steps 1 and 2 of Section 1 to remove the door from the frame, set it on sawhorses and remove all metal hardware including hinges, handles, locks, knockers and doorstops.

2. Cover the door with a chemical stripper, such as paint remover, and let the stripper set for 15 minutes to a half an hour.

3. Strip flat surfaces with a paint scraper and curved surfaces with a molding scraper. Do one side at a time.

4. Rinse the door with paint thinner. Use the paint thinner very sparingly. Do not toss the wet rags in a pile. Instead let them hang out to dry, so they will not become a fire hazard.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 if necessary.

6. Let the door dry completely and then do a thorough sanding with some fine sandpaper (150 grit to 180 grit). Proceed as in Section 1.

Tips & Warnings

• A solid wood door can be heavily sanded, as long as it has a flat surface. A door with curved or uneven surfaces will usually need to be stripped with a chemical surface. Use an orbital or palm sander as opposed to a belt sander. A belt sander is too aggressive.

• Beware of a door with a veneer finish; veneer can only only take a small amount of light sanding. Chemical stripping is best used in this case. Rags soaked in paint stripper or paint thinner cannot be tossed in a pile because they are a fire hazard.