# Front Door Finish



## Jumanji (Jan 31, 2013)

Got a question, and I suspect someone on this board has some good info. Bought a house a year ago, and it has a front door that appears to be solid mahogany, in a very dark brown finish. It is not varnished, but has a dull finish that might be oiled? The door isn't weathered, but gets evening sun. I have researched finishes and think it might be finished with tung oil, Australian timber oil, or something similar. Don't know enough about this to know, as my previous houses I always did with stain and multiple layers of spar varnish. I would rather not go that route with this door.

A friend of mine is a wood working guy, and he said Ephines (sp?) finish was highly-rated, but only products I could find from them looked to be a clear sealer.

Anyone have any advice? I don't mind having to apply a couple of times per year to maintain. But don't want to get into the position of having to sand it all down, stain, varnish, etc - like I used to go thru with my other houses with west-facing front doors.

Thanks in advance for any advice.


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## Wordsaw (Apr 17, 2013)

Epifanes is a marine-grade product which offers a lot of UV protection but, yes, it's a topcoat like other varnishes. It might be available in a satin finish, though.


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## t-astragal (Dec 14, 2011)

A sanding and topcoat once a year isn't too bad. Just stay with spar poly or spar varnish and keep up the maintenance. Your door needs to be sealed not oiled. If you want to go over the top and reduce maintenance, look at Smith or System 3 clear penetrating epoxy sealer. It will take a couple of weeks to apply but will make the varnish much more durable. Smith claims 5-10 years in direct full sun with no maintenance. Good luck. 


Steve


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