Wood Garage Doors - Milky Look

We just completed the stripping and refinishing of two wood garage doors in a Western suburb of Chicago. This is one of our specialties as house painting contractors. Over time, the sun and the elements had caused the varnish to break down and become milky and dull. When wood doors develop that look, it becomes a case of starting over!

To have easy access to the door surfaces, we removed the weather stripping on the outside of the doors. We then proceeded to strip the doors and sand the surfaces with different grades of sand paper to ensure smooth surfaces. Next, we created a custom color blend to match the color of the existing wood entry door to the house, using a Sikkens product specially designed to finish wood doors and windows. To get the proper color intensity, we only needed one coat of the pigmented varnish, followed by two coats of the clear varnish. Wow, what a difference!

Wood Garage Doors - Wow Look

It is important to note that in spite of the fact that the front door and the garage doors were installed at the same time, the finish on the entry door had remained intact because it is sheltered from both the sun and the elements. Let’s face it: refinishing wood doors is an expensive proposition! When the doors are exposed to the elements in the way those garage doors are, it is critical to do periodic maintenance, in order to avoid having to refinish the doors again. To that end, we recommend a two-year maintenance program that includes a close inspection of the door surfaces including the weather stripping, a cleaning of the doors, stain touch ups if need and a re-varnishing of the doors. The cost of such maintenance is usually only12 to 15% of the refinishing costs. Our clients like the maintenance program because it gives them the peace of mind of knowing that their investment is protected, while enjoying the “wow” look of their doors.

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Wood Front Door - Before Refinishing

As house painting contractors in the Chicago area, we regularly are called on to refinish wood doors. Wood front door systems are subjected to major abuses by the sun and the elements. Consequently, making sure that the weather stripping around the door is in good working order is of critical importance. A recent project, made that point clearly.

As shown in the attached picture, the threshold has completely fallen apart. In fact, the owner had thrown it out. Additionally, the left jamb has begun to rot away as well. The varnish on the door has turned milky and signs of checking are evident. Needless to say, this entrance door has suffered from significant neglect over the years. Fortunately, the moisture had not reached the interior wood floor, which would have dramatically increased the cost of the repairs.

Before any wood refinishing could be done on the door, we rebuilt the threshold. We also installed new weather stripping on the bottom of the door and around the jamb.

Wood Front Door - After Refinishing

Next, the rotten wood was on the jamb was removed and we used epoxy consolidators and fillers to restore the wood to a sound condition. The door system was then stripped and refinished. Here what the final result looks like.

A wood door with sunny exposure requires periodic maintenance to ensure proper functioning and avoid having the go through the big expense of refinishing the door. To accomplish this goal, we recommend our clients a maintenance program every two or three years. They gladly accept, because they want their door to look beautiful and keep the expense down.

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The sun and solid wood front doors are not on friendly terms. In fact, they are enemies! As painting and decorating contractors in the Chicago area, we were recently called on to rescue such a front door from the attacks of the elements. The door had great bones. It was made of solid knotty alder wood and was handsomely decorated with iron studs and a peep door cage.

Wood Front Door - Before Refinishing

Wood Front Door - After Refinishing

Understandably, with such good looks, the owners did not want to hide them with a storm door. Consequently, having a southern exposure, the finish had badly deteriorated, to the point where moisture had rotted the casing in several areas. A molding had also begun to warp. It was definitely time for an intervention.

Upon examination, we determined that the entire casing needed to be replaced. That gave me an excuse to pay a visit to my favorite lumber Store in the Chicago area: Owl Lumber. I personally hand-picked the knotty alder lumber to replace the casing. Our carpenter then milled it to replicate the original profile and completed the installation. The rest of the work involved our finishing expertise.

Our first step was to remove the weather stripping. Before stripping the old finish, we also removed the metal decorations on the doors in order to protect them from the adverse effects of the stripper and improve the overall look of the finishing. Upon completing the stripping and three coats of a tinted flexible varnish of choice, we reinstalled the metal decorations and the weather stripping. Voila!

We explained to our client that, with such an exposure to the elements, we should put them on a low cost, two-year maintenance plan, which will keep their door looking great and keep it out of trouble.

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Refinishing wood garage doors can have a dramatic impact on how you feel pulling up to your house every day. We recently stripped and refinished three garage doors. The first two were on a Southern exposure. Even though the doors were only five years old, they had developed a dull and milky look, and were peeling badly. Here are the two newly re-finished doors. How would you feel pulling up to doors like this every day?

Refinished Garage Doors

Stripping wood is a time consuming process. The idea is not to have to do it again for a very long time. Thirty two hours of labor went into stripping and sanding those two doors. We also carefully inserted brown caulk in cracks that had developed in some of the door components to reduce water intrusion and increase the longevity of the finish. We used three coats of a mahogany Sikkens varnish which is specially designed for doors and windows. We much prefer this varnish because, contrary to spar varnishes, it is flexible and does not readily crack like spar always does.

The challenge for garage doors, especially for a Southern exposure like this, is to stay ahead of the effects of weather on the coating. We recommend a two-year maintenance program, which consists of checking the surfaces, touching up of the stain on the lower two rows of the panels’ bottom rails and an additional coat of clear Sikkens varnish. The maintenance is a small cost compared to the cost of refinishing the whole door. By following such a maintenance program, you ensure that the doors will stay looking like new and not require stripping again for a very long time.

Other Refinished Garage Door

The other exterior wood refinishing project presented a different challenge. Originally, the garage door had been stained and varnished. Years later, the previous owner gave up doing the required maintenance and had had the door painted. The door continued to peel anyway, so the next owner decided to have us strip the old paint and varnish and bring back the natural beauty of the wood. Here is the final look!

Exterior wood refinishing is one of the specialties of Painting in Partnership, an award-winning house painting contractor from the Chicago area. We love to bring back the natural beauty of wood and find ways to extend the life of the coatings we apply to exterior surfaces.

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