Well, the wood does tend to change color and requires sanding to return the
entire door to an even color. But, the finish also changes color getting a
whitish appearance. Actually, some finishes we've applied have tended to go
to a yellow color first, then whitish. All of them eventually go to a white
hazy appearance.

Are you saying that spar varnish won't do this?

I would say the door gets about 3 hours of sunlight per day, depending on
the time of year, of course.

I know the problem occurs because clear finishes just can't block out UV
like a well-pigmented opaque finish can. So, the finish manufacturers
include a UV Blocker to reduce the effects of sunlight on the finish.
Apparently, the UV Blockers delay the effects of sunlight, but not for long
in our experience. I just wondered if anyone had found a finish that works
exceptionally well.

Harry

"dadiOH" wrote in message
news:YW34g.8402$BO2.5233@trnddc02...
HarryS wrote:
We have a wood front door with a clear finish. The problem is that
the finish won't stand up to sunlight. The bottom third of the door
gets sunlight but the top two thirds is shaded by the porch roof.
About every three years or so we have to strip the door and reapply
the finish because the lower third had discolored. We'd like to find
a clear finish that will stand up better to ultraviolet. We're in
the process of going through the refinishing process once again and
are searching for a clear finish that's better than all of the ones
we've used in the past. Lowe's has a finish that claims to have 100%
more UV blocker but I'm suspecting even that may not be much better.

Has anyone found a clear finish that stands above the rest when it
comes to exposure to sunlight?

Count your blessings, three years is very good. Exceptional, in fact,
depending on how many hours of sunlight per day. You would have less
work if you would reapply more frequently, lightly sanding first.

About the best exterior clear finish is a *good* marine spar varnish
(usually around $25/quart). You need to apply 5,6,7 coats initially and
don't let it go to the point of needing to be stripped before re-doing.

I don't understand your comment about the finish discoloring...the
finish shouldn't change much if any in color but the wood itself will.


--

dadiOH
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