I'm hoping someone can give me some advice because I am a total DIY beginner. We have wooden french doors, and on the exterior the 'stuff' is peeling off (it it thin layers of brownish stuff).leaving the raw wood underneath exposed. I *think* that I need to sand the peeling stuff off, and recoat it with . something. Can someone please tell me what sanding tools I need (there are so many types! belt, random orbit, palm! And do I need just ordinary sand paper to finish! What grade!) And what is that stuff that I need to recoat the wood with! I'm wanting to buy the sanding tools second hand, otherwise I'd just ask at Mitre 10.
pandaeye,
Mar 3, 9:12am
use a paint stripper first then you'll only need to hand sand it.
hatchback,
Mar 3, 6:20pm
What he says
shadow57,
Mar 3, 6:41pm
yeah agree with them.I had to redo my front door.stripped four layers of paint off. the finish was superb. a hint someone told me years ago was to wash down with sugar soap, no need to rinse, let dry thoroughly, before first coat.
waleedwahsh,
Mar 3, 9:50pm
Well, that's good news I suppose, though I was kind of looking forward to buying a sander. So what do I apply after using the paint stripper! Is it that stuff called varnish!
budgel,
Mar 3, 10:19pm
Exterior doors can be hard on varnish. If you must use it instead of paint, get a marine varnish which will tolerate UV better.
p.monro,
Mar 4, 5:40pm
yes use paint stripper. How much fancy work does the door have. If it has lots of mouldings (fancy pieces of wood) and inlaid panels you will need a scraper or some steel wool to remove the debris after the stripper is applied. Try to get some coarse steel wool but use house hold stuff. I suggest you do not repaint the door but use an oil. You can get one called "outside furniture oil" or "decking oil".If you use varnish you will probably need 5 coats and constant maintenance recoating. But if you use oil it can (after removing the existing paint) be quickly applied with little preparation. Dont use linseed oil. It forms a tough coat and does not soak into the timber as much as the modern oils
roys351,
Mar 5, 8:46am
penetrating oil stain (oil based)when applying start from the bottom of the door and work your way up. the oppisite from painting where you start at the top
twink19,
Mar 5, 2:32pm
and wear rubber gloves when useing paint stripper
homeless_guy,
Mar 5, 8:50pm
Just a footnote in regard to the paint stripper. What you are removing is Polyurethane, new blends are much better now than they used to, though, I would recommend 3 coats on exterior doors and as suggested earlier, use a Marine grade. Before you recoat you will need to gently hose off the paint stripper and use a light detergent and a nail brush to be sure you get all traces of stripper from the corners etc. You will notice after washing that the wood looks 'furry', tiny fibres of wood are standing up, don't worry it's quite normal, they will sand off. Allow the doors to dry for a day or two then gently sand with 120 grit paper and 180 grit being very careful not to scratch the glass. oh,and in addition to gloves, wear safety glasses, really painful if some stripper ficks up into your eyes.
waleedwahsh,
Apr 5, 12:07pm
Wow, thank you so much for the hopefully idiot-proof instructions. Gloves and safety glasses are a bit more heavy-duty than I anticipated, and having had a look at Mitre 10's website for paint stripper, I am blown away by the price of it! So it's all rather . exciting :)
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