Doing projects around the house on your own is something that can help you build skills, patience, and ultimately, create something that you’re going to be proud of. Working on the wooden parts of our home is said to be relatively easy, however, it can also lead to you making a lot of mistakes and even ruining your household items. Because of that, you need to be extremely careful when tackling a project like this. In this article, we are going to list some of the main mistakes that you need to avoid when refinishing a wooden door.
- Choosing to do everything on your own
Working on your own is extremely rewarding. When you choose to remove the door from the hinges on your own, when you manage to sand it, and when you just ultimately transform the item from something that looks bad and rustic to something extremely beautiful, is going to lead to happiness and joy.
All these things are possible if you are willing to spend enough time; if you’re willing to learn new things, and if you are open to making mistakes. However, that is not always possible, especially if you don’t have the needed knowledge. So, before taking up this project, make sure that you gain all the knowledge you can, and try to decide if it’s something that you want to do on your own or if you want to reach out to professionals to help you.
You can check out https://staindoor.com/blog/ if you want to learn more about wood refinishing and how the professionals can help you with your vision.
- Sanding the wood down too much
We know that the first step in refinishing a door used to take it out of the hinges. When you lay it flat, you will be able to see it better and you will be able to sand it fully. When you start the sanding process you will need different tools and you will need to know which parts you need to sand more, and which areas require only a little bit of sanding.
One of the worst mistakes you can make is adding too much pressure and sanding it too much. If you do that you will damage the wood and you will get a lot of uneven areas. You will need to, later on, add a lot of filler if you want the product to look good, or you will end up with a door that has a lot of wavy areas. Because of this, you need to remember that applying too much pressure is not the right choice, and it’s better to just lightly sand it than to risk damaging the unit.
- Sanding with the wrong tools
Another big mistake you need to avoid is using the wrong tools when sanding. There are going to be some parts of the wood that you would need to sand with a tool that is going to make your job much easier, and there are also going to be some parts that you would need to sand by hand.
It is pretty easy to mess up the sanding paper and use something that is too rough or too gentle for the surface. The rule is that you should start with the harshest paper that is going to remove most of the big flaws, and then continue with a paper that is going to be much more gentle but will allow you to get that smooth finish.
- Using the wrong type of fillers
Once you’re done with the sanding, you would need to apply filler to every part of the wood that has dents or errors in it. The fillers are going to help you get rid of any crack there is and they’re going to help you create a smooth surface.
There are a lot of different types of fillers on the market and your main goal is to find one that is for refinishing a wood door. Keep in mind that you would need to apply a thin layer of filler, wait for it to completely dry, and then go back with sanding paper to make sure that everything is smooth. You may need a second coat of filler but you should never apply too much of it right from the start.
- Not removing the dust before painting
After the whole preparation is done, and once you are happy with the smoothness of the door, you would need to paint it. You can choose if you want to apply just a finish that would give the needed shine to the door, or you can use wood paint that will change the look of the unit.
The biggest mistake that people make in this type of process is not completely removing the dust. There are going to be dust particles that are going to be left after the sanding. Because of this, you would first need to use your vacuum cleaner to get rid of all the large particles. After you’re done with that you would need to use a wet cloth to get rid of all the smaller particles. You may need to do this several times to ensure that all the dust is removed. Once you are done with that, you should use a dry cloth to remove all the excess moisture.
- Not using the right coat of finish
Finally, you would need to finish the painting. As we mentioned previously, you can choose if you want to use just paint or just finish. If you’re choosing to use paint only, make sure that you purchase something that is going to act as a finish and as paint as well. In case you cannot find a product like that, you can use both.
Make sure that you use the right tools and decide if it’s better to approach this with a brush or with a sponge, depending on the wooden door that you have and the paint that you’re working with. Never start with too much pain and remember that it’s better to add two or even three coats of finish or paint than to mess everything up with one coat that is going to be way too thick.
Refinishing a wooden door is relatively easy, however, you would need to have patience and the right tools. Start slowly, watch as many tutorials as possible before you start, and if you are unsure that you are going to be able to finish this process, reach out to a professional service that can help you out with it.
Sources:
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/doors/21016526/how-to-refinish-a-door
https://www.doornmore.com/blog/how-to-refinish-an-exterior-wood-door
https://www.homeimprovementandrepairs.com/post/mistakes-to-avoid-when-refinishing-wood