You may not have allowed the stain to dry enough. Sometimes stains can cause a chemical reaction with the finish. Unfortunately with what is there the entire door will need to be chemically stripped and refinished.
Door Finish Problem
Weird stuff with my front door. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is, but it is stained with Minwax Golden Pecan. It's coated with Helmsman poly.
I have had to sand down one section a few times and reapply everything. When I apply the Helmsman now I am getting this white coating below the handle.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
I have had to sand down one section a few times and reapply everything. When I apply the Helmsman now I am getting this white coating below the handle.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
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If you "connect the dots" you would see that the Helmsman Poly is the problem. (IMEO).Weird stuff with my front door.
It's coated with Helmsman poly.
I have had to sand down one section a few times
and reapply everything.
Welcome to the forum - we're glad to have you here with us.
Thanks, both of you. I appreciate it. I have been using Helmsman for years on that door. What is a better option?If you "connect the dots" you would see that the Helmsman Poly is the problem. (IMEO).
Welcome to the forum - we're glad to have you here with us.
"why" have you had to re-apply the finish so often ? And - what does the "years" consist of ?Thanks, both of you. I appreciate it. I have been using Helmsman for years on that door. What is a better option?
Also - can you tell us about the door? Did you make it yourself or was it a store-bought. How old is it, what part of the country, which way does it face, etc etc
Well, it starts to look bad after about three years. It fades. The door is old. It's heavy and kind of a classic. I had it stripped and refinished 5 years ago. The place was build 100 years ago, faces west, Denver, CO. Thanks for the coating suggestions."why" have you had to re-apply the finish so often ? And - what does the "years" consist of ?
Also - can you tell us about the door? Did you make it yourself or was it a store-bought. How old is it, what part of the country, which way does it face, etc etc
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Helmsman is a pretty crummy finish. It would stand to reason you would have to put a fresh coat on every years or so. If you refinish the door the best spar varnish is Epifanes. Just recoating the door you might as well stay with the Helmsman.Thanks, both of you. I appreciate it. I have been using Helmsman for years on that door. What is a better option?
Thanks! I appreciate it.Helmsman is a pretty crummy finish. It would stand to reason you would have to put a fresh coat on every years or so. If you refinish the door the best spar varnish is Epifanes. Just recoating the door you might as well stay with the Helmsman.
When you are trying to achieve a high level of Ultra Violet (UV) protection - 99% of the Handy-Andy population believes that one or two coats of the finish is all you need for 10-15 years of protection. That could not be further from the truth. UV protection is achieved with multiple coats applied as per the manufacturers directions on the label of the product.
Example: Epifanes Spar requires 8 to 15 coats for maximum UV protection, refreshed as needed depending on the atmospheric conditions, solar exposure, yada yada yada.
Two coats of Helmsman on any door thinking it will last 10-20 years before it needs attention is not being realistic.
Paint - just plain, good quality house paint, and solid color stain are often suggested over the clear coatings.
Maintenance - seasonal and regular maintenance is required with any finish. CHEAP finishes will require more indepth maintenance than the more expensive varieties.
There is an old saying when it comes to the price of a product: "Pay me a little now - or - Pay me more later".
There are several really good finishers here on this forum. Once you get to the point that you want to refinish the whole door, post it here and you'll get some really good information on how to proceed.
Example: Epifanes Spar requires 8 to 15 coats for maximum UV protection, refreshed as needed depending on the atmospheric conditions, solar exposure, yada yada yada.
Two coats of Helmsman on any door thinking it will last 10-20 years before it needs attention is not being realistic.
Paint - just plain, good quality house paint, and solid color stain are often suggested over the clear coatings.
Maintenance - seasonal and regular maintenance is required with any finish. CHEAP finishes will require more indepth maintenance than the more expensive varieties.
There is an old saying when it comes to the price of a product: "Pay me a little now - or - Pay me more later".
There are several really good finishers here on this forum. Once you get to the point that you want to refinish the whole door, post it here and you'll get some really good information on how to proceed.
It looks like blushing caused by moisture entrapment within the film due to either air leakage at the weatherstripping resulting in condensation or from evening dew before the film is set which can cause the poly to turn a semi-opaque milky color.
That makes sense. What is the solution - sand it down, stain, allow to dry well before re-applying the Helmsman?It looks like blushing caused by moisture entrapment within the film due to either air leakage at the weatherstripping resulting in condensation or from evening dew before the film is set which can cause the poly to turn a semi-opaque milky color.
Chances are you might need to strip the entire stile and start from scratch…you could probably tape off the rails and panel with a low tack tape to avoid having to strip the entire door. Just a word of caution due to Minwax stains being notorious for the clear coats lifting off when removing the tape. If taping, be sure to peel not pull when removing. Also be certain to apply the Helmsman early in the day and that the air temp won’t drop to within 5 degrees of the dew point until the poly is set.That makes sense. What is the solution - sand it down, stain, allow to dry well before re-applying the Helmsman?
You can add Sikkens Cetol to that list.This is only a small sample of finishes that are better than Helmsman for exterior projects. (there are many more).
View attachment 450139
Poly is much too brittle a finish for an exterior door. The list John provided are all varnish finishes, much softer than poly. Many of them will also have UV inhibitors in them also. For exterior doors I like to use a spar varnish, as those listed, starting with 50:50 cut. After second coat start increasing ratio of varnish wet sanding in between coats. Last coat should be all, or close to all varnish. Each coat should dry thoroughly before wet sanding.
Thanks. Damn, it did it again. I sanded down the area a little, stained it, let it dry for a few days, and now it has that milky haze again. Just that area...Poly is much too brittle a finish for an exterior door. The list John provided are all varnish finishes, much softer than poly. Many of them will also have UV inhibitors in them also. For exterior doors I like to use a spar varnish, as those listed, starting with 50:50 cut. After second coat start increasing ratio of varnish wet sanding in between coats. Last coat should be all, or close to all varnish. Each coat should dry thoroughly before wet sanding.
When you stain the wood, do you wipe the stain off? If not that can cause the problem. If you are wiping the excess stain off I would be suspecting there is an issue with the varnish. Try brushing some of that finish on a clean piece of wood which has no stain.Thanks. Damn, it did it again. I sanded down the area a little, stained it, let it dry for a few days, and now it has that milky haze again. Just that area...
Depends on what type of poly…I’d opt for a 2K poly over all the finishes listed so far..Poly is much too brittle a finish for an exterior door. The list John provided are all varnish finishes, much softer than poly. Many of them will also have UV inhibitors in them also. For exterior doors I like to use a spar varnish, as those listed, starting with 50:50 cut. After second coat start increasing ratio of varnish wet sanding in between coats. Last coat should be all, or close to all varnish. Each coat should dry thoroughly before wet sanding.
I bet that's it. Thanks!When you stain the wood, do you wipe the stain off? If not that can cause the problem. If you are wiping the excess stain off I would be suspecting there is an issue with the varnish. Try brushing some of that finish on a clean piece of wood which has no stain.
Stain isn't like paint, there is barely enough linseed oil in it to suspend the pigment. It won't bond to the surface of the wood so anything that is left on the surface is more or less colored dirt on the wood. Then with all the dirt on the surface the finish has nothing to bond to but the dirt.I bet that's it. Thanks!
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