How to maintain oiled mahogany windows and doors

Give your doors and windows the best care

Wooden windows and doors can be amazingly beautiful elements in your home. However, wood is a living material that needs extra care. Precious wood surfaces, typically in mahogany, are treated with wood oil and require annual maintenance. If wood surfaces are not maintained with a quality wood oil, their beautiful color and glow will fade. The surface will become worn and dull, and exposure to sun, wind and weather can cause surface cracking. This is especially true for your doors and windows, which are exposed to all kinds of weather – so it’s important that you remember to take care of the wood.

Make your work easy

We’ve created a guide for maintaining doors and windows in oiled mahogany. The good thing about the work is that with every treatment you apply, you can extend the life of the mahogany. With the right treatment, your doors and windows will look new again.

When was the last time you treated your mahogany doors and windows?

Our two-part guide helps you find the right treatment for your wood surfaces, regardless of whether you have recently treated them or they require a little extra work.

One annual treatment

After mahogany doors and windows are installed, it’s recommended to treat them with a suitable, non-film-forming oil, at least once a year or as needed. Keep in mind that the more often you care for the wood, the easier your work will be from treatment to treatment.

One example of non-film-forming oil treatment is Larco 554 SECU Wood Oil T030, clear or with color pigment. A suitable cleaning product is Beck & Jørgensen’s B3 Micronil 126.

NOTE: It is crucial to treat textured surfaces and entrance doors with plenty of oil on a regular basis. 

Have you oil-treated your doors and windows within the past two years?

If your doors and windows have been oiled within the past one to two years, and the surfaces have not lost their finish, we recommend that you use the following treatment.

Follow these four steps:

1. Lightly sand with sandpaper

2. Brush off loose particles

3. Clean with a suitable agent to prevent buildup and discolorations

4. When the surface is clean and dry, apply a suitable oil treatment. Use a brush or sponge to apply the oil. Remove excess oil with a lint-free cloth to avoid shiny spots. For dry sanding on non-degraded surfaces, use 180 to 220-grit sandpaper.

Always remember to sand along the grain of the wood and not against it, to avoid visible scratches.

Is the surface old and worn?

For old and worn surfaces, i.e. doors and window frames that are very dark or uneven in color, or that have not been oiled for a very long time, we recommend the following treatment.

Follow these four steps:

1. Lightly sand with sandpaper

2. Brush off loose particles

3. Clean with a suitable agent to prevent buildup and discolorations

4. When the surface is clean and dry, apply a suitable oil treatment. Use a brush or sponge to apply the oil. Remove excess oil with a lint-free cloth to avoid shiny spots. For dry sanding on non-degraded surfaces, use 150 to 220-grit sandpaper.

Always remember to sand along the grain of the wood and not against it, to avoid visible scratches.