A customer recently asked if there was anything we could do to improve the look of her aluminum garage doors.  Half jokingly I said that we could finish them to match the mahogany doors on her house.  After giving it some thought, this casual suggestion turned real.

A few phone calls to Master Finisher Robert Coale for advice on how to duplicate mahogany with paint led to Rob offering to help do the job.

The photos below show the process.  From the original off white factory finish through to base coating, glazing and clear coating.

Homeowners should see this technique as a viable alternative to expensive mahogany doors, and can take comfort in the fact that they have helped to preserve tropical hardwood forests!

Base coat

First coat of glaze and creating the distinctive mahogany pores

The second coat of glaze is grained to produce light and dark bands present in mahogany.

On top of this goes one more coat of glaze to give the doors the rich deep red color that is not there yet, followed by a UV protective clear coat.

Stand by to see the finished product!