Veneering and Exterior Door, Will a re veneered exterior door hold up to the elements?, 2 ply wood backed veneer for re veneering an exterior door

Hi Bob Morgan,

Good Afternoon! I saw your website online and want to purchase real wood veneer for our home front door. 

Our front door is made up of real wood and it has lots of knots.    But I am not sure the type of the wood. I think it might be knotty alder because of its knots.

The bottom portion of the front door is severely damaged due to harsh sun and rain and the top layer is peeling off and I want to fix it with real wood veneer.

So I need your advice before purchasing whether a knotty alder veneer sheet (3/64" wood backed) is good or not. 

Would a wood backed knotty alder veneer sheet be a good choice?   Or do you recommend something else?

I need your advice. 

Please let me know.   So that I can purchase from you.   I am sending the photos of the front door.

Thank you,

Helen

Hi Helen,

Thank you for your email and your photos.

Right off the bat, I'm going to tell you that this project is fraught with danger. 

You mentioned heavy exposure to sunlight and rain and the elements.   That's a tough environment for a door (or any wood product).

I wish that I could tell you that you could re veneer your exterior door and that you would be thrilled with the results. 

But:   Even as much as I'd love to supply the veneer for this project,   I cannot guarantee that you would have a good outcome.

If you proceed with this project, I recommend that you use the 2 ply wood backed veneer or the 2 ply wood backed veneer with PSA adhesive (check the links below and also check out the tutorials and videos on my 2 websites).

I've had several customers who have re veneered their front doors, and I've never received any complaints.  That’s all well and good, but veneering an exterior door that is exposed to the elements still gives me pause.

I'm not sure what the veneer species on your door is.   It looks like a rift white oak with "fake" graining, or perhaps a "tiger Oak" veneer.     Fake graining is a technique that an artisan uses to add grain figures to the wooden surface. 

The fake grain technique was used extensively in the '30s -- not so much today. 

The wooden surface of your exterior door is heavily stained.   If you intend to keep the color the same, you will probably need to stain the new veneer to match the existing color.

Helen, I'm giving you several links below. Check them out. Also, check out the videos and tutorials on my 2 websites, www.veneer-factory-outlet.com and www.veneer-factory-outlet.com

https://www.veneer-factory-outlet.com/blog/do-i-need-to-veneer-both-sides-of-a-substrate-veneering-only-one-side-of-a-substrate-is-risky-/

https://www.veneer-factory-outlet.com/blog/veneering-an-exteror-door-mounting-a-veneered-sheet-of-plywood-to-an-exterior-door-using-peel-and-stick-veneer-on-an-exterior-door/

https://www.veneer-factory-outlet.com/blog/veneering-a-surface-with-dents-and-dings-how-to-smooth-out-a-dented-surface-before-applying-veneer-easy-way-to-fill-a-dented-dented-surface-before-veneering-it/

https://wood-veneer-factory-outlet.com/blog/veneering-an-exterior-door-use-contact-cement-or-peel-and-stick-veneer-for-an-exterior-door-use-paper-backed-or-wood-backed-veneer-on-an-exterior-door/

https://wood-veneer-factory-outlet.com/blog/veneer...

Regards,

Bob Morgan, Pres

www.wood-veneer-factory-outlet.com

www.veneer-factory-outlet.com