FINISHING INSTRUCTIONS

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INTRODUCTION 

Garage doors are fast becoming prominent design elements, making a strong personal statement while adding significantly to your home’s curb appeal. To protect the classic good looks and durability of Sawmill Creek handcrafted wood doors, they must be finished and maintained according to the following guidelines.

IMPORTANT:  Use of any finishing products other than those recommended here will void your warranty.

Preparation
Sawmill Creek doors must be finished on all surfaces, including edges, within ten days of delivery and prior to exposure to the weather. Begin with one coat of Sikkens™ CETOL® 1 or prime with top quality acrylic latex, stain-blocking primer. Always follow manufacturer’s application instructions on the label of the product being used.

Sanding
Door surfaces require the customary preparation with which professional painting contractors are familiar. This could mean that final sanding and touch up of minor dings from shipping and handling could be expected of your painting contractor. For stain-grade doors, follow Sikkens’ recommendation of sanding with 120 grit papers for the best adhesion.

Color Selection
We do not recommend very dark color finishes using either stain or paint. Colors such as ebony, black, or very dark green increase energy absorption from sunlight. The intensity of the sunlight absorption with dark color surfaces raises the temperature of the doors dramatically promoting shrinking, warping and cracking of the wood.

FINISHING

Staining
Doors should be stained with two coats of Sikkens CETOL 23 PLUS. Do not use any product other than Sikkens brand, including polyurethane, marine varnish, or other varnishes. Conventional spar varnishes or polyurethane finishes provide a closed-film coating which forms a hard, inflexible surface that prevents the wood’s ability to breathe thus trapping moisture that could cause the wood to rot from the inside out. Over time, as the door moves from the vertical to horizontal and is exposed to UV rays and continuous climatic cycles, the surface is subject to cracking, blistering and peeling. This can result in voiding your warranty and added cost.

Painting
At a minimum, doors should receive a primer coat and the first coat of paint prior to installation. We recommend that you use a top quality acrylic latex stain-blocking or oil based primer. (Note that the prime coat alone will not protect the door against moisture.)

Follow up with the second coat of paint after installation to touch up imperfections due to handling. When painting your doors white or other light colors, reference the paragraph about Tannin Bleed Through and the use of stain blockers, below.

Tannin Bleed Through
Tannins are naturally contained in wood and contribute greatly to the properties that inhibit mold and rot. Tannin “bleed” is a common occurrence when painting Western Red Cedar with lighter color paints. Tannin bleeds appear as yellowish-brown colored areas “bleeding” through the primer or first finish coat. These areas must be over-coated with a high quality stain blocker or primer/sealer prior to additional finish coats. Spot-seal the tannin bleed area only as required.

Caulking
As with most wood products, there are certain areas of your wood garage doors that should be caulked after the finish coat is applied. This is done to prevent pre-mature wood rot due to moisture seeping between the cracks. Any exposed beaded or v-groove openings that could pocket water need to be sealed with a bead of high quality, exterior grade caulk which allows paint adhesion. 100 % silicone is not recommended due to poor paint adhesion properties.
Caulking is particularly recommended along the window frame and bottom board as described here:


Window Frame
Along the bottom, side and glass of windows



Bottom Board



MAINTENANCE

Annually check the door’s finish for fading and cracking to verify that moisture is prevented from reaching the wood surface. Refinishing requirements will vary with exposure and climatic conditions. Typically, an additional coat of Sikkens CETOL 23 PLUS should be applied every one to two years for doors with southern and/or western exposures, and two to three years for northern and eastern exposures.

For painted surfaces, follow manufacturer recommendations. Proper maintenance will prevent flaking and peeling conditions that would require extensive preparation prior to re-coating.

A simple re-coating of a door requires washing the surface with a mixture of: 2 oz. TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate), 1 qt. bleach, and 3 quarts of water, followed with a thorough rinsing. Allow ample time to dry prior to re-coating.