I've been asked to refinish a pair of solid wood entry doors, but I haven't tackled this type of project before. These doors get a lot of sunlight, so they're oxidized and the finish feels pretty rough. Plus, there's quite a bit of moulding and trim work involved. To make it more challenging, the house is occupied, so I need to figure out a way to do this without removing the doors for too long. Any tips on how to approach this? Here's a link to what the doors look like: https://imgur.com/a/6a1iR8u
2 Answers
You’re definitely going to be doing a lot of sanding—probably more than you want to! Start with a coarse grit to tackle the rough finish and then work your way to finer grits for a smooth result. Just be aware, it can get pretty messy, especially with the dust, so take precautions to cover the surrounding area. If you want to lighten the load, you might want to explore dry ice blasting—it’s pretty impressive if you can find a local company that does it. It could save you some time and hassle, especially since the house is occupied.
Those doors are gorgeous and definitely worth the effort! Since the home is occupied, you'll want to work as efficiently as possible. If taking the doors down isn’t an option, sand them while they're in place. Just be careful about the mess—using drop cloths will help keep things contained. You could look into the dry ice blasting option, too. I’ve heard that it minimizes disruption and does a great job—might be worth the investment!