This is my front door. I am in love with it. Totally. Arched top, board and batten, solid wood, stained glass, vintage hardware.
Problem is, the varnish is peeling. It’s pretty bad. You see those dark splotches? That’s bare, graying wood. It needs refinishing post-haste. (These photos were taken last summer, but, suffice to say, the door has not fixed itself.)
My first inclination is to strip/scrape, restain in a light shade (similar to what it is now, though maybe not so yellow) and seal it.
But then there’s this tiny part of me that says… paint it! Paint it a ridiculous color and don’t look back! I’m not sure what that color would be. I do have to note that I’m not crazy about the faded brown paint on the eaves/gutters/trim or the color of the roof, but they are here for the time being.
Stain pros: traditional, safe, contrasts with the rest of the house
Stain cons: Even with proper sealing, it’s my understanding it will probably have to be redone in a number of years. (Our house faces south, gets full sun and we don’t have a storm door or much of an overhang to protect it.)
Paint pros: Easier and more durable than stain & seal process.
Paint cons: Color might fade. More work to get back to the natural woodgrain in the future.
So what say you? Should I go with my gut and stain? Or listen to that little voice and paint? Please leave your choice in the comments. This guy is so sick of eating varnish chips for breakfast.
Update: I chose stain! See the final results here >>
I would opt for staining. Just get a really good outdoor clear coat. I would stay away from the stain/clear coat in one. We have found out that stuff is just not as durable. GOOD LUCK!!
Laura M
Paint!
You have a fantastic door that needs played up! I think stain would just blend in.
I would go with red and change the numbers and mailbox to a different color. OR go with white to still be safe but accent the window frames.
Laura, yes, I’ve been reading the cans of stain at the store and most of them say for interiors only. Even the people at Lowe’s were pretty confused and sent me to the deck stains.
Nicole, I hadn’t really thought about a red door in particular. I added the red mailbox and the red house numbers, but I’m not sure I’m ready to change those. Will have to keep thinking!
Erin, sorry I’m so late in commenting on this. I’ve had it starred in my google reader since you posted it. 🙂
I’ve been contemplating painting my original-to-the-house front door as well. Same story as yours–it’s varnish is in sorry shape. I’m torn between staining it the same color and painting it black, as I did my side door.
I’m excited to see what you do!
No problem. I take comments no matter how delayed! I haven’t started on this yet, but I think I’m leaning toward staining. I just don’t have a clear picture in my head of what paint might look like and I’m not sure I want to be the one to “ruin” the door!
After this post, I started looking at homes in our area and not too many still have unpainted wood doors, so maybe I have something special on my hands that shouldn’t be spoiled.
I know I am 2 years too late. Just curious what you ended up doing. BTW, I personally think it would have been a crime to paint that awesome rustic wood door.
Never too late!
I stained the door! See the results here >>