Painting Fiberglass Door

saggdevil

Hi guys
Do I need to do anything different in painting a fiberglass door?

I plan to prime with 1-2-3 and cover with white semi-gloss to match kitchen trim.

Thanks

chrisn

Scruff it up with some sand paper first,and of course wipe it clean

saggdevil

Thanks Chris...door being installed next week and wanted to be ready to paint it.

And in process of stripping another 96 years worth of wallpaper in the foyer, lol. Just started a little section but so far, it's not coming off as easily as the LR. LR seemed thicker, guess it had more layers which I think worked to my advantage. Having a friend do the mud work this time as he's been doing it 21 years and soooooooooooo much faster than I and he does beautiful work. Now if I can come up with the bottom section of the banisters (mine was lost in garage fire some time back).
Ahhhhhh the dilemas of an older house, lol. They are so beautiful though.

saggdevil

By the way, is the fiberglass door the best way to go as opposed to the steel doors? It looks more like wooden doors (and older doors) and I assumed it to be sturdier since the steel doors can dent, scratch, etc.

Opinions please, as I will pick this up Monday.

chrisn

Do you have the option of a solid wood door? I am betting all the rest in your house are. Ah, the trails of the old home. Ours at one point had French doors between the dining room and foyer( the brass locking pin things were still in the floor and door frame. What did someone do with them? Who knows, but we had a good carpenter come in and he made us a set, very nice but expensive.Trying to make this old house as original as possible, although tedious, has it's rewarding moments , as I am sure you are finding out.

saggdevil

YES I AM ! ! ! Oh well, challenges are opportunities right? LOL
It's hard to beat the beautiful craftsmanship of older homes; it's either unavailable or unaffordable in todays world. Amazing what men could do a hundred years ago with limited hand tools as compared to today's world with any tool imaginable.

Actually I've been unable to find a wooden door to use. This is the kitchen door going onto the enclosed back porch. Also, I like the idea of having the blind enclosed in the glass (no dusting, lol). The door actually resembles the older wooden doors. The one there now has two solid panels on bottom and three smaller ones across the top of those then the top half is glass. Worse case senario would be to take the one from the basement door and put the old one down there. Just not sure what to do from here, lol. I just don't think a metal door will do. . .has too much of a newer or comtemporary look.

Speaking of the french doors...I have a set between LR and Foyer and another set between LR and DR. They were put in years ago...they put a panel over the opening where the pocket doors are (guess they are still in walls). The doors are beautiful, but I'd really like to see the pocket doors.
Sometimes it's a pain to move things to use the doors. Oh well, the beauty is definitely there.

Now if I can come up with the bottom half of the banisters, lol. (this house was duplexed in yesteryear and I removed the petition at top of stairs). The originial one was lost in garage fire 20 yrs ago.

Chemist1961

I picked up a brand new, prehung exterior fibreglass door from the Habitat Re store this year...$175, yes brand new. I couldn`t pass on this baby, right size and hinged on the proper side, still in a shipping brace .It was custom made without a threshold so before buying I contacted the local supplier who donated it to see if they can supply a threshold. They suggested I come to their factory showroom for stain info as there are recommended coatings.Haven`t been yet but I think this applies mainly to stain but I also work with a custom builder who told me to stop into his specialty paint shop as well for the ``proper`` stain . He just hung a set that must me 8`tall.

The only problem I have now is that once I do the install my future patio doors, almost adjacent will likely need to match so $$$$$$ for them

Might be a good idea to double check at a good paint store just in case there is a preferred undercoat.

FYI the fibreglass that I have seen locally looks beautiful and is said to resist warping from heat and moisture and provides better insulation according to the manufacturer