The new house I just contracted on has an “alterna” door. I’m a first time home buyer/newbie to this. My understanding is that this door is a fiberglass/recycled material mix and can be stained or painted like a wooden door.
My builder is reluctant to stain it and wants to paint instead. Is he being reasonable to insist that painting is the way to go or is he just trying to take the EZ route?
Any general info about this door is also appreciated.
Thanks
Edited to add: OK, I’ve researched that “alterna” just means the naked color of the door. It’s a JELD-WEN fiberglass door. It’ll definitely look better stained. What do you suggest I say to my builder to convince him this is the way to go?
Edited 4/15/2006 10:34 am ET by Spookyspiff
Replies
The paint will hold up better, and the color is more uniform and more predictable. The technique for staining these doors varies. Usually it requires a "gel" stain that goes on fairly thick, vs the usual wiping type stain. Hard to get a uniform color, and trickier to varnish (or whatever's recommended over the stain).
If you want it stained, perhaps you should do it yourself, following the manufacturer's directions. When a contractor does it it's 50/50 (at best) whether they'll do it to mfgr's specs.
Look at this post and following from Gene (Stinger).
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=68495.5