Staining fiberglass door? - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

painttofish · 09-29-2007, 09:15 PM

wondering what the best tech is to staining a fiberglass door. I have heard dry brushing gel stain is the best way. any tips to further that idea wood be helpful!!!

johnthepainter · 09-29-2007, 10:23 PM

i dont like to use gel stains on fiberglass doors,,,,,,,and when im done with them they look outstanding,,,

if you dry brushed a fiberglass door with a gel stain, my guess is that it would look very light in color, and not very uniform

i wash the door

then mask off the glass and weatherstrip at bottom

i drive 2 lag bolts into each end of the door (be careful not to drive it thru the face,,,drive em nice and straight)

rest the lagbolts on horses

now brush on a light coat of stain from the therma tru door kit, and wipe off excess,,,,,the object is to just fill in the grain at this point,,,,,carefully flip door and repeat

let dry

next step is to shoot on a very nice neat even coat with a cup gun and turbine,,,,,,,turn your material waaaaayyyyy down,,,,,

tip it off gently with a brush,,,,,,,dress it up nicely,,,,,this is the money shot,,,dont screw this coat up,,,,,,,,,,,,flip and repeat

let dry, and shoot it with the clear provided in the therma tru door kit or stays clear from minwax minimum of 2 coats,,,,prefer 3

i prefer the stain included in the therma tru kit over ANY OTHER stain,,,,,if i could find somthing that replicates it, i would try it

you can get these kits from most lumber yards,,,

when your done, they should look identical to a wood door

johnthepainter · 09-29-2007, 10:30 PM

ive got at least one pic on my site that shows a "horse" that the door pivots on,,,,,,one screw in each end,,,,,,one man easily flips the door,,,,,,

i use saw horses and 4 lags when im in a pinch at a customers house,,,but have a pivot- type horse at the shop,,,,easy to build, and youll have it for life

jackrabbit5 · 09-30-2007, 04:49 PM

I've never really cared for the ThermaTru kits myself. I prefer the Old Masters gel stains. I apply it sparingly by brush and then, using a dry brush start taking it off and blotting the brush on a rag to remove the stain from it. It can be tedious work, but no more so than the ThermaTru kits. And I have more color options as well. For the finish I'll use a satin polyurethane for interiors or marine spar for exteriors (I always recommend that exteriors be painted for better durability but the customer wants what the customer wants).

PAINTWERKS · 09-30-2007, 06:43 PM

That looks great.

Is that just one coat of stain.

Dan

jackrabbit5 · 09-30-2007, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAINTWERKS

That looks great.

Is that just one coat of stain.

Dan

Yes, one coat of gel stain and 2 coats polyurethane.

johnthepainter · 09-30-2007, 10:33 PM

and i wasnt kidding when i said id try somthing if it replicated the look i get from the therma tru kit,,,,,,

and that door looks great,,,,,,

jatweedy · 04-10-2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackrabbit5

I've never really cared for the ThermaTru kits myself. I prefer the Old Masters gel stains. I apply it sparingly by brush and then, using a dry brush start taking it off and blotting the brush on a rag to remove the stain from it. It can be tedious work, but no more so than the ThermaTru kits. And I have more color options as well. For the finish I'll use a satin polyurethane for interiors or marine spar for exteriors (I always recommend that exteriors be painted for better durability but the customer wants what the customer wants).

I agree, gel stain is the most efficient way to go and old masters has a variety of colors to mix for the right color.

4thGeneration · 04-10-2009, 09:33 PM

Door looks really good. I love Man O'War® Spar Marine Varnish.
A customer once asked of its durability. I emphasized "MARINE"

StefanC · 04-15-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackrabbit5

I've never really cared for the ThermaTru kits myself. I prefer the Old Masters gel stains. I apply it sparingly by brush and then, using a dry brush start taking it off and blotting the brush on a rag to remove the stain from it. It can be tedious work, but no more so than the ThermaTru kits. And I have more color options as well. For the finish I'll use a satin polyurethane for interiors or marine spar for exteriors (I always recommend that exteriors be painted for better durability but the customer wants what the customer wants).

I use the same technique when I do them, I've had good luck with the Therma-Tru kits and the Zar stains