Remove door hardware and apply painter s tape where needed optional.
Gel stain metal front door.
If the door is new clean it with a mild degreasing household cleaner.
Use a gel coat to stain the door.
Minwax gel stain is specifically designed to give you full control over the staining process and help you achieve beautiful results.
To read my full disclosure policy please click here.
Take a dry rag.
Prime the door with a rust resistant latex primer even if the door is new and has been primed at the factory.
Materials needed to refinish a wood door with gel stain.
This post contains affiliate links.
For metal doors such as a steel storm door work with oil based paint to stave off the formation of rust.
Diy faux wood front door makeover.
To put it in more drastic terms in most cases paint will last 10 times longer and cost 90 98 less than wood refinishing.
With a damp rag clean front doors and allow to dry.
Semi gloss is ideal for front doors as it s more wear and stain resistant than.
We also decided to ditch the storm doors as they were in pretty poor shape.
The best way to color a steel door is with a gel stain.
Delivers uniform color evenly on wood and non wood surfaces such as metal veneer and fiberglass.
In fact gel stains are often applied to give steel doors the look of wood grain.
Its thick formula allows easy application and superior color control necessary to achieve a rich and uniform color on most surfaces in a single application.
Then wipe it clean with a damp cloth.
When you do this be sure you protect your hands with gloves so that you do not get any solution on them.
Use an exterior primer if the part of the door getting the faux wood treatment faces outdoors.
Its unique non drip formula makes application easy for vertical surfaces.
I used a faux wood painting technique and gel stain to give our ordinary metal front door the l.
A well painted front door looks fantastic offers strong surface protection and value and it can be completed at a fraction of the cost of staining.
General finishes gel stain in brown mahogany other colors are available here update.
Gel stains are thick and designed to cling to and penetrate the surface.
Since publishing this post over three years ago i have tried other brands of gel stain.
Old masters gel stain is a highly pigmented oil based stain designed to achieve intense colors on interior and exterior wood fiberglass primed metal and composition surfaces.