is johnsons clear flooor varnish good for mahogany doors?

tina92

Hi,

Just about to get my new mahogany doors fitted 12 in all. I have been told by the door place that supplied me, and that had doors on display that they have been varnished with johnsons clear floor varnish quick drying (had been reccomened by their door painter) and I have to say they looked well. Has anyone done used this to varnish mahogany doors?

To be honest I did expect the bare door to be darker shade in colour as I thought mahogany was like that, but on looking through the catalogue from factory it seems to be the right doors that I got.

anyway any tips or varnish to put on doors greately appreciated and also if its easy enough to do it myself (the 12 doors will cost £2000 to fit etc includes wood for door frames) so I dont want to mess the finsihed job by not varnishing correctly. It does state on doors that its better not to use a stain on them, and my sister has also told me that stains only really darken things up, she has also said to use a clear varnish.

what do you think?

tina

phill99

If you have spent £2k on new doors its almost worth getting a good decorator in for a couple of days to do it professionally.

If you want to do it yourself, perhaps the following will assist:

Floor varnish is fine. Its a tough hard wearing product ideal for doors. Always use a good quality brush - not cheap and nasty. Do not load the brush heavily. Once you have applied your first coat, leave to dry thoroughly. You will notice that once dry, the coat is not smooth, but has a residue in it. This is very fine saw dust that gets into the grain of the wood during the manafacturing process. To smooth down, with very light hand pressure only, sand down with a very fine grade of sand paper. Clean off with meths and apply a second coat. Only sand the first coat. You can build up the depth of shine by applyingmore coats.

tina92

Thanks for reply. Well I'm thinking of doing one the inside of one of the doors that leads into a walk in cupbard just to see how it turns out.When you say meths do you mean just ordinary methalated spirit?


thanks

tina

phill99

tina92 wrote: »

Thanks for reply. Well I'm thinking of doing one the inside of one of the doors that leads into a walk in cupbard just to see how it turns out.When you say meths do you mean just ordinary methalated spirit?


thanks

tina

Yes ordinary Methylated Spirit. Being alcohol based it evaporates immediately and you can apply the second coat soon after.

ukwoody

Just one point. I'm not sure about the Johnstons one, but most floor varnishes are a satin finish. So if you're after a high gloss finish you may have to look at an alternative. I've used a couple and personally like the Ronseal Diamond Hard one - it really is as tough as old boots!

I agree with Phill, that for that kind of money I would employ a good decorator ( especially in this instance one of the older guys who's served his time) to varnish these doors. A good decorator will get a result you'll possibly never achieve and can really advise on the varnish as well.

Woody

tina92

Hi again folks,

Thanks for all answers. Someone has metnioned a polyurathane varnish to be as well. What do you think would it be better or not as good as the johnson stuff and what is the difference with a polyurathane varnish compared to above?

thnaks
tina

phill99

I'm not sure what the difference is (if any), but polyurethane is fine.