Any woodworkers around?

I’m in the process of re-doing our front door.It was painted on both sides.We got all the paint off of both sides,but one side had been stained and varnished.So of course the stained side is darker than the other.What are my options as far as matching a stain color for both sides,try to pick a different stain colors for each side?
Also do you guys put one coat of stain on?
Do you sand after a coat of stain,varnish?
Tahnks for the help,
Ryan Hale

You might want to try a stripper. Some are as easy as pour it on and scrap it off! How is is the wood it self?

As far as the staining/sanding process goes, get as much of the old stuff off by sanding first. Then put a coat of stain on, then lightly sand again. After that you should not have to sand again. After you get the look you want, then you can varnish, and viola, a door that is good as new .

what i would do, seeing how i am a painter.

I would sand the stained side down as good as i can get it. then put on a new coat of stain and let it set up for a bit before wiping off. then I would let the stain dry before putting some spar urethan on it, then lightly sand it down, and then add another coat, sand between coats, and then add a 3rd. the finish should be smooth and also weather proofed.

shane

I personally like strippers myself

Ryan,

If you are going to stain and varnish an outside door I’d make sure I use top of the line products. I had an outside door that had been varnished and it was peeling. I stripped the door down to the wood with stripper followed by sanding. I then put on a sanding sealer, followed by stain, then the varnish. I sanded lightly between coats of all with ~400 grit paper. Take a look at something like Man-O-War for varnish. This is a marine varnish that is used on wood boats and is very durable against the elements.

Maybe I just got lucky, but my door still looked good 12 years later when I sold the house.

You’ve got some good advice. Just a couple cautions.

1) If you sand be careful that you do not sand through the veneer.

2) If you use a stripper, be sure to follow it up with the appropriate neutralizing solution.