Front Door Project Completed

Before (L) Stripped (C) Completed (R)

I knew this project would be challenging. I just didn't know how challenging. I am super happy with the end result.

The photo to the left shows the door in its before state. Full of dirt and grime and very dark with seriously messed up lacquer.

The middle shows the door completely stripped. I believe it is oak.

The right pane is the stained, polyurethaned and cleaned finished door.

The stained, polyurethaned and cleaned door.

Here's the completed door in a photo on its own.

I decided on a mahogany stain. I wanted it somewhat red but not as dark as the trim inside the house. I used a rag to do two passes with the stain.

The inside side of the door is definitely a lot darker but it is in good condition and don't feel I need to tackle that.

There are three coats of outdoor polyurethane. It was rainy during the sealing steps so it tool longer to get all three coats on.

Detail of the window panes

The biggest challenge were the 12 panes of glass. There is an inset or gap around each pane of glass. I still don't know how this is achieved. Cleaning up that gap took the most effort and time. I ended up using skewers (basically toothpicks), a toothbrush and several passes to get it out. It isn't perfect but it is definitely much better.

A similar process had to occur when applying the stain and then the polyurethane. I didn't want an accumulation of product or I would be back where it all started.

The windows got a few scratches from my cleanup and I cracked one with the heat gun. I hope to polish them out...the crack is gonna have to be what it is.