Woodgraining an exterior door

Woodgraining in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral

One of my favorite things to do is woodgraining. I love taking an item and giving it the look of wood. Im very fortunate to be friends with many of the top woodgrain experts  in the world. Yes, you heard that right. Especially in Europe, woodgrain, called faux bois, is a craft that requires years of study. Each species of wood, and the way its cut has its own unique features, and mimicking them requires different techniques.  Im very fortunate to have studied and become friends with many of the top people in this field. Getting a “thumbs up” from them after a woodgrain job is complete feels like a huge accomplishment.

In this case it was already a wood door. The door suffered years of neglect.  Here in SW Florida, wood doors require a bit of upkeep. The sun and humidity can play havoc on the wood and in this case moisture got into the wood and started to rot the bottom. The door could have been fixed and painted, and that was certainly an option but we would have lost the wood look. Wood doors have a feel to them.

The door could have been replaced with a fiberglass door and painted to look like wood. But the door was original to the house, and it would have been a shame to not bring it back to some form of its former glory. They have a weight and sound to them that fiberglass and metal doors don’t have. You can always tell a real wood door.

So for less than a new wood door we patched and sealed the door and woodgrained it back to a color we find under the dark stain. (The dark stain was probably an earlier attempt to hide some flaws. )

I don’t like using gel stains to color doors. It never looks right, and doesn’t give enough control of the grain. I like the old school method of creating glazes and layering the wood tones over the graining pattern. It gives a much more realistic look and the products last much longer than a gel stain. A woodgrain door in Fort Myers, Naples or Cape Coral done with the right products can last much longer without revarnishing than a door done with stain. Stains and the Florida sun are just not compatible.

So after some repair, a base coat in a tan color, I added two layers of glaze and BAM!, we made the door look like it did in its earlier days.  Then a few coats of an exterior, UV protection varnish and we were done.

If you have a door that could benefit from achieving the look of wood, give me a call.

Erik Schlake

239 677 0960