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DOORS 101
- Maintenance
Once you have hung your finished
and sealed doors there still will be some maintenance
involved. Most stains will age over time – some
will fade, some will deepen in color.
In the Finish and Sealing section
we mentioned that it is good to keep extra stain on
hand in case a panel shrinks and you get an exposed
tan line. Panel shrinkage does sometimes occur and when
the panel expands back to its natural state, the panel
this tan line usually becomes hidden back into the mortise.
Read the instructions on the product
that you use to see what type of maintenance will be
required and what products to use or not use for occasional
cleaning. Some sealers will react to household cleaners
so be sure to read the labels.
Most interior doors will not require
much additional maintenance. Most quality lacquers will
last on interior doors as long as you own them. Some
reasons that would require you to strip and reseal an
interior door would be if something was applied to the
door such as ink, paint, or adhesives or if there was
some external damage to the door that may require repair.
Because entry doors are exposed
to elements more than interior doors, there is a little
more regular maintenance. This regular maintenance is
not unlike a schedule for a painted door and the maintenance
will vary dependant on the exposure. Most polyurethanes
have excellent ultraviolet light inhibitors but will
still fade or yellow with exposure to sunlight. Doors
that receive overspray from gutters, sprinklers, or
other moisture sometimes will get cloudy looking.
Although we cannot make broad statements
as to how often you may have strip the sealer from the
door and reseal it – a door that has an Adequate
Protective Overhang in normal circumstances may have
to be resealed every four or five years. Everyone will
experience a different schedule based upon their own
particular circumstance. Darker finishes will accelerate
this process.
When you do reseal a door you must
make sure that all six sides of the door get resealed
as directed in the warranty and the Finish
and Sealing section.
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