We spent nearly three weeks working on these now breathtaking front doors on a home in Buckhead. Rumored to be from one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s homes in southern France, the doors, sadly, had never been preserved properly. Other contractors had taken shortcuts that didn’t protect the wood and left it exposed to the elements in many places.
The picture of the grayish looking doors was taken after we had stripped the doors. It took nine layers of stripper, varying grits of sandpaper starting at 50 grit, a dremel tool, fine wire brushes (similar to a toothbrush) and steel wool to get the doors to this point. After we sanded and stripped the doors, we washed them down with a biodegradable cleaner and water.
Then, we lightly sanded the doors again; wiped them down with a tack cloth; applied premium wood coatings: one layer of Sikkens Cetol 1 Butternut Stain; then two coats of Sikkens Cetol 23 Butternut (stain polyurethane blend); and ended with a coat of Sikkens Cetol Door & Window Satin Finish. A final clear coat was applied for additional protection. The process we used will give these unique antique doors comprehensive protection from the elements and the sun.
We are very proud of our work here and are not abashed to say that no one else could have done this nearly as well.