Varnishing Old Wooden Garage Doors

How to strip old paint and varnish duration.

Varnishing old wooden garage doors.

Putty knife to work the compound into the wood grain pores and to fill holes. Before applying varnish to your stained door make sure that the stain on the door has completely dried. The easiest way to do this is to take a piece of the trim to a paint store to have it matched photo 1. Sand out imperfections in the wood with 100 or 120 grit sandpaper and a palm sander.

If you want to keep the wood grain from showing through the paint trowel a thin layer of spackling compound over the entire surface ready patch is one brand available at home centers for 6 for 1 qt. Wipe the dust from the door with a slightly damp rag. Any old finish that is cracked or peeling should be removed and smoothed before applying the new finish. Sand the wood again with 100 grit paper then 120 grit.

Use wood cleaner to clean all dirt grime oils and bird poo off the door. Or you can use chemical strippers to remove the layers of paint. There s no sense in going any finer dee says. Staining the door is appropriate if you ve removed an old finish or you re varnishing a new unfinished door and it gives extra ultraviolet protection to an exterior door that gets sun.

A newly refinished garage door will add richness and character to the front of your hom. Gerry crumbley 801 631 views. Wood garage doors are a specialty item and should be treated as such. You can sand the old varnish off a very time consuming task.

If your wood door has an old paint finish or other kind of varnish that you want to remove there are a couple of options. With the door resting on padded sawhorses use a random orbit sander with 80 grit paper to quickly remove what remains of the old varnish and sun baked flakes of wood. Wipe the door off with a clean cloth to remove any debris so that your varnished surface will have a smooth finish. It isn t always necessary to sand the wood for example you leave exterior rough sawn trim unsanded.

Ron hazelton 316 970 views. Step 4 mix your varnish it is important that you stir your varnish thoroughly before applying it. Remove old paint or varnish. Faux wood garage door the right way duration.

In partially damaged areas feather the sanding into the undamaged areas then lightly sand the rest of the piece to prepare it for a new finish photo 3.