Stain for Exterior Door

[Ralf11]

I've got a wood door that is pretty exposed - it faces south and gets sun all summer, and gets blown rain during any storms or high winds (rains 6 months a year).

It's a real nice clear Doug. Fir door so I hate to paint it.

It had Sikkins on it when I bought it 15-20 years ago, but part of that is flaking off, and part is darkened (maybe from wetness).

What is the most protective stain I can put on it after I sand it down?

 

[nadogail]

Marine spar varnish

 

[1jeepfan]

Wood stain won’t give much weather protection by itself. Nadogail is correct. Good quality marine spar varnish.

 

[yeldogt]

Any quality w/ UV protection clear finish. Stain first. If you have water darkness -- this will have to be addressed by removing the finish and bleaching the area. It may not come clean and a darker finish may have to be used. Often a tinted finish will help as well.

The key to outside work is to re-coat prior to failure ... a thin coat of finish on top of the old prior to failure will last. I give mine a nice wash with liquid no sand to clean and prep .... a very thin coat w/ quality brush --- or roller and brush depending on how much flat area. I use one of the small rollers with correct cover and quickly do it ..... no heat or sun.

 

[CraigStu]

I use Minwax Helmsman Spar Varnish. The real stuff, NOT the water based. Yeldogt is right. It's best to stay ahead of the weathering. It is real easy to do a light sand and roll or brush on another coat when it is still in good condition. Once it is damaged more needs to be taken off before re doing. The problem I experienced w/ the water based is each new layer stays a separate layer. When you try to sand it you break through a layer and you can not sand a smooth transition from one layer to the next. The urethane doesn't do that.

 

[Ralf11]

The Sikkens on it is Cetol 23 Plus. It's not just an ordinary stain.

They claim it "offers superior UV protection, and is highly transparent, water repellent, weather resistant, flexible, and breathable"

Will Spar Varnish really be better?

 

[1redTA]

I just refinished a painted door from a door shop flooded during Katrina, after all the sanding, I stained and used the 6 coats recommended by MinWax for their spar urethane. It looks great but it hasn’t been a year yet. I am going to tint the clear storm door in front of the wooden door with a light tint to help with UV exposure.

 

[Angelfire]

I too would recommend a GOOD marine varnish. Personally I don't like Minwax for finishes (their stains are ok, not great but ok). I went with Epifanes on my front door and it's done pretty well considering my altitude and sun exposure. Sun eats everything here unfortunately.
Cheers.

 

[Bolson32]

Where's the best place to get a good marine spar? The big boxes don't seem to have the UV resistant stuff. I'm building some carriage doors and want to stain/seal them as well.