General Finishes 450 Exterior Stain

[Larry Uher]

I've done a good amount of web searching and haven't seen many comments on the General Finishes 450 Exterior Stain. I'm considering using it on a mahogany external entry door at back of house that is fairly well protected by a large deck. I would appreciate any comments on the 450 stain or any other options. I'm looking for a dark brown stain, no reddish tints in it.

Their web site shows 2 methods to apply the stain.
a) Apply two coats Exterior 450 Stain with no topcoat for a semi-transparent look, or
b) Apply one coat of stain, wipe off and apply several coats of Exterior 450 Clear Finish.

Option (a) sounds very easy. Is that really a workable option?

[Sam Layton]

Hi Larry,

I just finished my front door with GF Exterior 450 satin top coat. I used GF oil stain, and top coated it with GF Exterior 450. The exterior stain is a water base stain, and I have not had good luck with water base stains. I think if you use a water base stain you need to spray it and wipe it quick. However, I like the GF exterior 450 satin. It sprayed on very nice, and produced a very nice finish. The 450 has UV protection. The door has only been up a couple of months so I can not tell you how it is holding up.

I don't like option a. One time I tried to wipe on GF water base stain on a cabinet face frame. I could not get it Even. It dried so fast that it was blotchy. Some one told me that if you spray and wipe fast it is better. I don't see how just stain will hold up. I think you need a top coat. I really like the Exterior 450 satin. If you use the water base stain, do a large sample first.

Sam

[Larry Uher]

Thanks. The oil based Spiced Walnut looks to be about the color I'm looking for. Might try that. Or did you mean the GF gel stain? The only dark color available there is the Java.

[Sam Layton]

Not the gel stain. Just the GF oil base stain. If you use the oil stain, you must let it dry before you apply the water base top coat. That is the most important part, the stain must be complete dry. The GF oil base stain does not have UV protection. The exterior water base stain does have UV protection. However, the GF Exterior 450 does have UV protection.

My door does not get direct sun, so that was not an issue. I also called GF and they said the oil base stain would be fine with the 450 in my situation.

If you want the added protection of the stain having UV protection, then you could use the water base strain. I talked to one guy that used water base stain on his cabinets. I asked him how he eliminated the streaks etc. He said he sprayed (flooded) the surface, then wiped it off really quick. If you go with the water base stain, I would spray. Try a large sample.

As far as color. I mixed two different colors to get what I wanted. I have been really happy with GF's products.

Please keep in mind, that I am not an expert in finishing. I am just a happy GF's user.

Here is a rack I built to spray my door. Spray one side, flip, and spray the other side.

Dewalt 14 motor 019.jpg

Sam

[Larry Uher]

Well, the AAW raised moulding mahogany door was installed Friday by the pro contractor. It looks good. I just finished the stain using Sherwin Williams Wood Classics Armoire Hickory color stain. On the stain display, the pecan and hickory colors looked identical, but the salesman had a board in the back with a sample of each. The pecan had a golden shade, and the hickory was plain brown. The finish I ordered from California 17 days ago still has not arrived. I plan on finishing the exterior using the formula in the Wood Whisperer video here:
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/vide...name=finishing
I am just a novice at this, so if anyone knows of any issues with that technique, let me know. I know the experts will cringe at me staining it without removing the door, but it worked ok.
As seen in the picture below, I am somewhat unhappy with what the contractor did on the exterior. The door wasn't as wide as the patio door, which had a 1x6 pine board surrounding it. So he just nailed up 3 1x4 pine boards around the perimeter of the door as a cover up.
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/6127/ext3o.jpg
If anyone has any ideas on a better way to fill out the siding, let me know.
(as you can see, the floor finish contractor also had blotching problems, and is refinishing tomorrow.)