Failed Coating on Wood Front Door
Stripping the finish off and refinishing a wood door is a time consuming and expensive process. At least fifty times a year, we are asked to refinish wood doors that it be a front entrance or a garage door. In the great majority of cases, marine or spar varnish had previously been used as a clear coat over the stained surfaces. The problem with that clear coat is that it is very brittle. After a couple of years it begins to crack and let moisture infiltrate below the coating. After that happens, the coating deteriorates rapidly. Below is a picture of how a door can look like after a few more years.
Failed Coating on Wood Garage Door
Sometime, realizing the finish on the door is in trouble, an owner will try to hide the problem by adding more stain or having the door coated with a semi-transparent stain. As shown in the other picture, the result can be less than satisfactory. Over my twenty four years as a painting and decorating contractor, I find that homeowners do know how to detect the early signs of trouble and take quick action to prevent further deterioration. The bottom half of the door is most vulnerable, especially the lower rail molding of each panel. At the first sign of the coating beginning to crack in those areas, it is time to intervene! At that stage, the expense is very limited: a cleaning and a re-varnishing will add another two, may be three years, of longevity to the coating before the next round of maintenance.
Unfortunately, homeowners often wait too long. By the time they realize their door needs work, it is too late to save the coating and the whole door has to be stripped and refinished. The bad news ids that refinishing a wood door is expensive. Depending on the intricacy of the door and the presence of side lites or transom, the refinishing cost may range between $800 and $1,300. For a garage door, depending on its size and the condition of the old coating, the refinishing cost may range between $1,400 and $2,500. The good news, is that, by having us do maintenance on the door every two or three years, depending on the exposure, the door will not have to be refinished for a long time and will always look good. Using the right products and doing the maintenance are critical to wood front doors and wood garage doors looking their best.
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