First time poster needs help on finish on front door

[judder]

Hi folks, I'm a joiner by trade and enjoy diy around the home, however Im a novice when it comes to finishing. My problem is - I bought an expensive mahogany front door six months ago, applied three coats of exterior grade stain/varnish. I'm not a fan of the finish of these varnishes, so I went on to apply seven coats of interior grade poly varnish high gloss. Knowing this was interior grade I have used a natural bees wax to top it off.
So with the recent bad weather weve been having should I remove the wax and put on a coat of exterior varnish or will it be okay as long as I keep the waxing up?

Thanks,

Stephen

 

[Terry Smart]

Hi Stephen

By asking this question are you implying that the wax finish is not longer looking its best? This wouldn't surprise me too much as wax isn't really an exterior finish as you probably know.

Your next action depends on you... the varnish applied should offer enough protection for the door until it (the varnish) breaks down but that is hopefully years away. The only part at immediate risk is the wax coat, and there would be no problem with applying more wax over what is already there... other than the fact you will find yourself doing it again periodically - or more often than that depending on weather and how exposed the door is!

That's one of the good points of wax... whilst it is not a very hardwearing finish it is easy to repair!

Of course, stripping the wax would be another option but I'm guessing this isn't what you really want to do?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Stephen and welocme to the forum. Afraid to say that finishing is a mystery to me and so I defer to those with more knowledge

 

[Aragorn]

Hi Stephen. Welcome to UKW.
I agree with Terry. The wax was a bit of an odd choice!
I'd strip it off, re-prepare the surfaces and give it a couple of coats of oil-based gloss varnish. This is a finish that should only need re-applying every few years depending on how exposed the door is.

 

[Frank D.]

If the door receives any direct sunlight I'd put on a few coats of varnish with UV protection (here in Canada outdoor varnish usually has UV protection and is softer, more flexible to accomodate seasonal wood expansion). UV rays damage a finish more than anything else, so if you put on a coat or two at least the indoor varnish underneath will be protected. This means you have to strip the wax first.
HTH,
Frank D.

 

[trevtheturner]

Yep, I've used the type of varnish described by Frank to good effect. It came from that firm that makes the stuff that does what it says on the tin!
When I used it, some while ago, it was labelled up as Door Varnish with UV protection.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[judder]

Thanks for all your input, I put the wax on thinking it would repel the rain, which it does seem to have done, and at the time I could'nt find a gloss exterior varnish (BNQ) , I'll try again and find the right stuff. What can I use to remove the wax ?


Love the website, only wish I'd found it sooner.

 

[Terry Smart]

How to remove the wax depends on what you can get hold of!
The usual way is mechanically (abrasives etc) but this will probably have a detrimental effect on the varnish below.
If you can get hold of de-waxing solution (possibly a car body shop) this will do the job admirably.
If not, wire wool and white spirit should do the job.
Any other ideas?

Make sure you remove all of the wax or it will affect the adhesion of the varnish and you'll be worse off than when you started!

 

[judder]

Thanks terry, I had a look through your website and could'nt find any varnishes, just laquers, or am I just plain dumb. Doh, I'm asking for it.
I've got some cellulose thinners in the garage that I bought to thin car paint, would this do the job of removing the wax ?

 

[Terry Smart]

Hi Stephen

You're right, we don't do varnishes; I'd have recommended Finishing Oil for your door; not quite maintenance free (again depending on situation) but tougher than wax and easy to look after.

I'd approach the cellulose thinners with caution; apart from the care required in handling them they will probably do the job but might remove more finish than you want! If you're able to try a test area first (unlikely on a door!) I think I'd resist it (unless others have experience of this?) and stick with Steel Wool and White Spirit. A bit laborious but if you want to strip it it will get the job done.

 

[judder]

Okay Terry looks like a job for the weekend, I'll get the steel wool looked out, thanks again.