[RH]

Quick Question... Why does anybody want to make a fibreglass door look like wood? Is it really that much more expensive to buy a wood door? I've never bought a door in my life, everywhere I go it's either fibreglass to be painted or wood to be stained (sometimes painted) neither a client asking me to stain a fibreglass.

I'm just curious and wondering...

Won't contract and expand, insulated, and will hold up better under adverse conditions. Probably cheaper overall - especially if you're comparing it to a high quality wood door or if you want fancy glass inserts (which are more expensive in a wood door). With that said I've always painted the ones I've had rather than try and make them look like wood.

 

[RCP]

Out here in the Southwest, the hot dry summers and cold wet winters can wreak havoc on a door. Wood doors have to be maintained every year here. The fiberglass don't warp. we do a lot of them. I think only 2 of these doors are wood.

 

[TJ Paint]

Gel Stain a Fiberglass Door - YouTube

Looks good btw:thumbsup:

 

[straight_lines]

Out here in the Southwest, the hot dry summers and cold wet winters can wreak havoc on a door. Wood doors have to be maintained every year here. The fiberglass don't warp. we do a lot of them. I think only 2 of these doors are wood.

Nice door portfolio. Good idea to write about?

 

[RCP]

Nice door portfolio. Good idea to write about?

Funny, check this out! We've come a long a way baby!

 

[MixMaster]

We probably do 250-300 Fiberglass Drs in the course of a year. Most are Therma Tru a few have been Pella (stainable steel). Therma Tru's stain is the easiest to use, brushed on and dry brushed off, panel at a time with the embossed grain. Old Masters gel stain also works but a little tougher to work with. Both can be intermixed to match trim if needed. Top coats, usually 2 are Zar Ext Waterbase Poly satin sprayed. Wood Kote used to make a stain that worked that wasn't a gel but that is no longer available, you can contact Therma Tru and buy their stain. Practice and patience is the best advice, we have had to strip a few and start over again.

 

[AztecPainting]

Out here in the Southwest, the hot dry summers and cold wet winters can wreak havoc on a door. Wood doors have to be maintained every year here. The fiberglass don't warp. we do a lot of them. I think only 2 of these doors are wood.

It makes sense to me now, awesome work Chris.

 

[aaron61]

We probably do 250-300 Fiberglass Drs in the course of a year. Most are Therma Tru a few have been Pella (stainable steel). Therma Tru's stain is the easiest to use, brushed on and dry brushed off, panel at a time with the embossed grain. Old Masters gel stain also works but a little tougher to work with. Both can be intermixed to match trim if needed. Top coats, usually 2 are Zar Ext Waterbase Poly satin sprayed. Wood Kote used to make a stain that worked that wasn't a gel but that is no longer available, you can contact Therma Tru and buy their stain. Practice and patience is the best advice, we have had to strip a few and start over again.

250-300 in a year!:blink: Every year!!:blink::blink:

 

[vermontpainter]

Funny, check this out! We've come a long a way baby!

Holy time capsule!

 

[JNLP]

Why do people wipe it off? Atleast with Minwax, you just put it on in thin coats and let it be, as many needed to get the darkness desired, and it comes out pretty nice pretty easy. Just have to work the proper order and care for the lines so you don't have lap marks. :blink:

 

[Mike's QP]

the door on the left i stained to match the interior hemlock doors we stain/lacquered

 

[MixMaster]

Aaron, along with field painting we also have a 12,000 SF warehouse facility, specializing in UV and booth spraying of millwork, window, and misc piece work. If you have seen any fiberglass doors finished in some of the big box stores chances are we did them. It has now moved into a option we offer with some of the builders we do work with. Quantities are done with door and window manufacturers in our area. Doors drop shipped to us, finished in the shop, and delivered to the jobsite. Nice option to offer.

 

[johnthepainter]

yes, therma-tru stain is easy to work with --can be brushed on, then wiped off with a rag to achieve desired shade/patterns. A lot of rags be needed.

___________________

A small staining job done last month. Therma-tru products, Cherry color. 1 coat stain + 2 water-based poly. 2 coats of stain would look better, yet client wanted that light color look after the 1st coat.

(time: 1 day -all exterior sides, 1 day --interior sides)

now thats a nice looking stain job! you have perfected this technique, and they are flawless.

 

[poet-1]

I'm still an amateur..

Why do people wipe it off? Atleast with Minwax, you just put it on in thin coats and let it be, as many needed to get the darkness desired, and it comes out pretty nice pretty easy. Just have to work the proper order and care for the lines so you don't have lap marks. :blink:

Anything that requires wiping requires more time.. :jester:

It depends on products used i guess. Therma-tru stain, specifically developed for fiberglass doors, is highly pigmented (esp dark colors). Therma-tru recommends wiping --which brings out the embossed grain & evens out the color better. Not wiping would look fine too (somewhat solid-stained look).

 

[jbradley]

Tips on Stripping

Mixmaster (or any others with experience) - It sounds like you've got quite a bit of experience finishing Thurma-Tru fiberglass doors. I'm about to tackle my first stripping job of a double set of Classic Craft doors with sidelites and I was wondering if you can offer any tips.

The homeowner applied too much stain and called to have us refinish them. The stain was applied less than 24 hours ago and they have not applied any top coat. I tried wiping a test spot with mineral spirits but I had to rub very hard to remove any of the stain. From what I've found in my research, stripping these doors can be a real pain but I'm hoping this might not be the case since the stain is so fresh and there's no top coat.

Therma-tru recommends a few strippers. Have you found any to work better than others? How long do you leave on the stripper? I've read about being careful not to damage the factory primer coat, any tips on this? Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

JB

 

[Mike's QP]

laqcuer thinner, just rub off the old stain

 

[MicawberSchism]

If you are looking for a painted finish, just wash with water and mild detergent, prime, sand, and paint (2 coats) with exterior semi-gloss paint (latex) or use an oil based alkyd paint- better protection and durability. I have done this with my fiber glass replacement doors installed five years back.
The main thing you should consider that, never ever sand the bare fiber glass door because you can have loose fibers show in the finish paint.
:thumbup:

 

[woodcoyote]

I still need to experiment more, I just haven't had the time to actually figure it out. But I've developed a stain application method that gives somewhat decent results. I wouldn't call them perfect or flawless or full-proof, but it's a start and I think I know how to improve on it, just need the time.

The #1 mistake I see is that a lot of people apply the gel stain right onto the fiberglass. You have to prime the fiberglass first and not with 'white' primer. It has to be tinted.

I detail a spray technique in a thread awhile back:
http://www.painttalk.com/f29/spray-only-composite-fiberglass-faux-wood-doors-23888/

As of right now, brushing is the only way to get that "real" authentic look. But I have my fingers crossed for a spray method. Makes 16+ doors per house go A LOT faster than brushing.

P.S.
For the poster who said why do it? Because it costs less money than buying a real wood door. Fiberglass doors start anywhere from $350 to $550-ish depending on style/glass etc. and of course the ceiling is the limit for super fancy stuff.

Around here they charge anywhere from $100 - $300 per door to gel stain/top coat. Garage doors typically around $350-450.

Whereas a wood door is going to run right around $1,000 starting.

 

[The McJones]

fiberglass doors

Applying over six very thin coats of gel stain following the grain, making highlights blend softly will make that mastergrain fiberglass door look awesome. The clear coat protects the door from sun's uv as well as rain and snow. In an area where it gets very cold winters and very hot summers, especially having very high humidity with very low humidity changes constantly, wood just does not hold up to weather, where as fiberglass does exceptionally well. The real look of wood without rotting, splitting, warping, expansion and contraction, are the reasons for choosing fiberglass doors. Price is much less than wood as the final added incentive.

 

[bbair]

Ah, yes, gel staining a door. Those take some skill. I prefer the therma tru brand gel stain because it has a longer open time than most.