What Is That Black Stuff That Keeps Appearing On Your Exterior Doors?

Ron's Painting

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INTERIOR • EXTERIOR  • FAUX FINISHING in Southwest Florida.

Serving Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero and Cape Coral, FL.

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What Is That Black Stuff That Keeps Appearing On Your Exterior Doors?

This is a commonly-asked question!

Sometimes, the best way to learn more about these questions from our customers is to simply ask them. We seek to share this information in an effort to help others who are experiencing similar problems find the answers to their questions.

Below is a question from Evelyn in Fort Myers:

“I have about eight French doors on my rear lanai of my Fort Myers home and it seems like every week in the summer time I have to clean them.  I see black stuff forming on the doors.  I am not sure what it is, or how I can stop this.”

If you are experiencing the same issue as Evelyn, you need to know that the black stuff that is forming on your door is mold.  It is common to find  the exterior side of doors that have been painted with an oil-based paint have mold growing on them.  In fact, any oil-based paint/varnish that is exposed to the Florida weather will cause mold to grow on the surface, and growing rather quickly during this time of year - the rainy season.

In order to stop the mold from growing on an exterior door that is painted with an oil-based paint, we wash the doors with a solution of bleach and water, rinse thoroughly, and allow to dry.  Then, we lightly sand the door and clean it off with a tack rag. Once this step is complete, we prime the door with one coat of Cover Stain oil-based bonding primer. Once the primer is dry, we apply a finish coat of Sherwin Williams Super Paint or Resilience in a gloss finish.

The latex paint will not attract the mold nearly as fast as the oil-based paint, especially if you use a gloss finish.  With this process, you should only have to clean the doors maybe once a year as opposed to weekly.

By Ron Rooker, Ron’s Painting

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