Internal Doors - Which Product?

[thehomewrecker]

Calling all experts out there .......

I have 1930's wooden doors in the house. These had been panelled in with hardboard, which I have now removed. Underneath was a dark brown (nearly black) varnish-type finish.

The first two surfaces came clean, back to pale wood, with a hot-air gun and elbow grease.

The remainder have stayed stubbornly brown, despite hot-air gun, Nitromors, environmentally-friendly stripper, meths, bleach and every other product known to man. (And some which were not.)

Five weeks of hard work in, the shiny surface has now gone but the stain (I think it was shellac as copious amounts of meths 'melted' it) remains in the wood. To add to the problem, they have all come up different colours (from tobacco to copper), so re-varnishing is not really an option.

So - white paint it will be. But what would be the best products to use to cover the brown and to prevent staining in future? I've seen primer, difficult-surface primer, latex primer all mentioned, so getting a bit confused.

All advice gratefully received. (And yes, I have considered new doors - but they are not a standard size and the expense is too much.)

Thank you in advance.

 

[3DGuy]

We have been stripping back all fixed wood work in our house and fitted all new skirting's and architraves. We used Zinsser BIN for priming/Knot sealing. Then are adding 2 Undercoat layers and 2 Top coat layers.

The BIN stuff is pricy but drives fast and seals things ridiculously well. I cant imagine anything getting through it and its white so a good base. It's a little tricky to work with as it dries fast so you have to move quickly and not over brush things. Meths cleans the brushes the best also. £80 for a 5L can and that's done 200m of woodwork on all sides back, front, sides tops and bottoms and also all the door linings that were stripped back to bare wood to remove years of gloss paint and the entire staircase. This should give you an idea on quantity. Depends how many doors you have you may get away with 2.5L

It primes rather well. Alternatively you could possibly use Zinsser PermaWhite. It's Primer/Sealer/Top Coat all in one. I used it on our kitchen ceiling as its Commercial grade and anti mould also. You may get away with 2 coats of that? Not 100% sure but that's probably the route I would first think of taking.

The Perma white eggshell finish gave a very smooth finish - Maybe have a look at those products?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinsser-Per...-Litre/dp/B004SA05FI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinsser-N70...F8&qid=1405680783&sr=1-2&keywords=Zinsser+BIN

PS you only have to look at the reviews everywhere to know these are high end quality products. That's what sold me on trying them

Apparently this is also good - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinsser-Bul...F8&qid=1405680783&sr=1-4&keywords=Zinsser+BIN

Apparently the Semigloss ones ideal for the type of job you have - we used Eggshell for the ceiling.

"Perma-White® Interior Semi-Gloss Paint - Provides a beautiful and durable semi-gloss finish. Ideal for high-traffic areas where surfaces are exposed to demanding wear and tear. Recommended for trim, baseboards, cabinets, doors, etc. In addition to residential uses, Perma-White® is ideal for hotels, nursing homes, schools, hospitals etc."