# best system for front door stain and varnish



## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

so after the door is totally stripped and ready to go, what are the best products to stain and varnish. 

All I know is helms is the worst varnish made


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## painter2765 (Sep 23, 2010)

hey,
i am assuming you are talking about helmsman spar varnish. this is a homeowner type product. you would do somewhat better going to a ship chandler (marine supply store) and getting a true marine grade varnish. oil based varnishes in general dont allow water vapor to pass thru the coat. so water that gets into the wood (like at the bottom slot of the expansion panels) has a tendency to sit under the varnish and soften the wood. a better solution would be something along the lines of the sikkens cetol system, which does allow the passage of vapor. each coat has pigment and uv blocking capability. you do not stain the wood. the pigment in the cetol does that and the pigments are much more uv resistant than those in conventional stains. you cannot tint this coating, but you can mix different colors together for the color you like. dark oak and mahogany together do nicely for mahogany doors. be sure to use cetol 1 for the first coat and cetol 23 for the subsequent coats. if you are getting too dark, you can add natural to the mix. i am in south carolina on the coast and this works well around here, although the cetol does not do well when exposed to a lot of direct sunlight. if the door is protected by enough porch roof to keep most of the direct light off it, you should be fine.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

I'll bang the Sikkens drum once again  Sikkens Door & Window, comes in clear as well as some colors. If you go with one of the tinted Door & Window colors, you can skip staining, although you're limited to 4 colors. I know some guys will intermix colors, or use stain under the tinted clear finishes to match/blend.

You can use any stain you like under the Door & Window, I prefer Old Masters.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Zar stain and Helmsman Spar.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

If they will not maintain the door by coating it every other year at least, it does not matter what you use. All your labor will be for naught. And that is probably why you had to strip it for them in the first place.


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## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

DeanV said:


> If they will not maintain the door by coating it every other year at least, it does not matter what you use. All your labor will be for naught. And that is probably why you had to strip it for them in the first place.



that is fact.

I try and drill that into people and they just don't get it.


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## 76tiger (Jul 6, 2010)

*Epifanes*

is BY FAR the best SPAR out there. I have used it on all the teak re-finishes on several Boston Whalers. Just completed (2) 3'x12' Cypress Doors.

Key is getting your prep right.


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## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

gonna start using sikkens, they say three or four years it should hold up, Ill be happy with two years.


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## Retired (Jul 27, 2010)

If someone asked the same question and substituted "wall" for "door" or even heaven forbid, "garage door", I wonder what some of the solutions might be.


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