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I'd never heard of such a thing before, since I'd only had metal front doors. But the sun has definitely damaged wood doors in our neighborhood and the estimate to sand/stain/reseal is about $600 (!!!!). Seems exorbitant to me. I'm not a DIY-er at ALL. Anyone have suggestions on who could do this kind of work well for a lot less?
I guess step 1 is deciding what you'll put in the doorway while the primary door is off the hinges.
Then I'd get 3 estimates: use quality painters; get a rec from your Realtor.
And if it's still more than you're willing to pay, this does seem like a relatively easy DIY job. Hardest part is probably removing the poly coat from the details with chemicals/sandpaper. As a novice DIY project, I'd budget more than a day just to strip it/sand it down properly. You can stain it in an hour early in the morning. The product directions will tell you how long to dry - same for the poly. Maybe you go all in and get it cleaned in an all-day project, then stain the next morning and can begin coats of poly - one at night, one in the morning.
Thanks. Def not going to DIY it, and hadn't thought about the door being off. Damage is just at the bottom, so I think the plan is to leave the door on.
How much detail is in the door? Moulding around glass? Extent of the damage? Type of wood? Lots of factors to consider. That said, I'd expect about half that price for a decent re-do, especially if the craftsperson could get another client nearby(since there is down-time between steps in re-finishing). Ideally, the refinisher would repair and prep the door one day, move to the next client and then return the next day to finish.
One the other hand, I've done a decent job in one day(really about 4 hours total) on doors that aren't severely damaged.
Painting may be a cheaper solution(and potentially longer lasting).
A lot will depend on the 'convenience' of working on the door...must it be removed? Can it be protected from the 'elements' while the work goes on?
For a stained door, marine-grade spar varnish is your friend. Also, address any water damage at the source...eliminate if possible.
Our very exposed gorgeous front door in Atlanta got a touch-up at least once a year(often twice) before the wear and tear went too far. Much easier to maintain than to re-finish. Doors here in central Texas take a real beating. I recently painted our entry door with Sherwin-Williams SnapDry paint...very pleased with the results and I was able to apply two coats without removing the door.
I could see a seriously high-quality re-finish costing $600, depending on the door and the circumstances of the repair.
Hit YouTube for some inspiration and maybe you could discover some hidden DIY talents and save money in the process!! Good luck !!
We paid the $550 to have it done (double door). I didn't want it done by just anyone (solid mahogany door is way too expensive), especially not us, and I couldn't find anyone else but the guy recommended on here via my quest for the same thing. The door was sanded down--in place--past the weathered part and stain was applied, several coats it looks like--to even it up with the less-sanded part. Then I think it's had 4 (and maybe one more) coats of spar urethane. It's smooth as butter now, a nice piece of "furniture". He was here 3 days. First day to sand and apply stain (and maybe first coat of protection, can't remember), then the following 2 days, it received 2 coats a day--one in the morning and one in the afternoon (he'd picked up another door in the neighborhood to work on, so he switched back and forth while things dried). He will be back later this week to put all the weather-stripping back on.
NOW, if we do the regular upkeep on it, it won't get weathered as badly, and therefore won't cost as much to maintain. We've lived here 6 years and never did anything to it.
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