Just had our doors installed (another battle with hack subs). Anyways, they're all solid wood & we would like them stained.

1- I'm thinking since it's so humid now time may be of the essence. ???

2- Some of the doors have darker/lighter tones in the wood. Would a darker stain be suggested to get some consistency?

3- Is there brands preferred or to be avoided?

4- Would any pre-treatment be suggested? (my concern is bugs & moisture, bathroom doors are solid wood also but have decent size windows & exhaust fans)

5- I'm assuming we should lay down some poly & get some coverage on the bottom of the doors? Maybe termite repellent alone down there?

6- Would anything be suggested over the stain? (varnish, ect.. we don't want any glossy effect, just a clean wood look if possible)

Sorry for the amateurish questions, I have zero experience with this. Thanks in advance!

 

Do you know what type of wood has been used?

 

 

I prefer a dark stain in that case.  Then it's sand, stain, sand, stain, sand, stain... as many times as you can muster.  Bugs don't seem to bother with doors in my observation - maybe treated by mfg.

Sorry for delayed response. On site and/or chasing down materials every day.

They're see-yah-dang Crossy. 

Sounds like a lot of work Bankruasteve.  What's the minimum in "as many times as you can muster" for a quality job? Maybe better to take off the frames & work with a couple at a time rather than doing that on the hinges. Also, is there any urgency being in the heavy humidity time of year?

Thanks!

Forgot to add; is there any stain brands to be avoided or are they all pretty compatible?

Marine varnish stands up well to the weather

10 hours ago, r136dg said:

Sorry for delayed response. On site and/or chasing down materials every day.

They're see-yah-dang Crossy. 

Sounds like a lot of work Bankruasteve.  What's the minimum in "as many times as you can muster" for a quality job? Maybe better to take off the frames & work with a couple at a time rather than doing that on the hinges. Also, is there any urgency being in the heavy humidity time of year?

Thanks!

Well, I should also say that's the old school approach.  My dad wasn't satisfied until I put down at least 10 coats.  Now, it's stain maybe twice and then apply varnish, shellac, lacquer, whatever, for a sealant.  I'm not sure sealants are such a great idea in this humidity.  I put 3 coats of a "varnish stain" on my doors and kitchen cabinets and they look great 5 years on.

 

17 hours ago, r136dg said:

Sounds like a lot of work Bankruasteve.  What's the minimum in "as many times as you can muster" for a quality job? Maybe better to take off the frames & work with a couple at a time rather than doing that on the hinges. Also, is there any urgency being in the heavy humidity time of year?

Don't think you need to drag them off the hinges unless you want to treat the unseen underside of the doors.

 

I generally do 2 covers of stain, varnish, light sand, then varnish again. 

 

If the doors fit nice and snug in their frames be ready to touch-up if the doors expand  and rub the frame as you pass through the seasons !

 

TOA varnish and +1 on Marine.

Much appreciated info! 2 more questions; When I hear varnish, my brain pictures glossy. Is there any reality in that? If there's any gloss I would like it to be minimal. 

Have a lot going on now; Can the doors sit on the back burner for a while or is this high humidity a threat of distorting the doors while hanging untreated? The way we built, inside the house is always significantly cooler than outside but the humidity content may be the same.

Thanks!

What I have used in Thailand is a combination stain/varnish - it's been a while so can't remember specifics.  I think it is available as high gloss, gloss, and matte and 3 grades of color.  (?) That would have been purchased at Home Pro.

 

I couldn't swear to it, but the humidity doesn't seem to affect the inside doors - I suppose because of AC.  The front door for sure as I've had to adjust the strike plate 3 times to where it now seems OK in all seasons.  Just do your doors when it feels good and don't worry about trying to time it to a season.

Outstanding. Thanks much!

20 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

What I have used in Thailand is a combination stain/varnish - it's been a while so can't remember specifics.  I think it is available as high gloss, gloss, and matte and 3 grades of color.  (?) That would have been purchased at Home Pro.

 

Yeah, the Chaindrite brand do this, I use it on all my wood projects, colours and protects (and it's termite resistant too).

 

It does fade in the sun (doesn't everything) but being an all-in-one finish you can just rub down the surface and re-apply.

The thing you need to understand about the product called a stain in thailand is that it is really a brown paint. You can get real stain (transparent but contains colour) but not in most places, unless you buy a shellac based stain. If you get that then you can put a couple of top coats of mat polyurethane over it with no problem.