Here's a little closer up.
I wish you could see this amazing grain that was suffocating under all that brown goop.

What a gorgeous door! It is a lovely grain. Perhaps you should paint those recesses black, to make that panel really stand out!

You and your sander are amazing!

Nancy

Nancy, which recesses are you referring to?
I have more of that God-Awful Muddy Stain.

You should see, not 8' away, the interior, antique 5-panel door I've stripped and sanded. Odd. The stripper took off all the paint in the detail and corners. The flat surfaces didn't even crack. So? I SANDED THEM!

I have to find my detail sander, though, because right now all the panels have that dark stain around them. In their case, the original door stain.

I'll show you when it's done. I know, no, I insist.

I think it's beautiful! I would have hated that ugly stain too! You can barely see the bits left behind.

Nice work Christine...as usual! It's lovely.

Love mahogany.. what a beautiful door. I admire you, that's a LOT of work doing those dang doors...

That's one wonderful door. And you know, at least from the photo, that dark strip gives a lot of character. I think I'd leave it just as is. Beautiful job.

So green! Wish I had more time to go "hunting"

rococogurl, I might. :)

The door gets a lighter sanding, another coat of this Australian Timber Oil, a finer sanding, another coat, and it should be done. Then, on to the sidelights.

At lease these next sandings are light. Don't really have to get the machines involved.

Then I'm gonna go back to the interior door I've been fooling with, too.

a2gemini, this door is only pseudo-green. I already had it and spent a fortune on it (back when money wasn't an issue). It was sand it off or send it to the reuse center. Now that I know I can find FABULOUS doors there. Claiming it's reclaimed will fly, because all my other doors will be! LOLOLOL

This is very satisfying. I hated that brown, ugly, dried-up-looking door. Sad, because it's very lovely.

Look forward to seeing the whole thing when you're done with the lites. Those mahogany too? drool, drool...

I wouldn't leave the mucky bits. They look like some kid took a marker that was running out of ink and colored those strips. Your sanded parts, on the other hand, show the beautiful bones of this door! Yeah, I know it's hard work, but then I've never known you to shy away from hard work. Good job!

You know....I like the dark stain still on the door, with the exception of the thick border around the lower panel. It looks very unique.

Good work!

The "mucky bits" are less than 1/8th of an inch and I do not have a details sander that will sand a straight groove, let alone one that small. They're a'staying.

1929Spanish, that thick border is where I can still sand if I can find my detail sander. I don't plan to leave that.

I like it, too. I'm actually looking forward to the 2nd sanding.

If I can find my stupid sander, the 5-panel, interior door has the same thick border around its panels. If I can get rid of those, I can stain and seal that door, too.

Altho I've really yet to finish anything, I do find it pays to have several projects going at once. Something is always moving forward. I also recognize the only time I'm bored is when I'm procrastinating. Bored = eating like a pig. Bad.

hi christine, i am not sure if it will work for you, but when i refinished my furniture, i was able to use a chemical stripper to clean it up. this chemical stripper was really thick, like a lotion. i would let it sit on top, then hours later, i could come in with a scraper to scrape it off. the stain and the varnish all came off at the same time. but sometimes it would take several iterations. it was pretty messy though, but it could get in those detailed crevices..

That door is so solid and heavy and wonderful! I can see you in the reflection of window taking cell pic. :)

Michoumonster, I'm familiar with that. I'm using something called Strip-EZ on the interior door. Get this: It lifted all the paint (down to the stain) out of the detail, but wouldn't make a difference on the flat parts! So the hardest part was stripped and ready for sanding, and I just sanded the crap out of the flat parts. But that's a different door .

I'm not so sure I care about that 1/8" line. It looks definitely reclaimed, because there are parts where the stain will not come out of the grain. Plus, the sidelights will match with their own stripe. The big stripe I do want to eliminate.

Annsch, I didn't realize there I was! :)

When I pulled into the driveway today, I'd forgotten the door, and my first reaction was, "Oh! That's just gorgeous."

BTW. Got two jobs today. Back in the saddle.

"I'm not so sure I care about that 1/8" line. It looks definitely reclaimed, because there are parts where the stain will not come out of the grain. Plus, the sidelights will match with their own stripe. The big stripe I do want to eliminate. "

I agree. the itty bitty ones look like age/character. The huge one? bad. you'll get there tho.

It's just beautiful! and it IS reclaimed. you reclaimed it from yourself!

Gorgeous door! Is that nice thick beveled glass I see? I like the dark 'character lines', how did you sand the mullions (I think that's what they're called.. the wood between the panes)?
I have just recently discovered the joys of sanding and wood work in general. It can be a lot of fun :)

Yeah, the strip looks like someone who tried to "update" their cabinets using primary paint. It'll go. I swear.

Yes, I did the mullions, too. And yes, the glass is heavy and beveled. Really nice.

I noticed today that I got too close to the glass on some of the panes, because there's a small sanding line where I sanded the glass. I'm going to try some of that windshield repair goop on it. Can't hurt!

I did reclaim it from myself, didn't I? You can see on the sidelights where 3 years ago I tried to strip the stain. With a metal scraper. OMG. Worse than the dog nail scratches! At least they all came out with my handy-dandy sander. :)

By "mucky bits," I didn't mean the 1/8" lines, I meant the wide strips around the bottom panel. Good grief, hard work is good, sanding out 1/8" grooves with folded sandpaper and elbow grease repetitive stress injury motions borders on OCD. Besides, I kind of like those darker lines, they add interest.

And yay! on the jobs!

It is gorgeous!! Good work rescuing the poor door. I also like the thin darker recesses, but the thick bevel around the bottom panel is a bit too strong. It has a lot of character now, which i actually prefer to new!

I love the wood tone. Great job!

Suzanne1, that was what confused me. I'd addressed the butt-ugly (mucky) part in the 1st post. I figured you were looking past that at the little 1/8th" marks. I like those, too. You're right and shaming me about the tendonitis. Holding those sanders in the air was NOT, er, comfortable. Required some serious icing.

dilly_ny, that's pure mahogany. I didn't stain it or anything. Just natural colored Australian Timber Oil. Now, there are areas where the stain just was too deep, but I'd say on the whole, it's just the mahogany.

It's dry today. I've go plans, so I think Sunday I'll do the next sanding step and recoat. I'm thrilled.

Christine, love the reclaimed door. I not only admire your work but also your guts to work in this heat.

I keep coming back to this post to look at your beautiful door. I must look up the Australian Timber Oil, I have not heard of this. Have to hit the closest Re-store here, I need to find the right door to hang on a track between the mudroom and kitchen.
I have been enjoying your posts for a while, and your 'finds' have reinforced my use of reclaimed materials.

Very nice Christine! We put in a new one during our renovation and I stained and sanded and stained and sanded maybe 4 times before I figured out the right stain/color... Very frustrating and rewarding when you get it right :)

Now I just have to get rid of those dog scratches on the lower right hand side... I'm worried that if I sand, I'll need to stain again and then I'll need to do the whole door again if I don't get it right.

When does one use wood bleach? Would this help take the stain out? Or change the character of the wood and not match causing more issues? I love my detail sander, hope this works for you. Tis' a beautiful door and well worth all your work on it.

I hadn't thought to bleach. Hmmm.

But really, I like the fact that it looks like I took an old door and stripped it.

Gonna wait until it's not 105F and find my darned detail sander.

oldbat2be, if you sand, yes, you're going to have to restain.
Even if you fill them, depending upon your wood, you're still going to have to restain, because a 2nd coat will be darker -- unless you've sealed the other parts of the door.

Timbermate and pore-o-pac work really well and are stainable. Do NOT USE MINWAX WOOD FILLER. I learned the hard way on my butcher block, maple countertop that it does not stain.

emaineer, what detail sander do you have? I have one of those Ryobi triangle ones. New. If I can find it.