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How to improve this rotting external door?

The front door of our house gets hit by rain, after almost 20 years it's in this state.

Apart from replacing the entire door (which would also require doing the whole frame which isn't in much better shape, a much larger future project), is there anything we can do to improve the current door and make it look nicer?

The bottom area pictured is peeling away. Not sure if we should just take off the external layer. It may look better, but I'd assume whatever is underneath isn't weather sealed?

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MitchellMc

Hi @Jarrod1,

Given the condition of the door, it could be worth removing the top veneered layer to expose whatever core material is underneath. It’s a little hard to tell exactly what that inner layer will be, and as you mentioned, it won’t be weather‑sealed, although the existing outer veneer doesn’t appear to have offered much protection either. Being hit by rain for years causes the veneer to swell, delaminate, and peel, and unless a door like this is oiled twice a year or coated with a proper exterior varnish, moisture will eventually get in.

At this stage, with the veneer already lifting, I would personally remove the loose outer layer, sand the surface to clean up the glue residue, and then either paint the door or finish it depending on what the exposed timber looks like. If the timber underneath turns out to be decent, you could oil or varnish it, but painting is usually the most durable option in this level of deterioration. This should make the door look much cleaner and presentable until you’re ready to replace it entirely.

When you do replace it, you might like to take advantage of our Door Installation Service.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Jarrod1

Alright I pulled most of the hanging bits off no problem, then scraped the rest back with a paint scraper.

I sanded the glue off with 60 grit sandpaper, then finished off with 240 grit, here's how we're looking now.

I think it's definitely better than it was, but not sure what to finish it with. It would be nice to do something that gives it a similar look to the original colour, to match the door frame wood.

I'm guessing some kind of oil or varnish, just don't know what would fit best. I was thinking I could try a test patch, and worst case sand it back if it sucks and we could just instead prime/paint the door if it came to it. Though I'd only be doing the front, so maybe it'd look a bit weird.

Quite a few scratches towards the top, not sure how to fix that other than sanding it back way more. They're only really visible with the door open, front on, it's not really noticeable.

MitchellMc

Hi @Jarrod1,

Nice work! The door already looks significantly better now that you’ve removed the loose veneer and sanded it back. At this stage, you have a few good options for finishing it. If the door is regularly exposed to rain, paint will give you the most durable and long-lasting protection. An exterior primer followed by two coats of quality exterior paint (semi-gloss or gloss) will seal the surface well and handle moisture and UV much better than oil alone. This is the lowest-maintenance option, but you would lose the natural timber look. This would also be the best option if you intend to fill the scratches at the top.

If you’d prefer to keep a similar wood appearance to match the frame, a good approach would be to use an exterior stain to achieve the colour you want, followed by at least three coats of a exterior polyurethane/varnish. This combination will provide better protection than oil while maintaining the timber look. A satin finish is often a good choice because it hides scratches and imperfections better than gloss. Doing a small test patch first is a smart idea. You can always sand it back if the colour isn’t right.

Using timber oil alone would be the easiest option and can look great initially, but it won’t offer as much protection in direct weather and will require more frequent maintenance. Given the door’s exposure and previous damage, oil by itself likely won’t last very long.

For the scratches near the top, you don’t necessarily need to sand the entire area back heavily. Light sanding may soften their appearance, and stain plus a clear coat will usually help blend them in. If any scratches are deep, you could use an exterior timber filler before finishing. One very important step, whichever finish you choose, is to seal the top and bottom edges of the door, as moisture often enters through the end grain. Properly sealing those areas will significantly extend the life of the repair.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

EricL

Hello @Jarrod1

You've done a marvelous job so far with the door revamp. I propose using Timbermate 250g Pine Wood Filler to fill in the damaged sections of the door. The filler will accept all stains, coats and colours including water, oil, spirit, epoxies, paints and lacquers. In regards to the oil stain colour, I suggest visiting your local store and having a look at the stain/sealer sample board in the paint department.

I would go with your suggestion of testing a small section on the surface of the door first and if you are satisfied with the finish, you can then commit the entire door.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to Paint a Front Door: The perfect tutorial for beginners

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Jarrod1

Thanks all, I ended up going with Cabot's 500ml Teak Exterior Varnish Stain, used about 2/3 of it for 2 coats. Here's a before and after, not perfect but definitely better than before I started! You can still see some brush strokes, not sure if a 3rd coat would take care of that. After applying an area I moved the brush over the whole width of the door, but it didn't seem to help much.

JacobZ

Hi @Jarrod1,

I can't see brush strokes in your photo, but I can imagine they might be more obvious up close. I don't think there's a great need for it, but if you wanted to, you could apply a third coat using a paint roller, either a high density foam roller or a microfibre roller with a short nap.

A roller won't leave any brush strokes, but it will leave lines if you don't backroll over it after applying the varnish.

This isn't 100% necessary, but it would remove the brush marks.

All in all, I think it looks great and you should be proud of what you've achieved.

Let me know if there is anything else we can do to assist.

Jacob

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