Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/restoring front door

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Expert: - 2/21/2011


Question

door
If I had to guess the door is the original door to the house and the house is at least  100 years old.  the outside has been coated with a shellac or varnish of some kind. However,  it has become textured and rough in most areas. The inside has been painted over with a interior semi gloss latex paint. Since the door is most likely  the original door and it has so much history and character  I want to restore it and refinish the door.   I would like to ask you thoughts on how it is best to begin.

I will have to take the door down and put it on saw horses first for sure.

should I try a chemical striper first and then sand the remaining?.  If so what types of strippers should I use and what types should I avoid?

or is it better/safer to just use sandpaper alone.  

I have a orbital palm sander and a belt sander and I have access to a detail sander if I need one.

what is the best way to treat the moldings? I don't want to use the sandpaper and change the contour of the moldings or take the edge off of them.  should  I use steel wool instead on the molding areas  or  perhaps a nylon pad.  
if you want more photos i will gladly send them

any tips  tricks or techniques would be very much appreciated

Answer
Hi Kevin, absolutely strip with a chemical stripper...paste type Methylene Chloride or an NMP stripper like Citristrip.This is going to be Varnish and likely a very sticky, gooey job to remove, but it's important to allow the stripper to work, and to persevere until the surface is bare and clean of the old finish. You'll need lots of #2 and/or #3 steel wool for the stripper, and maybe some #1 for the final rubdown of the final coat of stripper. It will likely take 4 applications of a thick coat of stripper, scrubbing and wiping each off to get this stripped.Easily a several hour job... Sanding has to be done carefully as you're aware, and should never be used to remove an old finish, (except on a floor).Only sand after the finish has been completely removed and the surface has dried sufficiently. (overnight for Citristrip, a few hours for the MC strippers). Strip the entire door front, moldings and all, and the better the job you do with that, the less sanding you'll need to do. You will likely have to reshape and recontour dented and damaged areas of the edges and moldings, and maybe use a wood filler in areas....and even likely sand the whole door, but I would NOT use machines to do so. The aim is to smooth everything to the touch, and get the natural color even overall...even if you're planning to stain...the surface needs to look even overall...and with an old door, you also want to be careful not to remove the age by over doing the sanding/repair work. It should look it's age, and retain as much character as possible when you're done......post back if need be, and best of luck. The other option I should put forward, is to look into having it stripped Professionally...if there are any strippers left where you are......regards- Greg

Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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