Replies

1. 
   davidmeiland | Oct 11, 2005 04:59pm | #1

   Do you mean Rogue Valley? I haven't looked closely at their doors, but the similar stuff from Buffelen and Simpson is not actually solid fir--they use a material like LVL for the frame, and the entire thing is veneered in VG fir. Very stable, but they take careful prep and maintenance to keep water out of the joints if the door is exposed to much weather.

2. 
   DavidxDoud | Oct 11, 2005 05:36pm | #2

   might consider a solid stain instead of paint - stains tend to age better/more attractively -

   I second the opinion of finding out the details of the door's construction - not many 'solid' wood doors out there anymore -

    

    

   "there's enough for everyone"
1. 
   homebaseboston | Oct 12, 2005 01:52am | #3

   what kind of prep would you recommend if I go this way?

   you're both right about the door not being solid.

   i'm leaning toward paint b/c i want that old gloss black or gloss red farm house door look you see a lot around here.  i'm hearing that it's hard to do well, so any suggestions would be helpful.

   you guys that work on old houses around here must see this all the time._____________________________HomeBase______________  LLC

    

1. 
   ClevelandEd | Oct 12, 2005 02:07am | #4

   i want that old gloss black or gloss red farm house door look you see a lot around here.  i'm hearing that it's hard to do well

   You might want to put some extra effort into the surface preparation.  Sand it so it is  exceptionally smooth.  If for whatever reason it won't sand that smoothly, add and extra step - grain filler.   Then prime with a high quality oil based primer.   

2. 
   DavidxDoud | Oct 12, 2005 03:05am | #6

   what exposure will this door have? - if it's on the north,  life becomes much simpler - if it going to recieve direct sun,  both red and black are problematic colors,  particularly a gloss finish -  

    

    "there's enough for everyone"

3. 
   homebaseboston | Oct 12, 2005 02:57am | #5

   Any opinions on fiberglass (Therma tru) doors for this type of application?

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   HomeBase______________  LLC

    

1. 
   stinger | Oct 12, 2005 04:21am | #7

   I was with Therma-Tru for about a dozen years, doing mostly product development.  I can advise you, maybe, but I need more information.

   What is your exposure for this door?  N, S, E, or W?  Any protection from overhangs?

   Size of the door?

   Any glass lites wanted?

   Will you use tubular lock and deadbolt (requiring simple facebore and edgebore), or will you want to outfit it with a full mortise lock?

   Would triple-point hardware make any sense to you for this door?

4. 
   WayneL5 | Oct 12, 2005 05:09am | #8

   The three year old spec home I got stuck buying has a fiberglass door.  The manufacturer wisely avoided putting their name on it because it is junk.   After three years the frame was so rotted it had those cresent shaped tree fungus things on it.  The door warps.  In cold weather it leaks on the top and bottom.  In warm weather it bows at the latch and has to be forced shut.

   I doubt all fiberglass doors are junk, but at least some are.

   For a wooden door I recommend removing the door from its frame and coating all surfaces, especially the end grain of the bottoms of the door and frame with a good coat of Woodlife.  Then after thorough drying prime all surfaces with a high quality 100% acrylic primer, followed by high quality topcoats.

5. 
   Taproot | Oct 12, 2005 05:56am | #9

   It probably seems a little odd, but in addition to worrying about what to coat the door with, pay particular attention to your threshold. Meaning, if it holds water, even a little bit, to the bottom of the door. Plus, does the stoop have good drainage and are there areas in the stoop that will puddle and splash up, thus soaking the threshold.

   I recently replaced a fairly new door for a couple that had rotted at the bottom primarily because the threshold held a small amount of water. The door itself had been prepped ok, but after 3 years, started to rot. Oh yea, they also had a kick plate that was not sealed with caulk, so water sat there too.

   I assume I don't have to tell you to not only paint but also seal the bottom & the top of the door! <g>

   Tim

1. 
   homebaseboston | Oct 12, 2005 02:58pm | #10

   boy... you guys are gonna love this.

   the door is southern exposure.  very little protection from the rain, though some tree shade in summer.  no storm door planned.  there is NO threhold possible here (which could be a good thing b/c water will not be in contact with bottom of the door.  will simply install a sweep to keep wind out. 2-8 x 6-6 slab.  no lites.  double bore.

   this is the rear/utility door for the house, and for years it has been as described above.  it lasted a long time, but did eventually rot out at the jambs.  the door has been fine.  strangly, the old door was just a flat slab, and I'll be damed if I can find a plain ol' flat slab nowadays.

   whatever we install, i'm planning to treat the jambs per a recent article in (JLC?), but I'm sure that will be a trouble spot again eventually.

   i had heard that red/black gloss could have a tough time if there was sun exposure.  esp during the winter months.

   good feedback on fiberglass.  didn't realize it warped with the weather.

   i realize there's no perfect solution, but faced with the above, what would you do?

   brian

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   Edited 10/12/2005 8:04 am ET by homebaseboston

1. 
   Taproot | Oct 12, 2005 04:37pm | #11

   <i realize there's no perfect solution, but faced with the above, what would you do?>

   I'd say, move. (ha!)

   Just prep the door as noted above, particularly sealing the ends, keep off any kick plates, and just keep an eye on it. And if possible, make sure the grade is away from the house, and particularly away from this door.

   BTW, I really liked that JLC article you mentioned. Give those ideas a try.

   Good luck!

   Tim

1. 
   homebaseboston | Oct 13, 2005 03:50am | #12

   i just picked up some brass screening!  like to find out where to get those borate inserts, though.  great idea.

   think i'm going to go with the fir and take my chances.  i like wood doors.  heck i just like wood.  guess it just comes down to that.

   a friend of mine, who is a tremendous high end carp, just emailed that he used the rogue valley doors on his own house and likes them alot.  my yard said that the finish the doors ship with is second to none.  we shall see.

   thanks all.

   brian_____________________________HomeBase______________  LLC

    

2. 
   stinger | Oct 13, 2005 04:22am | #13

   Get a flush steel door for that opening.  If you want a good one, get your dealer to quote you one from Benchmark at 22 gage.

   Cheap steel doors have a skin thickness of .018 inches, "better" or "premium" doors are at .021, but the Benchmark can be had in a skin thickness of about .030.

   It's ends and edges are steel, also, not wood.  Very tough and durable.  The factory primer holds paint very well.

6. 
   Speedcoper02 | Oct 13, 2005 04:57am | #14

   If your planning on stain you might try Helmsman or sikkens as they are rated for boats and good layer of varnish making sure you take the sweep off and replace before installation