How do I fix this doors finish?
 

These doors are only a few years old and the finish on them and the casings
are peeling from sun exposure. Experts please, do I need to refinish
all surfaces or can I touch up the bad spots? Second question. How
much $ do you think it would cost to have the (2) doors and casings
refinished. The inside finish is fine.

Thanks,

Dave

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Refinish all. It will look touched up if you touch it up.

Dave - some finishes can be touched up just fine. Osmo is one -- it costs a fortune tho. may be others that are more common

do you know what finish is on the door? age of the door?

Randy,

The doors and house are 3-4 years old. The doors are a factory finish and the
casings appear to be finished on the job. The casings are a different finish and
are in worse condition. I dont't know what type of finish was used. The doors and
house are high-end stuff. I'm doing some other work on this house for a new owner
and he wants me to repair them or have them repaired.

You are going to have to refinish the whole door, outside only. Just scrape and sand then refinish.
It doesn't look like those doors have any stain on them, so you are in luck.

Since the doors are a factory finish they probably used a cheap acrylic product to conform to their shop regs. Acyrlics don't hold up that well exterior, moisture and all. Your in Tacoma, Washington?

Anyways redo them in a nice oil varnish, if available up there.

The way they are peeling on the seam leads me to believe they were sprayed with a coat or two in the shop and then sent out. Could of even been lacquer, even worse for exteriors.
You want several thin coats and make sure there are no raw wood edges showing anywhere.

Get the top and bottom of the door as well, also behind the hinges. Wood is like a sponge, when it comes to moisture.
Especially the end grain, as you can see that is where it is soaking in at the joint.

Those need to be stripped to bare wood and started from scratch;)

With all due respect, that is not a high-end door. Perhaps "high-end Home Depot" door, but not high-end.

As others have said, strip it, sand it, refinish together or it will look worse. Anything with "oil" in the name will look beautiful (e.g. tung oil, etc.).

i bet you can sand the proud parts and let the panels alone -- tho they will have issues over time.

can't tell if door itself is high-end but there is no way a high-end finish should do that in 4 years!

i'm told sikkens with some pigment is a top finish for doors

if you do all of the ext., you may want to strip then scrape lightly, then sand

it is 1 week job max - i'd do it myself, not hire it out

Paint it black

throw it away and buy a STEEL SOLID CORE DOOR! ask me how i know. i see yer from tacoma, obvious rain. here in airy-zoney we get 120 degree days, 115 degree days with 75% humidity, rain(torrential) and then in the winter at my elevation rain and snow.

now what do you think it does to a poor lil wooden door?

maybe you like refinishing doors sanding/filling in cracks/sanding more and then some more, and then the final coats...................BUT I DONT!

steel doors on everyone as the wood dies from heat moisture. got 3 more to go and i will never finish another door.

dunn edwards best latex paint will last here..........maybe 10 years at $125 bucks a 5 gallon pail.

life is short. if yer really green they have fiberglass doors with a better "R" factor than wood or steel. problem is here the sun will kill a fiberglass door in no time.

looks like a hem/fir door with a danish oil stain under a semi gloss varnish.

Strip the varnish off with good ol'sand paper, start with 80 grit and then 100 grit. Next go out to the store and get exterior poly satin oil based and put on 2-3 coats, It will look beautiful.

If the door is facing the sun, it will need to be redone every 2-3 yrs.

extend roof and/or strategic plant placement to block sun

If they're made by Pella or Anderson or equivalent, they might have a long-term warranty applied to justify the high cost in the first place.

Sherwood

Thanks guys, as always I can rely on this board to help me out. As pointed out they aren't "high end" doors but they are nicer than any I've had on my homes.
I think I'll hire it out to somebody who knows what they are doing since the owner is kind of a PITA.

Dave

If you really need a good job, get it dipped at a refinish shop to strip the finish and reply an oil base poly. finish. sand between coats. It will continue to do that. Water or is getting into the end grain thru the joint and its lifting the finish. Is it a rental?

If the door is exposed to direct sunlight, then you need a spar varnish, something with a UV inhibitor, or you will be faced with the same problem in a couple of years. Be sure and seal the top and the bottom of the door as well.

If it is exposed to the sun, no matter what you do it will need it again in a couple of years.

Multipanel wood doors have many joints and when temp and humidity changes occur, the panels will push and pull against each other making the joints open and close which will let in and trap moisture. When the warm sun hits the door, the moisture tries to go to surface and will push the coating off - regardless of what it is made from.

A never ending cycle (good for business). Keep the door out of direct sunlight and rain and it will fare better.

Or, sell them a refinishing job and a new covered porch.