Sealing Solid Wood Door From Elements.

Just In Time

I have a customer who has a solid wood entrance door which faces a southern exposure in Virginia.He wants me to re-coat the door.
My boating experience tells me to use varnish, but I have never done a door on a house.
What is the best product to use now a days on a door that will last?

Teetorbilt

Z-Spar captains varnish, IMHO. Works good in FL. Add a coat a year for the UV protection.

What wood?

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eastend

tough question, 'cause exterior clear coats are usually fairly fragile. Standard marine varnishes don't really last; you could try some the the more expensive ones out there that are designed for brightwork, maybe like ephifanes.
I have tried a 2 component acrylic urethane that seems pretty good. It's called Bristol Finish, and you can find out about it at www.BristolFinish.com. I've used it on some garage doors near the ocean, and it's held up really well( going on 3 years now)

Teetorbilt

Epifanes is a manufacturer. I won't say that their product is better or worse than anothers.

Prep, application and maintenance is paramount. The UV protectants break down over time and need to be replaced by subsequent coats.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Tommy Boy

I have plenty of experience with varnishes. I own a boat with lots of exterior teak. Epifanes, Bristol etc are all good marine varnishes. These coatings will break down in 1-2 years on a southern exposure. They will crack and start to peel. Generally 5-6 coats sanding between coats is the standard practice. Sanding yearly and adding additional coats will help maintain the finish but eventually you will need to sand it off and start over again which is a major league task.

Primer and paint most likely will give you a more trouble free finish. The UV inhibitors in paint and the fact that is has more flexibility will give you a longer lasting finish.

My next boat will only have stainless and fiberglass on the outside. Life is too short to maintain teak.