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How to Finish Wooden Exterior Doors

External doors take the brunt of rain, wind and sun and are often the only barrier between the outside world and the comfort of your home. Exterior doors if not painted are generally varnished or oiled.

Wood oils: Wood oils offer good durability for external doors and act as an effective water repellent finish. With a natural soft sheen look, any scratches or damage can be easily repaired. Normal recommendation is that oil finished external doors should be re-oiled once or twice a year for the best results.

Stage 1: Preparation Stage 2: Staining Stage 3: Top Coats Exterior Door Maintenance Optional Extras

Stage 1: Preparation

Always on display, exterior doors deserve the best.

Always on display and taking the worst that nature has to offer, external doors are often not given the care they require. With the correct preparation, exterior doors can look good with a lasting finish.

Stainable Wood Fillers Best Value
Stainable wood filler is ideal for filling dents holes and splits in external doors. Available in a range of colours, this filler can be easily applied then overcoated with varnish or oil to produce a repair that will blend in with the surrounding wood.

Brand: Bonda

only £4.29

Wood Filler Gel Best Quality
Perfect for repairing splits, holes and dents on external doors, wood filler gel is used with wood dust from the door, usually sanding dust from when the door is being fitted, renovated or repaired to produce a colour matched filler. When the wood dust has been mixed with the filler gel it can be easily applied and shaped to produce an almost invisible repair.

Brand: Manns

from £16.59

Filler Knife
Perfect for shaping and applying wood fillers to exterior doors, floors and other wooden surfaces, our wood filler knifes are both strong and flexible.

Brand: Mako

only £1.77

Sandpaper Rolls
An essential tool for any repair or renovation projects on wooden floors, furniture internal or external doors. This hard wearing aluminium oxide paper is long lasting and available in a range of grits.

Brand: Hermes

from £14.27

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Stage 2: Staining

Stylish exterior doors.

Exterior doors can be coated with clear varnish to show off the natural beauty of the wood or alternatively, stained with a varnish and wood dye mix. For further information on how to colour varnish coatings for exterior doors, please call us on 0844 815 4884 and we will be happy to discuss your requirements.

Stage 3: Top Coats

Protecting external doors from the elements.

Exterior doors take the full force of nature and have to withstand the effects of wind, rain, sun, snow and ice. Wood oils and varnishes provide a high degree of protection against the elements, perfect for exterior doors and other external wood work.

Exterior Wood Oil
Exterior wood oil provides an effective barrier against the damaging effects of weathering, perfect for exterior wooden doors. This product provides a high level of durability and dries in around 3 hours to produce a natural looking finish. All oiled surfaces require re-oiling but an external door should be re-oiled twice a year ideally.

Brand: Fiddes

from £19.97

Exterior Door Maintenance

Low maintenance for an eye catching finish.

Exterior doors generally need very little in the way of day to day maintenance, this said however, after months of warding off the elements, a gentle wipe with a damp cloth can help to remove surface dirt and grease.

Cloth
Very soft, lint free and disposable, stockinette cloth is perfect for the general cleaning and buffing of wooden surfaces including exterior doors, furniture and flooring.

Brand: Manns

from £2.97

Optional Extras

Optional extras for exceptional results.

Optional extras can help with the preparation and finishing of any job saving time and effort. From replacement to restoration, these great items are as useful on exterior doors as they are with large scale wooden floors.

HVLP Apollo Spray Mate
HVLP spray machines are efficient and quick. Able to spray varnishes, waxes and oils, they can coat an external door in minutes with an even coat saving time and effort.

Brand: Apollo

only £102.77

Mako Bucket
Mako buckets are designed to be a helpful tool and not just another bucket. Square in shape and available in 2 sizes, these buckets are ideal for use with rollers, especially useful when treating or coating exterior doors or floors. With handy ridges on the inside to help with paint control on brushes and rollers, these buckets also have handy measuring markers, great when judging quantities.

Brand: Mako

from £3.77