To Stain or To Paint Your Doors? Things that You Need to Consider

October 23, 2017

When installing new doors in your home, a major consideration is whether to paint or stain these doors. Although many people favor adding a stain finish to timber doors that have attractive grains, stains will not provide any strong protection to your new doors’ surfaces. For this reason, a new entrance door that must withstand harsh weather conditions must be carefully coated with an exterior sealer if you decide to stain rather than paint this outside door.

Top-quality paints are essential for painting outside entrance doors. Superior grade exterior finishes are also necessary for the best protection of these doors during wet, stormy weather and periods of extreme temperature changes. Satin or semigloss paints are the best for covering these outer door surfaces. It is also best to paint your new entrance doors with light colours that reflect light. Dark paint colours, when exposed for long time periods to strong, direct sun rays will absorb the light and heat, which may result in surface fading and warping.

Additional Points to Consider Before Your Paint or Stain Your Doors

There are some additional aspects of door painting and staining that you should consider before making your choice of paints or stains for finishing the surfaces of newly installed doors in your home, including the following:

• Painting Your Doors. - While oil-based paints are best for painting your home's exterior doors, your interior doors can be painted with your choice of acrylic or enamel paints. If you have any honeycomb core doors in your house, flat, semi-gloss or satin paint finishes are best for them. Two even coats of paint and sealer should be applied to each door, including all areas of door top, side and bottom edges. A heavier sealant is always recommended for bathroom, kitchen and laundry or utility room doors to prevent excessive absorption of moisture by door surfaces, which can cause warping or rough areas to develop.
• Staining Your Doors. - If you install beautifully grained timber internal doors in your home made of woods like stunning Victorian Ash or Red Oak, you will want to stain them just slightly and use a light sealant so that the full luster, grain and beauty of the natural wood is visible. Since stains will not protect these special doors from moisture absorption or damage, you will most likely want to install these door in your living room, den or dining area away from the kitchen, bath or laundry room areas to avoid extra moisture exposure to door surfaces. Since wood stain brands and consistencies vary in composition, it is always best to follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully when applying stains to your interior door surfaces.
• Preparing Your Doors for Painting or Staining. - Before painting your doors, be sure to apply one coat of primer. If door surfaces require sanding first, sand in the direction of the grain. Then apply a second coat of primer followed by two coats of paint. Prior to staining door surfaces, make certain that doors are completely clean and dry. Always sand with the grain, if needed—never against it. Always try to avoid any cross-sanding since staining will not cover any surface scratches or overly-sanded areas.

For the finest doors and top professional advice on the best paints, stains, primers and sealants for your new home doors, contact the experienced experts at Shandfield Doors in Bayswater North, Victoria, today. They will guide you with their long-term expertise toward making the ultimate fine selection of doors and door treatments to greatly enhance your entire home’s decor and ambiance.

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