Finishing Mahogany Door and Side Lights

[Oldwood2409]

My new to me house front door and side lights need to be refinished. The bottom of door and side lights show considerable weathering.

I want to refinish without stripping. Any suggestions on a clear coat?

I live in central Louisiana, we see plenty of heat and humidity and yes, rain!

Greg

[Cabinet Monkey]

What you want is not realistic. 

Clean it , then paint it if you don’t want to put in the time / effort /expense of prepping it correctly to clear coat it.

[jteneyck]

What you want is not realistic. 

Clean it , then paint it if you don’t want to put in the time / effort /expense of prepping it correctly to clear coat it.

^^^^

If you do decide to go with a clear coat type finish, however, I would strip it completely back to bare wood, and then use PPG Prolux Door and Window finish.  It won't peel, crack, etc.  It just wears down over time, and that's your que to clean it and apply a fresh coat.  I used it on a door that gets direct sun and rain, and it performed just as advertised.  I added a new coat of finish after 4 years and it looks like new again.  

You MUST use at least 2 coats of one of the pigmented choices first, and then you can topcoat that with a clear matte version if you prefer a matte finish.  That's what I did.  

The door was made from Sapele, not that far off from true mahogany, just harder.  This is what it looked like brand new in 2017.  Two coats of mahogany and one coat of clear satin.



This is what it looked like in 2021 before updating:



You can see how it lost color and dulled, but the finish is otherwise perfect even where the rain hits the bottom section. 

This is how it looked after cleaning, nothing more than washing it with soap and water and scuff sanding it with a 320 grit sponge, and then the new finish.  I used one coat of mahogany and one coat of clear satin.  Another coat of mahogany might have been better, but the owner didn't want to wait another day or two. 



It was done in place, with a brush.  I removed the panels to do them, and temporarily installed plywood panels for security.  It took 3 or 4 days, total, IIRC, but not much actual work. 


John  

[Gary G™]

John
The Sapele door looks great.
Thanks for sharing this info.

[jteneyck]

John
The Sapele door looks great.
Thanks for sharing this info.

Thanks.  I can't say enough good things about Prolux Door and Window finish.  It's the only film finish I've found that will never peel or crack, even if you don't do the maintenance you should.  

John