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Q:What maintenance is required on timber garage doors?
With external timber products the secret is to treat the door correctly in the first place for an easy ongoing maintenance schedule. Most timber garage doors and side doors can be purchased now with high quality factory finish treatments to avoid the potential issues of applying treatment on site in variable site and climatic conditions. Quite simply some wood treatment systems are going to be better than others and for years Sikkens, Sadolin and Teknos have been the ones to use for external timber products such as garage doors. It will always be wise to avoid very dark colours on south facing facades as the intense heat from the sun absorbed far more by the darker colours will test most materials if occurring day after day, year after year. As the leading manufacturers offer a factory finish then this will probably always be best, especially with a company like Woodrite for example who treat every piece of timber BEFORE the door is assembled making water damage almost impossible even if it gets into a jointed area. See the 'Care and Maintenance' guide from Woodrite below to get an idea of what may be required is you are treating your own timber door on site. Dont ever be scared of timber as it is a wonderful, versatile and natural material but it does need some care just like painted steel Upvc, aluminium or any material does. This is of course assuming you always wash your car regularly, as not washing a car will be one of the quickest ways to end up with paint damage and potential rusting. Everything needs cleaning and there is no such thing as 'maintenance free'!!
Timber Garage Doors Side Hinged and Up and Over - Care & Maintenance Timber is a natural product therefore colour, grain and finish will vary from panel to panel. A regular visual inspection of your door is essential, with periodic cleaning of the door panel using warm water and a soft clean cloth or sponge. Allow door to dry naturally, never use detergents, abrasives, caustic or solvent based cleaners as they may damage the door surface. Bird droppings should be removed immediately as these can be particularly caustic. Initial application and periodic treatment should be carried out strictly in accordance with the wood stain manufacturer's instructions. Failure to follow these instructions will result in early deterioration of the timber panel.
Doors Supplied Base coated in Light Oak (Western Red Cedar only) Preparation Lightly de-nib all surfaces with fine grade abrasive paper, e.g P280 or P320, rubbing in the direction of the grain to produce a smooth finish and provide a key for subsequent coats of decorative stain. Wash the surface with clean warm water to remove any dirt, grease and all de-nibbing dust. Allow surfaces to dry naturally.
Method of Application Applying the Product The stain should be applied in a full flowing coat, using a long synthetic bristle brush, laying off in the direction of the grain; using the minimum number of brush strokes necessary to produce an acceptable finish. Avoid over brushing, as this will reduce the protection afforded. Always pay special attention to any area of exposed end grain, tops and bottoms of doors and undersides of thresholds. Please remember that your door will need to be treated on both sides and all exposed timber on the sides, tops and bottoms.
Plywood doors and Raised and Fielded Door panels Decide on whether to start on the left or the right hand side of the door. Coat the cedar moulding around the first panel then complete the panel itself, carefully wiping excess stain from the face of the moulded section with a damp cloth. Treat each panel in the same way until all panels are coated. The faces of each of the vertical uprights between panels should then be coated, with any excess coating on horizontal rails wiped off with damp cloth to avoid build-up of stain at each vertical/horizontal join. The top horizontal rail should then be finished and finally the bottom horizontal rail.
Tongue & Groove Door panels Decide on whether to start on the left or the right hand side of the door. Coat the first section of boarding, leaving the outer rails till later. Brush the stain into the grooves each side of the first board then fully coat the complete board. Carefully wipe off excess stain with a damp cloth from the outer vertical/horizontal rails to avoid build-up of stain which will dry before the door can be completed. Brush stain in to the next groove and finish board, remove excess as described above. Complete the full width of the door in the same manner. The top horizontal rail should be coated, followed by the bottom rail, finally finishing the vertical rails. Two coats of top coat stain should be applied to all exposed surfaces. The second coat should be applied to all exposed surfaces as soon as possible after the first coat has dried, but no sooner than 5 hours.
Weather Conditions Do not apply if there is any risk of rain, high winds or when air temperatures are below 8 degreesC or above 25c during application and drying periods. Protect from frost and rain until dry, failure to meet these requirements may adversely affect the drying, visual quality and durability of the finish. **Please note these are guidance notes only - always use a top quality water based stain and ensure you read the stain manufacturer's instructions carefully prior to finishing your timber door**
Maintenance of fully finished Western Red Cedar doors and existing coatings The period between maintenance applications will vary and is dependent upon the degree of exposure, elevation, design of the door panel. A lightening of colour, reduction in sheen as the coating erodes, and a loss of water repellency indicate the need for maintenance Follow instructions for the Base coated door if a definite colour change is chosen, more than one coat maybe required.
Doors Supplied White Primed (Western Red Cedar only) Timber panels that have been supplied White Primed have been given one coat of a waterborne tannin blocking primer that has been spray applied under factory conditions. Western Red Cedar can be problematic when using white or light colours as a finish because of the soluble extractives contained within the timber that can leach through a waterborne coating system. To reduce the risk of this phenomenon occurring it is recommended that a solvent borne coating system is to be applied over the waterborne primer. The primer is compatible with most commercially available solvent borne coating systems but it is always advisable to try a small test area. Even using a solvent borne system does not guarantee that it will not occur. Irrespective of the product selected, always follow the manufactures technical instructions and pay particular attention to end grain at the top and bottom of the doors.
Doors Supplied Fully Finished RAL Colours (Western Red Cedar Only) Timber panels that have been supplied factory fully finished have been given one coat of a waterborne tannin blocking primer and two top coats that has been spray applied under factory conditions. Western Red Cedar can be problematic when using white or light colours such as a finish because of the soluble extractives contained within the timber that can leach through a waterborne coating system. Therefore, to try and reduce the risk of this phenomenon occurring when re-treating, it is recommended that a solvent borne coating system is employed. Always follow the manufacturer's technical instructions and pat particular attention to end grain at the top and bottom of the doors.
Fully Finished Idigbo doors To help optimise the life of surfaces factory treated, the following procedures should be followed. All vertical treated surfaces should be at least annually cleaned to remove all atmospheric soiling. If you need to re-stain your door a fine grade abrasive paper e.g P280 or P320 should be used, rubbing in the direction of the grain to produce a smooth finish and provide a key for subsequence coats of stain. Wash the surface with a damp clean cloth or sponge and allow surfaces to dry naturally. Apply a new coat of stain in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
