restaining wooden entry door

16 years ago

I just had a fir wooden entry door installed and the stain is too light. The painter is going to darken the door by applying gel stain over the existing varnish and then revarnish the door. It doesn't sound to me to be the right solution. Does anyone have any suggestions. He does not want to strip the door down to bare wood.

Comments (7)

Stocky
16 years ago
It's to light because of something he did ? or your choice was incorrect ?
It should be stripped and started again from scratch.
I'm not familiar with gel stains, in my shop we make our own stains.He could try a Minwax spray toner to get the desired color.
What color were you shooting for ?
Also will this door be exposed to the elements ? If so it should be finished with a "spar" urethane to be able to stand up to the sun and rain.
kmealy
16 years ago
applying a gel stain over existing finish and then top-coating is a well-known technique called "glazing".

"Spar Urethane" is a bit of an oxymoron, since urethanes have poor UV resistance. If it is the brand that sounds like "hellman" it is an inferior choice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Exterior finishes
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Stocky
16 years ago
In my industry NOBODY refers to Gelstain and Glazing in the same sentence. A Gelstain is something that you buy in the store. Most professionals make their own stains and glazes.
We refer to a glaze as any product (color) that is applied over the initial stain after a coat or two of sealer has been applied.
I could be wrong about the exterior finish product, that is not my field of expertise.
Applying a Glaze will make your finish somewhat opaque and not allow you to see the grain of the wood as well.
It's a choice you'll have to make yourself. Do it correctly and start from scratch or try to cover the mistake.
kmealy
16 years ago
A gel stain is simply one choice of "any product (color) that is applied over initial stain after a coat or two of sealer has been applied."

Here is a link that might be useful: Another link on glazing
Stocky
16 years ago
There is nothing "gel" like about a glaze. Because the homeowner doesn't have the ablity to make a stain himself or control the viscosity of the stain , they make "gel" stains for the homeowner to use.
So you can keep sending me "links" to your favorite handyman videos and articles, but a gel stain is the wrong word to describe and equate to a glaze.
kmealy
16 years ago
Stocky,
I make my glazes from a glaze medium and red, yellow, blue, black and white pigments (i.e., primary colors + black and white). One color that I've had a hard time hitting is raw umber. Do you have a good formula for that?
Stocky
16 years ago
Like with any color we all have a diffrent opinion of what a "color" is. When I buy my pigments I can actually buy a color called "raw umber" . If I had to make it myself I would use, Burnt umber ,raw sienna and maybe a vanDyke brown.
take a look at Hood Finishing products. You can order it from them.