Outside doors are one of the inviting features that add to the curb appeal of your home. Unfortunately, these doors are also susceptible to damage from the sun. However, you can restore these sun-damaged doors cheaply through an afternoon of DIY. The goal of this article is to teach you all about the art of refinishing your sun-damaged door to revitalize your curb appeal.

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Prepare the door for refinishing

Before you get started, it is suggested that you take your door off of the frame. It’s much easier to refinish your door this way. You can easily remove the door by using a screwdriver and hammer to take it off of the hinges. Once it is properly removed, place it across two sawhorses. Pad these sawhorses before putting the door on them, to keep it protected. Not doing so may result in scraping the door, leaving you with a lot more work to do. Any glass on the window should be carefully covered up with painter’s tape. Remove any hardware including locks, kickplates, and knobs before working on the door.

Sand down the door

After you have prepped the door for refinishing, you can begin the sanding the door down. Before sanding, you must wear proper protective gear such as safety goggles and a mask. Start it off by going with an 80-grit sandpaper for the first pass and use an orbit sander to make the task easier. This will take the old finish off. Then do another go-around with a 100-grit sandpaper, then finish off by using a 120-grit sandpaper. Be sure that you get everything you need off so that you can get a finished look. This includes using a chemical stripper, if necessary. Complete this process on both sides of the door.

Fill in the gaps

If you notice that there are blemishes on the door even after the sanding process, you can use products like wood filler to even the surface out. You can fill larger holes by glueing a dowel in, then getting rid of the excess dowel sticking out. Be sure that you wipe off any excess glue to keep the surface smooth. To ensure that the surface is smooth and clean enough, wipe it down so that the finish will stick properly to the door.

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Add finishing touches

You can now move on to finishing up your door. If you want to keep the current “wooden” look of your door, simply add a thin coat of varnish on the door with a paintbrush. Let the door dry completely, then sand it down. Repeat this process until you get the shade that you are going for. You can also use paint to give your door a pop of colour that may add to your curb appeal or use a different colour wood stain to get the wood colour you want. The options for the colour are endless, plus, when you handle this task yourself, you can save a fortune from not having to purchase a new door.

You also might want to check out: Basic methods to protect wooden doors from sun damage