# Refinishing Hollow Core Doors



## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

You need to use a chemical stripper, sanding runs the risk of going thru the veneer.
Those types of doors aren't expensive - it might not be worth the effort to strip them.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

I started stripping and sanding my veneered hollow core doors throughout the house last summer. 

Mark Sr is right, stripping does a way better job 1million times faster, you have to be very careful with the sanding or it'll leave noticeable flat spots. That said, I personally think the painted ones look good too so it's not the end of the world. 

Here's a few shots with a comparison of old and new with a stripper and a light sand after, the minwax product I'm using to finish the "hallway" sides (I think I used old maple not red oak, but its the same product,) I also painted the bedroom/bathroom sides on some of them just for fun.



























I did do minwax over the inside of my solid wood exterior garage door years ago (no stripping or sanding.) I'd gone a number of shades darker than the color I was actually looking for and ended up with this:

Stained side:








Original (hmm I'd forgotten about that time the dog locked himself in the garage when we were gone...):


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

JBG420 said:


> I have 2 hollow core closet doors that Id like to refinish. They are stained now. Ive tried gel stain in the past and was not at all happy with the results. Ive been sandong this thing for days and cant get down to any actual wood. Assume these are "fake" wood. Do I have any chance of staining these or is paint (or new doors) my only option? Thanks


sounds like fake wood to me, if you cant sand to wood in a few seconds with a sander.


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## JBG420 (Aug 27, 2011)

Yea im sure they're fake. Sanded the back of one with my orbital sander and took A LOT off. Noticeable, yet still feels extremely glossy. I tried using Minwax PolyShades on one of these doors in another room and it turned out horrible. Streaky and could see all the overlaps. Likely my own error, but as someone else said, new hollow core panels are relatively cheap.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

If you paint them, you'll need a really good bonding primer.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

I recall from my research that some veneers are so thin that the glue(? or something) prevents water based stains from penetrating. I believe the recommendation in such cases was an oil based stain. I also seem to recall something about gels not penetrating, just sitting on the surface like paint or a lacquer so they're very hard to get an even coat.



I didn't use a primer on my painted side, unless it's in my behr paints. So far the paints holding up fine. I used an exterior paint for the bathroom door & trim thinking to protect from moisture but it didn't work out so well - it's sticky - so I'll probably redo that one with a high gloss interior at some point this summer.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

Mystriss said:


> I recall from my research that some veneers are so thin that the glue(? or something) prevents water based stains from penetrating. I believe the recommendation in such cases was an oil based stain. I also seem to recall something about gels not penetrating, just sitting on the surface like paint or a lacquer so they're very hard to get an even coat.
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't use a primer on my painted side, unless it's in my behr paints. So far the paints holding up fine. I used an exterior paint for the bathroom door & trim thinking to protect from moisture but it didn't work out so well - it's sticky - so I'll probably redo that one with a high gloss interior at some point this summer.


No, there is no bonding primer in Behr paints.... If its adhering, you got 
lucky. Also, dont use exterior paints indoors. They may have toxic mildecides in it that can cause health problems in chemically sensitive people.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

.... also exterior paints are formulated to withstand weather which means they dry to a softer film. That means they won't always wear as well as interior paint.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

mark sr said:


> .... also exterior paints are formulated to withstand weather which means they dry to a softer film. That means they won't always wear as well as interior paint.


Agreed. I'm going to have to redo the bathroom door and trim because of that heh On the plus side, I'd used a semi-gloss white interior on all the other white trim luckily \o/



Back to the OP, I was reading about folks putting new veneer on their "contractor grade" interior hollow cores to spruce them up and make them look more expensive. I'm not entirely sure it's worth the cost and hassle vs just buying new doors though.


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