Staining a wood door?
Question:OK, We have a small entryway (vestibule) and we bought a wood door with glass in the middle to put in the doorway. The door is unfinished so I need to stain it, I have never stained anything so can anyone tell me the process; I know I need to paint the stain on and then smooth it with a rag but what type of brush do I use and what kind of rags, do I need more than one coat?? I’m just not sure how the whole process should work and isn’t it better to stain it before it is put up? Also, the door frame and the trim around the doorway is white (all the trim in my house has been painted white) so would it look ridiculous to stain this door then have the trim around it white? Should I just paint the door the same color as the trim?? Please, advise what to do and it would be great if anyone has had experience with the same problem answer. Thanks
Answers:
ok, depending on the stain and depth of stain you want dictates if you go for 2 coats or more. Oil based stain is the longer lasting, easiest to work in, and protects better.
-FIRST: practice on a spare piece of wood so you can get a feel for it, much better to make a mistake on that than on an expensive door. (staining is quite easy really, you just need to practice)
-Second, sand the door to tidy up any imperfections, this is very important as if you sand hard later back to wood the future coats of stain will be patchy.
-Dust it off. Also important so you dont get bits in the coat.
- Stir the stain well.
-Put on first coat, make sure you keep it quite even and work fairly quickly -dont sweat it too much, you have enough time, (oil based is longer drying BTW)- in a top to bottom direction. It will soak into the wood quite a bit, get a clean rag (any cloth is fine -but not a furry one!) and wipe it gently in the same direction you painted it. The idea here is to just get off the thick bits so it's an even finish. Make sure you dont rub the stain off too much or you will get patches. Be careful not to let drips around the edges/other side dry off as it will create patches. You can then very carefully turn it to do the other side (if you are staining both sides that is), -watch those finger marks! :)
Doing both sides while its a bit wet will help it get finished quicker, and also make it easier to keep stain even if it's wet on wet.
-When it's dry (read directions on can) give it a very light fine sand just to get any more furry wood bits that can pop up, will give your door a nicer, shinier look. (use 180-200 grit sandpaper lightly i reckon). If you dont sand between coats you will have an ugly finish.
-Apply second coat, as the first has already soaked into the wood you wont need so much and it will spread better. Work it the same as before, and give it a light rag clean again.
-how does it look? If you want it darker, repeat. More coats mean more protection (but also darker), and 2 is the minimum.
-sometimes people like stained doors to be varnished also, this is up to you. varnish will protect it more, but good stain means you dont need to varnish, it will protect.
>>> Stain before it's up I reckon, it's easier that way. Just be sure to support the door properly and turn it carefully to avoid rubbing the stain off. Remember not to let any drips dry onto clean wood (ie: on the other side of door or edges, as it will create ugly patches).
>>> Brush, a good quality brush is always nicest to use, but for staining it's not important to use the best. Just an average paint shop brush 73mm wide or thereabouts is good. Give it a bit of a clean before you use it (and make sure it's dry).
>>> Rags, any cloth ones are fine, obviously nothing that will lose colour or fur off it.
>>> Depending on the stain darkness and how it looks compared to the rest of the house changes how it looks with the trim. Try and visualise it yourself, a good help would be to paint your test wood (if you already have the stain) or even a bit of cardboard with similar colour tester paint, and see how it looks for yourself.
>>> Any stain that gets on the glass will wipe off easily if it's smooth, if not it will stain aswell. Mask it off to be sure.
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Staining is easier than painting is, even. You are essentially just using a rag to rub color into the grain of the wood. However you choose to apply it, the end result you want will be obtained by wiping the stain on evenly into the wood. Best done with the door on sawhorses. You'll want to use a nice clean, dust-free cloth.
Often the beauty of wood's grain is enhanced by a contrasting doorframe of white. Try it and see-you can always paint it later if the look doesn't fit right. I'd only paint it if the wood was plain and featureless, lending no natural beauty to the door. If there's a nice grain pattern to bring out, staining it is best.
wow- congrats on embarking on this project!
Okay, I would go to this website:
http://www.generalfinishes.com and click on Finishing Tips. They give really good instructions and guidance.
Plus, their products are highly recommended.
Yes, stain it before it is up.
I don't think it would look ridiculous for the trim and door to be different colors; however, if you don't end up liking the trim, then you can always take the trim down and stain it the same as the door. I would do the door first, install it, and live with it a few days.
Lots of questions here, so let me start with the big one about the color:
If there is very little stained vs. painted wood in your house, it might indeed look odd to have a stained door in the middle of white trim. However, perhaps you should paint the inside and stain the outside for a matching white look inside but an inviting, wood feel outside.
Now to the staining advice:
1.) If the door is pine, I wouldn't advise staining it as a newbie. Pine doesn't take stain well and requires some more advanced prep work before it looks good stained. Without this preparation, it comes out very mottled and striped - not very attractive. If it's oak, it should be easy.
2.) Read the how to at minwax for basics - link below.
3.) Since you're new to staining, I would recommend using a gel stain - it's much more forgiving to work with.
4.) Don't forget that once it's stained, you will need to finish the door. I recommend urethane for it's ease of use. You can more info about that online as well - also at the Minwax site. Note that Minwax and others also have a single product that stains and finishes - but I wouldn't recommend that for an exterior door.
5.) Mask off the window. If the window has any frosted texture or leaded-glass details in it, it will be impossible to clean up all the stain after the fact. It's better not to get it in there at all.
6. It is MUCH easier to stain and finish (or even paint) before installing the door. You should remove the door from it's frame (if pre-hung) and remove all the hardware too.
I hope this helps. Good luck-
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