Best Stains For Mahogany Exterior Door

The front door to your home is a statement feature.  The walkway and steps leading up to it, the landing in front of it, the frame around it, and the door itself,  should be warm and inviting to help your visitors feel good about coming and welcome as they enter your home.

A mahogany front door provides that warmth and elegance.  It’s a rich wood with warm tones and a fine, straight grain. Mahogany has an open grain similar to oak and walnut, and may require just a little attention before a stain is applied, depending on the effect you want to create with it.  It will also need a bit of protection in its finish for an exterior door.

Mahogany Wood

As we mentioned, mahogany is an open-grain wood similar in this regard to oak and walnut.  It is straight-grained and with a reddish-brown color.  It’s incredibly strong with a higher compressive and bending strength than most other woods.  It’s less liable to warping, and does not shrink or swell due to moisture or temperature variations, and holds its shape.  The mahogany tree is very large, and so can produce large pieces to work with in its various applications.

This makes it a favorite of furniture makers, boat makers, and as a good choice for flooring, musical instruments, and doors. Its durability serves all of those purposes well. 

It takes to staining very nicely after a bit of work.  A water-based stain will raise the grain on it, and a mild sanding with 150-grit sandpaper will smooth it back; or, you can leave the raised grain for a natural look. 

In older times, mahogany furniture was considered a status and wealth symbol.  It would be beautifully and ornately crafted, and pieces were expensive, a true showcase in a sitting room or parlor where guests would be entertained.  It retains that warmth and richness in status and appearance as a home’s front door.

Staining and Finishing Mahogany

We know that mahogany takes stains well.  For an exterior finish on a mahogany front door, you can stain darker than the wood, but not lighter.  An exterior door will be subjected to weather changes and sunshine.  We know that water is wood’s enemy, and we also know that UV rays will cause the wood fibers to deteriorate and its finish to fade.

So, in addition to a stain (although that is not essential), a sealer becomes essential in the finishing of an exterior mahogany door.  A protective sealant to the door will help it resist fading, as well as damage from UV rays and moisture.

You will recall that we mentioned boat makers earlier.  Mahogany is a common wood used by boat makers and dock makers because of its strength and durability.  Sunshine and water are certainly a part of boats and docks, and excellent marine products have been developed to cope with these elements and preserve mahogany.

And we say that staining is not essential because many prefer to let the natural reddish-brown color of mahogany shine through.  Stains that are of pigmented oil, including gel stains, are often used because they are easy to apply, but they can detract from the wood’s natural grain. 

A penetrating oil stain will allow the natural grain and beauty of mahogany to show, rather than a stain that simply rests on top of the wood.  Most woodworkers recommend avoiding water-based stains as they can create an uneven finish if the door has been previously stained or sealed.

Penetrating stains are traditional and long-used oil-based wood stains that are manufactured to penetrate the pores of the wood to which they are applied.  That absorption enhances the natural beauty of the wood and adds a vibrancy to its appearance.

They are easy to apply, and because they are absorbed by the wood they will resist peeling over time such as a water-based stain will.  They simply fade, rather than peel, and can be reapplied when that happens.

Generally speaking, a penetrating oil-based stain absorbed into the wood will not fail as quickly as film-forming finishes will.  Film-forming finishes do not let the wood move, and over time all wood moves.  This is especially so for outdoor wood uses – furniture, doors – and stain absorbed into the wood will not flake off.

A natural bristle brush can be used to apply the stain, always in the direction of the grain.  Use a rag to wipe away any excess stain as you go along.  If the door has any detailed ornamental carving elements, begin with those, and then continue on the vertical and horizontal stiles.  Finally, be sure to allow ample time for the stain to dry completely before any sealant or finish is applied.

Stains for Exterior Mahogany Doors

As we’ve said, mahogany is an extremely durable wood, making it the standard for exterior doors for a very long time.  It resists insect damage and wood rot, and when properly finished and maintained can last on a house longer than the house’s inhabitants.  

1. While staining is optional, sealing is not.  Inclement weather and harmful UV rays will harm a mahogany front door and speed up the need for refinishing.  If staining is part of your choice, though, a combination stain/sealant can be a good choice.  

If it’s good enough for mahogany boats and docks, it should be good for mahogany doors, it would seem.  Something like a Thompson’s WaterSeal Waterproofing Stain works well on exterior mahogany wood use and will serve your front door well.

It will protect against water damage and prevent mildew from forming.  Its advanced polymer formula was developed to prevent fade and damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays, thus preserving the door’s beauty for many years.  

Thompson’s combination stain/sealant comes in a variety of colors, is easy to apply, and dries quickly.  It is known to spread evenly when applied and creates a clear appearance so the wood’s beauty shows through.

2. Keeping with 2-in-1 solutions, another product to consider is Ready Seal Exterior Stain and Sealer For Wood.  This easy-to-apply product comes in a variety of colors and is designed and formulated for exterior wood uses – furniture, doors, decks, gates, gazebos, and more.  

It requires no primer, goes on dark, and reaches its true color in a couple of weeks.  It, too, is easy to apply with any method – spray, brush, or roller.  It labels itself as “goof proof” and leaves no streaks or runs.  It can be applied in any temperature, so there is no bad time to use it on your mahogany door.

3.  Cabot Semi-Transparent Stain is a linseed oil-based, deep penetrating stain designed to beautify and protect exterior woods like mahogany.  It’s lightly pigmented so that it will accentuate mahogany’s natural wood grain.  It’s water-repellant and provides good UV protection for the wood, and requires only a single application.  

When properly applied, it will not crack or peel.  The wood should be clean and dry before applying to allow its deep penetration.  It is designed and formulated specifically for exterior use only.  

After staining, a sealant should also be applied.  The extra measure of protection will extend the life of the door’s finish before it will need to be refinished in the future.  Varnish and lacquer are the most commonly used sealants for finishing an exterior door.  Staining and sealing in two separate applications does double the work when compared to the 2-in-1 options mentioned, but the results are also beautiful, allowing the natural appearance of the wood to be the star of the door.

4. One more 2-in-1 option is the combo stain and sealant from Olympic.  The Olympic Elite Stain and Sealant is a #1 rated solid stain as determined by an independent consumer study.  It promises a lifetime of durability and protection and backs up that promise with a lifetime guarantee.

It will add a rich, opaque stain color to the wood that allows the mahogany’s natural beauty and texture to show.  It provides a mold, mildew, and algae-resistant finish to the wood, and penetrates deeply into the wood.  Its urethane-enhanced formula provides protection from water, and its pigments provide protection from UV rays and prevents fading.  

5. Tung oil is a traditional wood preservative that penetrates wood deeply and offers great protection.  It’s been a natural waterproofer for centuries, and it just works.  We’ve written about it in the past and you can find that piece here when we wrote about Waterlox.  It’s worth revisiting for a moment.

Waterlox is a resin-modified tung oil.  It penetrates into the wood and creates a protective coating that strengthens it.  It’s been used for centuries as a water-resistant finish for boats (there we are again with boats)

In particular, Waterlox Marine Finish is a good choice for your mahogany door.  If it keeps boats floating, it will keep your exterior door well in all weather conditions.  Its drying time is about 24 hours, and it dries clear to allow the wood’s natural beauty to show well.  

Here’s a video where Waterlox Marine Finish was applied to a mahogany garage door, with tips on its application.

Stain (optional) and sealant (necessary) will do your mahogany front door well and nicely for years to come.  You have some options to choose from now, including 2-in-1 solutions, and even a lifetime guarantee.  

Mahogany is not cheap.  It’s intended to make a statement as a front door, and in the case of the video, even a garage door.  You want that statement to have great staying power, as well as showcase the natural beauty of the wood.  Don’t skimp on finish.  Give the wood what it so richly deserves, and let it be the showcase of your home.