My contractor sprayed it flat. He also sprayed it on much thicker than it would seem prudent. It came out looking like a factory finish.

If you take the door off and put a screw in both the top and bottom esge you can use them like bearing on sawhorses and easily spin it to coat both sides while being able to let it rest to dry.

Practice. The finish will be consistent if you keep the same distance, the same overlap and the same motion speed.

You'll waste some product because once you open the spray tip keep it open until the end. That will also help avoid any spits or spatters.

Minwax Helsman is an oil-based product, which has a very long open time. You should not have an issue with maintaining a wet edge. My experience with oil polyurethane and spar varnish is that brushing and spraying look the same because they self-level so well.

At 3 coats recommended (2 sides?), you are looking at a premium price in rattle cans. What about brushing the 2 initial coats and using aerosol for the final coat? Personally, I would apply with a brush. Know that reducing the product slightly with mineral spirits will further increase the flow-out but reduces the build. A wipe-on poly is essentially a reduced polyurethane.

I hope this is for ONLY the interior side of the door. Unless the door is well protected from the elements, the product you have chosen will fail spectacularly.

PaintGuy22

Thanks. I had planed to remove the door to spray it. So I
should spray two side-by-side raised panel sections first then spray the
surrounding flat sections. Next I would move to the middle section and repeat
and finally to the last section.

Trickyputt,

Thanks. I already have a setup I used when I painted my
garage fire rated door. I had to use 3/8” lag bolts because the door was very
heavy. My front door also weighs 85 pounds. Luckily only the interior will be
shot with clear. The exterior has to be painted.

carlos229,

Thanks,

Only the interior will be shot with urethane. The exterior
has to be painted. I think I will pick up a can of the Minwax urethane and try
painting it on a scrap piece of wood to see how it levels out. What type of
brush do you prefer for brushing urethane on?

sambah006,

Based on the product information from the manufacturer it is
perfect for outdoor use. It can also be used indoors. I used it on all my wood
casings and extension jams to prevent UV damage.

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/interiorexterior/minwax-helmsman-spar-urethane-350-voc-compliant

I know two people who were misled into using this product outdoors. Within 18 months total failure.

There are superior alternatives to this product. Plus, you'd ideally use a non-spar product indoors for a more durable finish.

Although it may have been replaced with a modern version, and certainly polyurethane has replaced the older varnishes that were used on boats, its my understanding that boiled linseed oil was historically added to varnish to make it flexible for the shrinking and swelling of wood in an outdoor environment. I wonder if its the same today?

For interior only, just use a waterborne clear: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/f1/f1b1071a-5036-4c30-af26-894374bb5aff.pdf

It is a waterborne urethane-acrylic, not really a "polyurethane."

sambah006,

The good news I am not
using this product on the exterior. Is there a product you recommend for the
interior?

carlos229,

Won't a water based product raise the grain?

An alkayd varnish is what I'd recommend--something with no polyurethane in it.

Howard, the waterborne will raise the grain. You can spray water before to pre-raise the grain, then sand smooth. Or, sand smooth after the first coat. Some passes with 220 quickly takes care of this. It is not really an issue. Lightly sanding between coats is recommended anyways.

An oil varnish/poly will amber the wood and will be a bit strong for a few days.

Waterborne is perfect for your application.

Dont mistakenly round the edges of the trim with sanding. A block of some sort and some detail sticks for the paper can help with this.

I think you need to give that door some color though anyway, no? Natural fir is not appealing. If you use an oil based product, there will be some amber color with the finish. If you use a water based product, it will be a true clear. Of course you could stain the door first as well.

paintguy22,

I like the way Doug Fur takes on a red tint as it ages. I will stay with a natural finish.

trickyputt,

I made special wood blocks for sanding small details when I was preparing the extension jamb moldings. I will use them for the door too.

sambah006,

I will drop by our lumber store paint shop today to get educated on the different finishes mentioned here.

carlos229,

I will look into waterborne finishes, but I am completely worn out sanding and I don't want to add more sanding if I don't need to.

Helmsman Spar Varnish is an OIL based product. Spar varnishes are concocted to have a more flexible film than conventional urethanes, which are very brittle. This is necessary as the panels on doors move with the change in the seasons. Helmsman also as a sun blocker in it, as it is intended for exterior use.

Exterior varnished doors are a continuing maintenance problem unless they are totally sheltered from rain and sunshine. These work together to break down any finish. They will have to be periodically touched up or re-coated to keep them looking good.

The Helmsman can actually produce a great spray pattern for a can. This is because of the nozzle and the fact that the liquid itself, having no pigment, is quite viscous.

A trick I use when using spray cans is to heat the can by letting it float in a pot of hot water straight from the hot water tap, which is about 125 degrees. This does two things, it increases the pressure in the can, hence giving a better spray, and, being an oil based product, it thins out, much as the motor oil in your car when hot

Obviously, spraying the door in a horizontal position totally removes the hazard of running or sagging. Have a good directional light reflecting off the door. Because there is no pigment, it is difficult to see how evenly your are applying the varnish. The glare of the light will help see the eveness of application. Remember, If it looks streaky when wet, it will look more so when dry! Use long, overlapping strokes.

David J thank you for that tip about the hot water.

trickyputt,

DO shake the can off of water before you start. Nothing more aggravating than having a drop of water fall into the middle of your wet varnish!

I get the idea. Since so many paints are polymer based in some way, I also appreciate viscosity and a 60-90f application temp for both substrate and applicable film layer.

trickyputt, b

between 70 and 80 is optimum with humidity below 50%. High humidity can cause "blushing", this is where moisture gets trapped in the finish and causes a foggy look.

Le Tonkonois Parquet. The product in the can is 100% resin, so it must be thinned in order to work with a foam brush.

http://www.tonkinois.com/gb_parkett.htm

sambah006,

Beautiful finish, but 6 coats and sanding with 600 grit sandpaper is more than I want to do for this application. I picked up a quart of Old Masters interior oil-based poly-urethane and will experiment with it on some casing.

BTW, the exterior of the door will be painted with exterior latex to comply with our HOA regulations.

David Jensen,

Thank you for the tips. I have decided to try Old Masters interior oil-based poly-urethane applied with a brush.

Old Masters is good.