Shut the Front Door

Last summer when walking by the top of the steps and looking at the front door I noticed sunlight peeking through a long thin split in one of the panels in the door. This prompted me to think of ways to revitalize the door. It's impossible to know when it was last stained, but whatever was  used was flaking badly, and the wood was dry. I decided to experiment and use Penofin on the door. Penofin is an exterior wood finish with a Brazilian Rosewood Oil base that protects and nourishes wood fibers far deeper than standard stains, while still allowing the wood to "breathe." Penofin also inhibits ultraviolet damage and darkening, provides mildew protection, and there's no surface film to trap moisture, chip, or peel.

Removing the front door immediately drew the attention of our slightly overweight ninja cat Kali, she is deceptively fast when she is motivated. 

"Where are those car keys?"

We removed the door and propped up two interior doors to close off the entry. We ended up fortifying the two doors after we noticed Kali investigating them for structural weaknesseses she could exploit for a quick escape.

Once the door was removed and the makeshift barricade fortified we set up the door in the basement to start sanding. This was more tedious than we expected, using the palm sander and a sanding block we made quick work of the large sections of the door. The detail work in the panels and the moulding around each of the panels took more work. We learned a mid-grit sanding sponge worked best for removing the old finish, followed by a fine-grit sanding sponge. 

We also filled the long thin crack that instigated this endeavor. The Penofin goes on just like any wood stain, we applied using sponge brushes and then wiped off using white shop towels. 

This definitely requires proper ventilation, we had both large windows open in the basement and the shop fan running. If you are normally sensitive to smells then definitely take the appropriate precautions. If I were brighter and less stubborn I would have worn my ventilator, because I'm one of those people who are extremely sensitive to smells and I was dealing with the aftermath for a few days. On the bright side the door looks amazing. We ordered a new rubbed bronze door toe and threshold which we need to install next when both of us are home, since I can't work on the door and counter Kali's ninja skills at the same time.