Transform Your Doors and Joinery with Exterior Timber Stain

Does your home’s exterior need a freshen up? Want a Dream Home Makeover on a DIY budget?

Your home’s exterior wood is constantly exposed to sun and rain, it’s no wonder it looks weathered!  Updating your wooden doors, joinery, and garage doors with stain goes a long way to renewing the exterior of your home—without repainting the whole house. Read on to find out how.

Key learnings in this article;

What products can I use to update my wooden exterior doors and joinery?

Cabot's Exterior Varnish Stain is an easy way to tidy up or change the look of the outside of your home. Choose from a range of colours to update your look. Remember, stain colours will appear slightly different depending on the base wood colour and grain.

Cabot's Exterior Varnish Stain is, as the name suggests, a combination of varnish and stain for exterior wood doors and joinery. It pulls double-duty providing UV protection, colour, and shine to timber surfaces—without hiding the grain. With 20 colours to choose from and only a 2-hour wait between coats, this stain will bring a pop of colour and protection to your wood in no time.

Shop Cabot’s Exterior Varnish Stain online at Bunnings.

What are the benefits of a varnish and stain combination?

Stain is a semi-transparent liquid absorbed into the porous wood. It gives colour and depth to your exterior woods and provides some UV protection.

Varnish is a sealer that sits on the top surface of the timber. It forms a water repellent surface that helps prevent warping and cracking and also resists mould growth.

Cabot's Exterior Varnish Stain combines all the above benefits to give you one, easy to apply product. Using Cabot’s Exterior Varnish Stain provides a protective seal. You don’t need to buy a lot of products in order to do the whole job.

How to stain your exterior wooden doors

What you’ll need

You may also need

Preparation

Preparation is essential before coating a door to achieve a smooth finish that will last. For all timbers, fill any holes or imperfections with a suitable timber putty. Wait for the putty to dry, then sand smooth and clean off any dust.

Depending on the surface you’re coating, there are several ways to prep:

  • New bare timber: Scrub damp timber with Cabot’s New Timber Prep to draw out tannins and oils from the surface. Once you’re done, use Cabot's Deck Clean according to the label’s instructions. Allow the timber to dry for at least 1 hour.
  • Previously painted or varnished timber: Sand or use a paint stripper to remove the old coating, then clean with Cabot's Deck Clean.
  • Previously stained and oiled timber: First up, clean thoroughly with Cabot's Deck Clean. Test if the surface is ready for coating by sprinkling water on the timber. If the water ‘beads’ on the surface, more sanding is required. If the water soaks into the timber, it’s ready to be coated.
  • Weathered and Grey Timber: Sand timber back to fresh. Clean with Cabot's Deck Clean. Once it's dry, you’re ready for coating.

Application

Important! Do not shake the can.

  1. Stir varnish thoroughly with a broad flat paddle before and during use.
  2. Apply first coat of varnish with a good quality brush or spray gun. Apply liberally along the length of the timber, use a brush to cover the exposed edges and end grain. The initial milky colour helps with even product application and will dry to a semi-transparent finish.
  3. Apply three coats, allowing 2 hours between coats

How to maintain a previously stained exterior wooden door

Once you have your wooden doors and joinery looking great, you’ll want them to stay that way. Make sure to inspect your stained and varnished surfaces regularly. You’re likely to need to recoat every 3 to 5 years.

When recoating worn Cabot’s Exterior Varnish Stain, simply lightly sand and clean surfaces, then apply one or more coats. If the coating is very weathered or you want to repair scratches, strip the coating back to bare wood and use the steps above for bare timber.

Expert tips and tricks for coating exterior wooden doors (including garage doors)

  • Preparation is key. You’ll only get the finish you want with properly prepared surfaces. Take the time to remove old coatings and fill and sand imperfections.
  • For a professional finish and to avoid stain on the wrong surfaces, we recommend removing the doors from the hinges and removing all hardware before staining.
  • It’s important to complete all three coats for maximum timber protection.
  • Always treat old timber for moss and mould.
  • You cannot lighten a stain. For previously stained wood, you will either need to strip the stain from the wood or go for a similar or darker tone.

Here to help with your home projects

Got a question we haven’t answered? Call 0800 222 687 for free advice from a Cabot’s expert.

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