After much research, I have selected a ThermaTru Classic-Craft Mahogany entry door and I have several questions for anyone:
1. Any opinions on ThermaTru door quality? Do they come with decent hardware? Jambs?
2. Your opinion of staining a fiberglass door… the door “experts” at Lowe’s have warned me NOT to stain it myself… have it done at the factory… I have trouble with this considering the factory staining is circa $500 and kit only cost $40 or so…
3. Your opinion on storm doors… sans screens… since the fiberglass door is well insulated, do I even need a storm door? (I live in Richmond, VA)… The door gets a direct afternoon sun and it can “bake” between the current storm and entry doors.
Thanks in advance…
Replies
Hi YardApe,
We stained our Therma-Tru. It's not hard to do, just a little time consuming, waiting for each coat to dry. We did ours with the door flat off its hinges, though the instructions made it sound as though it could be done in place. I don't think I'd try it in place. The results are excellent. It looks great.
Be sure to use the Therma-Tru kit.
Our door is well protected, so we don't have a storm door. Someone else may know if a storm door is advisable, or you could ask Therma-Tru.
kestrel
Thanks... I thought it was possible... the guys at Lowe's told me it was a real pain... I figured on taking it off the hinges and staining separate from the jamb... I understand that it does take some time so I'll have it all done before I replace the current entry door... WITH the Therma-Tru stain kit...
Did you have any issues about humidity and the stain drying? I plan on staining the door in my garage and placing a de-humidifier close by...
Thanks for youre feedback...
Edited 4/8/2005 8:16 pm ET by YardApe
Hi YardApe,
We did ours last summer when temps were high, so relative humidity was fairly low. We gave each coat a day or two just to be on the safe side. We gave it extra time between sides because we wanted to be totally sure that it wouldn't stick when we turned it over to do the second side. The dehumidifier is a good idea in humid spring weather. I think the instructions listed minimum temp for the stain.
Our door had been at our local lumber yard for a couple of years and was rather dirty. We just dusted it, cleaned the heavier dirt with a moist cloth, then went over the door with the mineral spirits the Therma-Tru kit includes. It cleaned up perfectly.
Just follow the instructions and you will have a door you can be proud of.
kestrel
Bingo... thanks for your personal experience info... comforting...
"We did ours last summer when temps were high, so relative humidity was fairly low. We gave each coat a day or two just to be on the safe side. We gave it extra time between sides because we wanted to be totally sure that it wouldn't stick when we turned it over to do the second side. The dehumidifier is a good idea in humid spring weather. I think the instructions listed minimum temp for the stain."General trick for things like doors. Now sure what the top and bottom rails are like in the FG doors, but this works for wood.Drive in a couple of nails or long screws into the top and bottom. Then use those suspend the door between 2 saw horse.You an finish one side and immediately flip it over and to the 2nd (and also the edges.
Hi Bill,
"Drive in a couple of nails or long screws into the top and bottom. Then use those suspend the door between 2 saw horse."
"You an finish one side and immediately flip it over and to the 2nd (and also the edges."
Therma-Tru's doors do have wood edges, so that would work.
We have interior doors still to do, so you've saved us some time. Thanks for the tip.
kestrel
Your opinion of staining a fiberglass door... the door "experts" at Lowe's have warned me NOT to stain it myself...
you consider taking advice from someone that make $7 a hour, someone that cannot get a job at wally world.
OUCH!!! That hurt... LOL
It seemed that they promised to stain it a door for a customer and they didn't like the outcome... and the store ate 2 doors... DANG!... I wish I was there to pick them up for a song...
Item #3, the heat buildup between door and storm door can be extreme. I believe the most suspeptable part that can be damaged due to the heat is the plastic trim around any window. I've installed some doors that state the warranty will be voided if a storm door is install without proper ventilation, whatever that might be. Check the instructions and warranty info out carefully prior to buying/installing any storm door with plastic trim.
I with you on that... I have yet to have seen a full glass storm door that had ANY ventilation... and, yes, whatever that is... LOL
Check out the door when it arrives. I've only installed a half dozen Thermatru entry doors; four of them were OK, but on two of them, the top of the stiles exposed finger joint (looked like a good spot to catch moisture) and I sent them back.
I've got an arrangement at my paint supplier to do any staining or painting because he has a large paint booth/room and the expertise to do a topnotch job. It's a fill-in for him and he charges me $65 per door including delivery of the finished product.
He told me early on; clean the door meticulously with something like Paint-Etch because the faux wood grain tends to gather dust and cooties in storage and transit and can create adhesion problems if not removed.
His other advice was to do it on the flat and in a warm (70 degree range) environment, indoors, at moderate or lower humidity.
His results have always been excellent and worth the 65 clams.
Thanks... now I am in peruit of a paint supplier like yours... I'd pay $65 in a heart beat...
I gotchya about cleaning the door... it'll be spotless when I am done with prepping... I hope...
I stained one once and was'nt satisfied with the results. I used gell stain (recomended) and it seemed difficult to control the results. I still have one that is in place and it needs to be stained but after doing the other, I'm not sure which door I like least. I'm thinking it would be better if I sprayed it with an HVLP.(?)
Hi thor,
Therma-Tru makes some doors that cannot be stained, only painted. That may be what you have. Also the stain needs to be Therma-Tru's kit, not a jell.
If you want woodgrain and stain, the door has to be a Fiber-Classic or one of the Classic-Craft lines.
I'm sorry your door didn't turn out well.
kestrel
thanks for the info. I'll check into the kit, may be just what I need.
I have built a number of homes in which we used therna-Tru doors. Was very happy with them.
Form reading here I gather that all Therma-tru doors are not created equal. They are hung in a regional or local assembly shop and some do better than others. This has been discussed here at length in the past. Try the search function on the forum. Hardware and jambs were discussed in-depth.
Re staining, they need to be re-done every 5 years or so depending on the exposure. Re storm doors check carefully with Therma-tru. At one time they said they would not warranty the fiberglass door slab in such an installation. This may have changed.
Finally, look for comments Gene. If I remember correctly he worked in the door industry for some years and has a huge amount of knowledge on the topic.
Edited 4/9/2005 7:32 am ET by DIRISHINME
In regards to your question about needing a storm door--I don`t put storm doors on with these new insulated doors. I don`t think they are going to help that much, they distract you from the beauty of your front door and there is another door to open. I like to keep my door open in the summer however so I like screens.
I wouldn`t take the hinges off but just the hinge pins and tape off the hinge left on the door.
thanks for the leg-work... I'll do some searching for Gene aka Bob... :-P
That will get ya about 10,000 hits... just search for "Therma-tru"Matt
Use ONLY Therma-Tru's finishing kit. Don't let some doofus at Lowe's tell you that it is OK to use some gel stain and spar varnish. How would he know what he is talking about? From his parole officer?
Therma-Tru's stain is formulated special for max adhesion to the SMC skin and the waterborne topcoat in the kit.
Take the time to dismount the door slab from its frame, and do the job, one side at a time, on a table or padded sawhorses. Use poly and tape on your entry to close things off at your front entry while you spend a few days on the door. If you live in a dangerous neighborhood, maybe you can hire the Lowe's guy as your temporary security guard.
People do them in place, hung from the hinges, but it is a whole lot easier to do flat.
If you are nervous about doing it, buy Therma-Tru's video, or maybe by now, they offer it for free as a download.
The key to staining a fiberglass door is in the removal of stain, not the putting on. A section at a time, you put the stain on, using a rag or foam brush, enough to well cover, not a heavy wet coat, but just a coat to cover. Let it flash dry, maybe 5 minutes. Now comes the real work and artistry.
You are going to even out and make uniform, the film thickness of the stain, once again, in a section at a time. First the panels and their surrounding moldings, then the stiles and rails. In doing this you will remove quite a bit of the stain that you applied, and by which time now, has "flashed off" and dried a little. Just a little.
With the good natural bristle brush they furnish (it is dry because you are smart, read the directions aforehand, and didn't use it to apply the stain), work to level and even out the stain coating. Keep a clean rag in your other hand and frequently wipe clean the end of the brush. You want to get it as clean as you can each with each wipe-off.
You will find that you can move the stain around, thinning the coating here, adding a little film thickness there, all done to blend and even out the color. You can work really hard here, breaking a sweat, if you want a light coating. You'll work anyways.
Once you have the whole thing the way you want it, let it dry overnight, then clearcoat with their waterborne finish. Follow directions. I think it cures rapidly and you might be able to get as many as four coats on in a day. The more the better.
The good thing about a fiberglass door stain job by a newbie, is that if it turns out poorly (blotchy, too light, too dark, etc.), and before you have put on the clearcoat, you can easily strip the stain all off, even if it has dried, using mineral spirits, and start all over. You cannot do that with wood. You also cannot do that if you have clearcoated the door over the stain.
As to quality, Therma-Tru made the door slab, and maybe sold the distributor the hinges and sill and weatherstripping, but the prehanging distributor built the whole thing. Blame him if the assembly has something wrong with it.
Edited 4/9/2005 10:36 am ET by Gene Davis
Gene,
Thanks for your info... I'll definitely stay with the Therma-Tru staining kit... I'm also ordering the ThermaTru Framesaver jamb, mulllions, and brickmold... also getting their hardware and lockset... bottom line, all ThermaTru from the rough-out to the knob... one finger for the entire entry door... maybe a risk but easier on the mentality...
Thanks again...
Mark
hi,
does this description detail the procedure for staining the door with a wood color stain only? i'm looking for a way to color my therma tru fiberglass entry door in a way that isn't a solid colored paint, but more of a colored stain. the therma tru stain kits that we found only offer the wood type stains, like 'light oak' and 'mahogany'. we tinted a white pickling stain with oil pigments on our interior maple cabinets. obviously fiberglass is different, but i'm searching for a similar solution to achieve the translucent appearance of stain. one suggestion was to thin down a regular paint to lower the pigment amount. any dos, do nots would be much appreciated.
luther
I'm not with the company any more, but when I was, Therma-Tru offered a "pickled white" color in their stain. Have you been to their site? It is quite rich with information.
I'm also thinking on the same lines. Seems i could spray the door with a stain/finish and at least get a consistant appearance.