Finishing Tips

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“Do not use wood conditioners prior to staining mahogany, oak, cherry. Conditioner is good on woods with wild grain variations and most softwood products. On hardwoods, it most often seals the wood and prevents your stain from doing its job and penetrating the wood grain.  Your finishes will tend to be light and off color.”

To obtain a quality stain or clear finish, the first step is to use an oil base sealer manufactured for exterior use.  (Do not use lacquer-base or latex-base sealers.)  Sand lightly after sealer has dried.  (If door is to be weather-stripped, apply two coats of sealer to edges before weather-stripping is applied.)
If a stain effect is desired, apply one or two coats of semi-transparent stain; letting it stand and wiping as needed to achieve the desired color.  (Do not apply stain before sealing as the wood will not accept the stain evenly.)
The final step is to apply at least two topcoats of an exterior oil-base clear finish.  Marine-quality varnishes and polyurethane finishes do a superior job as topcoats. 

To obtain a quality painted finish, first use a good quality oil-base primer manufactured for exterior use.  Sand lightly when dry.  The second and third coats are "color" coats and may be either oil-base or latex-base exterior paints.

Finishing Tips:
Whatever finish desired, use sealers, primers, stains and finish coatings from the same manufacturer, if possible, to insure compatibility.  Follow the manufacturer's instructions.  Consult your paint dealer.
Use sealer, primer, clear finishes and paint liberally to fill in and bridge all voids in the joints between wood sections and between the wood and any glass or insets in the door.
Sand lightly between coats of sealer, stain, and clear finishes.  Never use lacquer-base stains or finishes on wood panel doors.  Nor should lacquer-thinner be used to clean any acrylic doors.

Painting a previously finished wood door:
If you would like to paint a previously finished door, we recommend using KILZ as the base coat.  It can be mixed to a tint close to your paint choice and comes in standard white.  Available at Lowes, Home Depot and paint stores everywhere.