Today’s blog has NOTHING to do with baking or cooking or even the kitchen. Consider this DIY project an addition to the “and More” section of my blog. Recently, I tackled “refinishing” my front door and it turned out beautifully. If my hubby were writing this blog, he would most likely make a comment about how “for once” my DIY turned out quite well and without his involvement. Perhaps a time or two, my husband may have had to clean up or finish some mess I made of things. This DIY was so easy!

We live in the Houston area and our wooden front door gets direct sunlight every morning and humidity all the time. Our wooden front door was refinished professionally about 5 years ago. Recently, I noticed the door started to loose the shiny finished look and became dull, dry and ugly!

In past years, I used lemon oil to condition the wood but this time I decided to try Restor a Finish. The product is advertised to help restore all types of flaws and scratches in finished wood furniture. As you can see in the first picture, my door had areas where the stain was uneven and faded.

Note: This product has color variations. I used Mahogany to match my front door. Be sure to use the appropriate color for your door, should you try this DIY.

After giving my front door a quick wipe down with a damp old rag to remove any mildew, dust, dirt and pollen, I used a soft cloth to apply Restor a Finish. It worked well and added some extra color to even out the door tones. However, it didn’t give the shiny luster finish I preferred.

Should you try this DIY at home, you may discover you do not need the Restor a Finish product. If you feel your front door stain is in good condition and just in need of luster and conditioning, move on to the next step.

After visiting the manufacturer’s website, I discovered a second product called Sun Shield made by the same company. This product helped add some much needed luster and conditioning to the door. Sun Shield contains orange oil, carnauba wax, and beeswax as well as UV inhibitors. It’s made to condition and protect exterior wooden furniture from drying out in the sun. If you have any teak or wooden outdoor furniture (finished or unfinished), you may love this product!

After waiting a day to allow the Restor A Finish to dry, I applied a coat Sun Shield with a cloth.

It turned out beautifully!

According to product details and reviews from customers, the need to reapply Sun Shield every 3-4 months may be necessary. As you may have noticed in the picture of the two products, I only used about a quarter of the Sun Shield bottle so I am certain this bottle will last me for at least a year or more.

This process was so quick, easy and cost effective compared to refinishing the front door that I plan to use this technique for as long as I can!

Before and After

If you see yourself in need of a Front Door refinish, just try this method. Again, you may only need the Sun Shield product which was like $10 on Amazon. If you need more color to your stained door, you may need to try both products.

Happy DIY!