Portal to the past - includes instructions for weathering ordinary wooden doors - weathered wooden doors

Sunset, May, 1999 by Peter O. Whiteley

How to give an ordinary paneled door an antique look

A weathered but well-preserved wood door offers a textural richness, memorable character, muted color, and implied sense of history that no new door could present. However, finding one in good condition and the proper size for an existing front-door opening can be difficult and expensive. This project lets you add the patina of age to any of the new solid-panel doors sold at home improvement stores. The process also works effectively on older doors sold at architectural salvage centers or on any piece of wood furniture that would benefit from a touch of distinction.

We selected a 32-inch-wide, six-panel fir door with rails clad in a thin veneer of vertical-grain fir over a base of built-up layers. The panels also showed a vertical grain (it is important to note the direction of your door's grain).

To give the door a weathered cast with a gray-green color to coordinate with house trim, we raised the grain, then added two subtle colors for a textured effect. If you prefer a more natural, brown-toned wood, use a wood stain first, then proceed with the semitransparent gray as your second color. Be sure paints or stains are compatible: don't mix oil-base with water-base products.

TIME: A weekend

COST: About $30, plus the cost of the door

MATERIALS

* Wood door approved for exterior installation

* Electric drill with wheel-style wire-brush drill bit

* Sandpaper

* Gray semitransparent oil-base stain .Paintbrush

* Clean rags

* Flat or satin-finish oil-base paint or solid-body stain

* Silicone sealer or satin-finish varnish (optional)

* Paint thinner (for cleaning brush)

DIRECTIONS

1. To replicate a sandblasted or weathered look with a deeply raised grain, use the wire-brush drill bit in the electric drill to eat away at the softer grain of the wood. Always work following the grain, not across it, and don't etch too deeply over the veneered sections, so you don't reveal glue or the lower layer. Lightly sand the brushed surfaces and clean off sawdust. Check that the grain is uniformly raised by viewing door in low-angled backlight.

2. With a paintbrush, apply a coat of the gray semitransparent stain to both sides of the door and all the edges. Let stand 30 minutes (place door on two sawhorses or lean it on a rag against a wall), then wipe off excess with a rag. Allow to dry overnight.

3. Using a brush lightly loaded with paint or solid-body stain, work across the grain - this will put more pigment in the valleys than on the raised portion. Don't try to cover the entire door with a uniform coat; instead, let some of the base coat show through. Working across the grain, wipe off excess paint with a rag. Allow door to dry.

4. Recoat door with semitransparent stain to mute the color and get an overall gray tone. When door has dried completely, it will have a flat finish and will be protected by the three light layers of paint and stain. However, you can apply the optional coat of silicone sealer or varnish to further protect the exterior side of the door.