Page 218 - 2018 National Home Improvement

2018 National Home Improvement Estimator, All Rights Reserved Page 176

Scrub a small area with a powerful detergent such as Formula 409® or Fantastic®. If you see the color
changing dramatically, dirt and wax buildup could be the source of the problem. In that case, it’s worth
cleaning the entire door. Refinishing may not be needed.

Refinishing an Entry Door
If a door has to be refinished, a heat gun is the best tool for stripping the finish. Heat softens the old
paint or varnish, making it easy to scrape off. Stripping like this is easier if the door is laid flat across
two sawhorses. Once the paint is off, you can apply either paint or varnish. If it’s a quality wood door,
varnishing will bring out the beauty of the wood.

If you elect to varnish, begin by washing the door with acetone to remove residue that escaped the heat
gun. Residue won’t show through paint, but it will show through varnish. When using acetone, wear
rubber or neoprene gloves to avoid skin irritation, and work in a well-ventilated area to reduce the risk
from fumes.

Pour some acetone into a jar with a screw-on lid. Dip a piece of extra fine steel wool in the acetone
(synthetic steel wool may be an even better choice). Then gently scrub the door surface. Work only on
a few square inches at a time. Don’t scrub hard; let the acetone do the work. You’ll see residue dissolve
and the original wood surface appear. After a few minutes of scrubbing, the steel wool will get clogged
with old paint or varnish. Rinse the steel wool in acetone. Then continue scrubbing. Be sure to keep the
jar of acetone capped between dips. Acetone evaporates very quickly.

Before applying varnish, examine the wood tone. Do you like the color? If it’s too light, you might want
to stain it. If it’s too dark, consider bleaching. Light sanding may also lighten the tone a little. Expect to
spend about six hours on a door that requires paint stripping, acetone wash and a coat of varnish. But
when you’re done, the door will probably be as good as new.

If the door is damaged, painting it may be a better choice. Paint will hide repairs that varnish and stain
won’t. Varnish will work over minor repairs, such as nail holes filled with wood putty, but larger repairs,
like a filled-in hole from an old deadbolt, will show through varnish. Wood putty doesn’t absorb stain the
same way wood does.

If staining the door is essential, buy colored wood putty that matches the stain selected. The patch will
still be visible, but not as apparent.

Antiquing
An antique finish is a painted-on wood grain. When done correctly, the results can be surprisingly
believable. You have to look very closely to notice that the finish isn’t actually wood grain. Antiquing kits
come with complete instructions and all the materials needed, including a special tool for making the
fake wood grain.