How to Care for Exterior Wood Doors

Wood doors have become an important upgrade for modern homeowners. They offer a great deal of resilience, some insulation, and beauty that is unmatched by fiberglass or aluminum doors. Homeowners who opt to purchase wooden doors may not be aware of how to maintain them. It’s not as simple as installing and forgetting. Here are the basics of what you need to know.

Caring for Wood Doors

Most exterior wood doors are going to ship prehung, meaning you have all the hardware you need and the door is already fit within the frame. Typically, pre-hung doors ship unfinished. That means you’ll need to stain the door to get the kind of color you want. You can also paint the door, but you will probably opt for staining when you’re dealing with anything other than a Douglas Fir door. Staining helps preserve the look of the wood, while matching the color and style you want.

Wooden front doors need some kind of weather protection, usually in the form of a sealant. You can apply such a sealer around the same time as your stain, you just need to make sure the stain dries first.

Wood doors might need to be resealed, but not for several years. If you notice any splintering, or the wood on the door feels rough, you have a few options. You should sand the door down a bit to get the smoothness back, re-stain and then re-apply your sealer. The other option is to just repaint. Repainting won’t work as effectively if your door has an intricate pattern, which is common on wood doors.

Bio: With showrooms in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, ETO Doors can answer any questions you have about installation or custom orders in person.