Q. I’m Looking to cover an exterior
entrance door with wood veneer.
I am in NY. Sometimes rain, splash, or snow will get
on the door.
Do you have a suitable wood veneer to cover an
exterior door?
Is there any protective finish that I can apply?
Please advise
ThanksDon
A. You can veneer an exterior door, yes…….But: For best results you should use a waterproof glue, such as Titebond 3, with pressure applied evenly all over the entire surface while the glue dries.
You can use a vacuum bag or a veneer press to apply the pressure while the glue is setting up. Without a veneer press or vacuum bag, the chances of applying proper pressure to get a good glue bond are slim to none.
Otherwise, you can use contact cement to bond the veneer to the door surface.This is risky for exterior applications – you are in no man’s land.It might hold up over time and it might not.
I recommend that you use a 2 ply wood backed veneer regardless of how you glue the veneer to the door.
A good finish for an exterior application is spar varnish.This will seal the veneer from humidity and moisture, and the spar varnish will mitigate the effects of UV rays from the sun.However, a varnish is not totally immune to deteriorating in outdoor areas.You will need to sand an re varnish every couple of years.
Otherwise, you can upgrade the exterior finish by using a hi tech finish that protects the veneered surface with much better effectiveness.
If you choose to paint the veneered surface with an exterior latex paint, this will be a very good and satisfactory finishl, and it won’t be necessary to re paint the veneer for several years.
Regards,
Bob Morgan