Berkeley, CA: Refinishing Garage Doors and Wooden Steps

Much of the wood in our homes is hidden within the structure, either inside the walls or holding up the roof. Generally, we have some wood that is exposed to view, however. This might be small details like trim or window shutters, or large items like garage doors, decks, or shade structures. If your Bay Area home has exposed wood, it will need occasional maintenance, like this home in Berkeley, where we recently refinished the wooden garage doors and the back steps. 

How We Do It: Wooden Garage Door Refinishing

In the case of stained wood, it is important to begin by stripping off the old coating. This gives you a fresh surface to begin with. The stripping process is sometimes done chemically, but it almost always involves a lot of heavy-duty sanding. Wearing quality breathing protection, we use power sanding equipment where we can, and finish the detail work by hand. 

The most enjoyable part is when we apply the new stain, since the difference in the wood is immediate and satisfying:

Once the stain is carefully applied, usually with more than one coat, we apply a clear protective finish to make sure the beauty will last. Then, we can step back and enjoy the results!

Refinishing Wooden Steps

While the garage doors took center stage on this Berkeley exterior painting project, we also worked a transformation on the back stairs. In this first photo, you can see the contrast between the bright new coating and the prior one.

True stains are designed to soak into the wood, while solid color stains and paints create a film over the surface. This makes refinishing easier, assuming the prior coating has not begun to fail, since there is not as much surface preparation needed. We just need to clean the surface, and we can begin applying the new coating. 

One thing to be careful of with refinishing decks and stairs is that any surface which will be walked on requires heavy-duty coatings in order to last. Here is the finished product!

Endure Painting

For any kind of exterior painting project in Berkeley or the San Francisco area, Endure Painting is the name you can trust for quality results and exceptional customer service! In addition to refinishing wooden surfaces like garage doors, stairways and decks, we also provide power washing, interior painting, wallpaper removal, and more.

If you have any painting needs in your home, contact us, and we will be happy to provide you with a free consultation and estimate. We look forward to meeting you!