How to Refinish a 15-Panel Wood Door

Remove the door from its hinges with your screwdriver. Remove the knobs and any other hardware. Set the door up in a work space.

Apply paint stripper over a few square feet of the surface using a paintbrush. Coat it thickly. Let it sit for three to five minutes, until it starts softening and bubbling up.

Scrape off the softened paint or varnish with a putty knife, scraping in the direction of the grain. Work on each panel of the door one by one, making sure to get into all the crevices. Remove all of the paint or gloss.

Soak a nylon scrubbing pad in paint thinner and scrub the surface of the door, taking up all the leftover stripper.

Let dry for eight hours. Sand down the surface with a vibrating detail sander and 80-grit sandpaper, taking off the top layer of the wood and exposing bare grain. Sand the door again with 200-grit paper to smooth it out. Wipe off the dust.

Brush wood stain over two or three panels of the door, applying it heavily. Let it sit for a minute, then wipe up the excess with rags. Repeat for two or three more sections. Coat the entire door. Let it dry for eight hours.

Varnish the surface with a brush, applying it in a thin, flat coat over each panel. Let the varnish dry for eight hours.

Lightly sand it by hand with 200-grit sandpaper, slightly dulling the shine. Brush off the dust. Apply a second varnish coat. Let it dry, lightly sand, and apply a third coat. Let it dry a full day, then re-install the door.