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anncarolyn

Please help me with fiberglass door

anncarolyn
15 years ago

About 5 years ago, I had a new fiberglass front door(etched glass) with sidelights installed. It was not stained at the factory so I had the installer to stain it before he put it up. The stain and polyurathene (?) is now cracking and peeling. It looks really bad. Can I strip or very lightly sand the unit and stain it again? Has anyone ever done this? I have tried some gel stripper on a piece of the fiberglass the company gave me and it did not seem to hurt the wood look of the door. Also, if I can get all this mess off, what kind of stain and poly should I use so this will not happen again. Or, (Last Choice) should I just paint the unit? Please help, I can see this is going to be a BIG job for this little girl!

Thanks,

Carolyn

Comments (14)

  • randy427
    15 years ago

    I would contact the manufacturer about stripping and the type of stain, but it will most probably be a gel type for both. With trial and error, and a lot of patience, you will develop your technique.

  • Michael
    15 years ago

    Never sand a fiberglass door skin!

    You can strip it and remove residue with synthetic pad. Wipe down with mineral spirits several times and allow to dry.

    Gel Stain or Paint to refinish.

    You'll need time and patience. Remove the door from jamb to refinish.

    Michael

  • Jumpilotmdm
    11 years ago

    Paint it. If you want a door that looks like wood on the outside, buy a wood door.
    NEVER sand a fiberglass door. You won't like the result.

    good luck!

  • handymac
    11 years ago

    Stains have to sink into the material to which they are applied, or they become really bad paint.

    I am not aware of a stain made for polished fiberglass.

    Gel stains are simply modified paint---and a poor one at that.

    Adding spar varnish to a material with basically a bad paint job means you get exactly what you got.

    Spar varnish is designed for wood application. Itb vis designed to be flexible, so the wood movement will mnot crack the finish rapidly. UV additives have to be added for additional protection.

    So, basically, you used products designed for wood on a non wood surface. Sadly, you are not the only one caught in that situation.

    Go to a real paint store--I favor Sherwin Williams. Tell them what happened and take their advice.

  • geoff
    11 years ago

    Handymac, that Sikkens product I referenced above is made specifically for fiberglass doors, check it out.

  • handymac
    11 years ago

    That Sikkens product is not a stain, it is a clear finish that can be colored.

    You can get much the same protection using a #4(or #5 with some brands) deep tint base paint----which dries clear when used without adding color.

    They are decent solutions for painting doors, but they are not stains.

  • geoff
    11 years ago

    Maybe Sikkens is not technically a stain however it comes in a handful of colors and it requires no topcoat. I bought a mahogany color and it definitely is not clear! My door looks fabulous now. I've uploaded a picture that can be found at the link, below. Can't figure out how people are able to embed images in the body of their post here.

    Before I found out about Sikkens I did ask a few paint store employees about using deep tint base instead of varnish as I had read about that here some time back and they looked at me like I had two heads. They dissuaded me from trying that approach.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • Katherine S
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Geoff: Beautiful! Has this lasted well the last 7 years or have you had to refinish?

  • geoff
    3 years ago

    Katherine, yes it has held up great! I just reapply one coat of Sikkens every 2 or 3 years and it stays fresh. It's due again this spring.


  • Katherine S
    3 years ago

    That’s great!! How long does it take to dry? I’m not a fan of the idea of taking the door off it’s hinges for long lengths of time. I’m going to have to look into this. Where did you by it?

  • geoff
    3 years ago

    I got it at a local paint store, it's not sold at HD or Lowes. I didn't take the door off the hinges for the periodic reapplication. I just opened it into the house so it was shaded until it dried. Takes about four hours to dry to touch, 24 to fully dry. I removed the weatherstripping for several days so it wouldn't stick and mess up the stain.


    The initial staining requires three coats spaced 24 hours apart.


    Here's what the can looks like. They changed the brand over the years.


  • Katherine S
    3 years ago

    Thanks for being so helpful! So this may be a silly question, but what do you do for a front door while initially staining every 24 hours x 3 days?

  • geoff
    3 years ago

    Not at all a silly question. You will be able to keep the door on its hinges. You can close and lock the door with the deadbolt and by removing the weatherstripping before you start the staining process you can still close the door. That should leave a gap of perhaps 1/4 inch and the door's finish will not rub onto anything at all.