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What finish for Exterior Douglas Fir Door

9 years ago

New Exterior Douglas Fir Door & Jam. I'd like to avoid a spar varnish because you need to apply 5-7 coats to start with and it can peel and pop off which means re-sanding the whole thing before refinishing.

Should I use a penetrating oil like Penofin Marine or Sikkens brand. But which Sikkens since they have several and I'm not sure if waterborne or oil is better.

I have experience with Penofin Marine oil and the Penofin Red Label line, but you do have to re-apply it by rubbing it down every year. Only takes about 20 minutes to maintain so that is nice like way I rub sealer on my marble counters.

I've heard of Sikkens but never used it so I'm confused which one is best. I'm not even sure where they sell Sikkens in San Francisco area.

If I go with Penofin Marine, should I put some kind of stain or sealer on the doug fir first to make it pop a little and show some of the nice grain lines?

Featured Answer

kisu
Original Author

9 years ago

I went to Sikkens website, they list Home Depot as a carrier of their products. I went today and Sikkens is not sold by them.

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Comments (10)

paintguy22
9 years ago
Sikkens Cetol Door and Window. It's almost clear so you will need to stain the door the desired color before finishing. I would do a minimum of three coats depending on how much sun exposure the door gets. If the door gets a good amount of direct sunlight each day, you should re-apply the coating every year or two as needed.
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kisu
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi,
Thanks for the suggestion. Couple more questions:

(1) Is the "Sikkens Cetol Door & Window" a penetrating oil or waterborne?
(2) What stain/sealer color do you recommend to go on first. We want a light doug fir look but would like to see some of the grain to make it pop more.

(3) Any idea where they sell Sikkens in San Francisco bay area? I've called couple Ben Moore resellers and they do not have it.
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paintguy22
9 years ago
It's oil based. I'm sure if you go on Sikkens website, they will have a dealer locator feature. For a light stain color, I would just go into a paint store or a big box and look for a stain...Old Masters or Minwax would be fine.
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kisu
Original Author
9 years ago
What about Defy stain anyone have experience with that?
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Michael
9 years ago
If you're going to use Sikkens, why not use their stain?
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kisu
Original Author
9 years ago
at this point I can not even find a local store in the San Francisco area that carries their Sikkens Cetol Door stain. The sikkens website says "Home Depot" carries their products but I went today and they do not.

So I may just stick with Penofin.
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Michael
9 years ago
Contact the door dealer and ask them for suggestions. They will know what's best for your situation.
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paintguy22
9 years ago
Sikkens doesn't make stain, at least not the kind that can be varnished over. They only make deck and log cabin stains that are meant to stand alone. The door and window finish comes in 4 colors if you don't want to stain it first, that may be your best option. If you can't find a Sikkens dealer and don't want to order it online, get some Modern Masters Masterclear. It's acrylic.
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kisu
Original Author
9 years ago
I already contacted door dealer and they directed me to their website which has very generic information on finishing the door. they will not recommend a brand of finish.
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