How Much Does Front Door Refinishing Cost in San Diego?

Our social media posts that show­case front door refin­ish­ing projects are some of our most pop­u­lar. See­ing the old, weath­ered fin­ish replaced by the gleam­ing warmth of fresh stain is so sat­is­fy­ing! Plus, it’s nice to know that the sur­face is ful­ly pro­tect­ed once again, shield­ed from sun dam­age, mois­ture intru­sion, pests, and more.

All of this leads to a very good ques­tion: how much does it cost to stain and refin­ish a wood front door? 

Let’s take a clos­er look. 

Ball­park cost for front door refin­ish­ing in San Diego

• Low end: for a sim­ple 3‑panel door that’s in good con­di­tion, need­ing some minor touch-ups and a cou­ple coats of clear var­nish, the cost could be around $760. That’s the price of a skilled painter for a full day.

• Mid-range: that same front door, but with more dam­age that requires it to be ful­ly stripped, sand­ed, and refin­ished, would cost around $2,000.

• High-end: a large front door with sev­er­al pan­els, need­ing the full strip, sand, and refin­ish­ing process, could cost up to $3,000‑3500. And if you have dou­ble doors, the cost will like­ly double.

What impacts the cost of front door refinishing?

It all comes down to the con­di­tion, details, and size of the project. As we men­tioned above, just light prep and var­nish keeps the cost down, while the need for a full strip, sand, and refin­ish dri­ves the cost up.

Our best advice is to invest in rou­tine main­te­nance. Ongo­ing TLC keeps your sur­faces, and bud­get, a whole lot hap­pi­er in the long-run.

Front door refin­ish­ing FAQs

Q: What’s involved in the front door refin­ish­ing process?

The process typ­i­cal­ly involves sev­er­al steps. These may include strip­ping off the exist­ing fin­ish, sand­ing the door to smooth the sur­face, repair­ing any dam­ages or imper­fec­tions, apply­ing a new stain or paint, and final­ly, seal­ing and pro­tect­ing the door with a clear coat. 

Q: How long does it take to refin­ish a wood­en front door?

It real­ly depends on the size of the door, the com­plex­i­ty of the fin­ish, and the dry­ing time required between each step. Typ­i­cal­ly, refin­ish­ing a wood­en front door can take any­where from a few days to a week. It’s impor­tant to allow plen­ty of time for the var­i­ous stages of the process, includ­ing dry­ing and cur­ing, to ensure a durable and long-last­ing finish.

Q: Can I refin­ish my wood­en front door myself?

Refin­ish­ing a wood­en front door is def­i­nite­ly not an easy DIY project, espe­cial­ly if you want a gor­geous, last­ing fin­ish. We rec­om­mend leav­ing it to the pros unless you’re extreme­ly skilled and experienced.

Q: How often should I refin­ish my wood­en front door? 

It depends on the type of wood, expo­sure to sun­light and the ele­ments, and the qual­i­ty of the pre­vi­ous fin­ish. In gen­er­al, it’s rec­om­mend­ed to refin­ish a wood­en front door every 3 – 5 years, but we def­i­nite­ly rec­om­mend reg­u­lar inspec­tions and main­te­nance to extend the lifes­pan of your finish.

If you have any more ques­tions, please con­tact us at Chism Broth­ers Paint­ing. We’d love to chat with you in more detail.