[Diva of DIY]

Hi, all! I've used the advice on this forum SO MANY times in the past but just decided to join today because I have somewhat of a dilemma. In 2012, I purchased a new fiberglass door and sidelight which I stained and polyurethaned myself. The door turned out beautifully except I accidentally spilled most of the poly before finishing the sidelight. I recently realized, after wondering why only the sidelight started to peel, that I purchased a water-based poly to finish it. :vs_mad: It simply couldn't stand up to the direct, Florida, evening sunlight, which is no surprise. Regardless, my dilemma is two fold since I've decided to strip/restain/poly the sidelight: Is there a way I can strip the poly/stain without stripping the surrounding trim (which is the light tan area in the pic) AND if I essentially need to remove the sidelight, what can I place in the space (for security purposes) as I can't just leave a gaping hole there for days? Any suggestions would be a great help at this point!!!!

 

[Jmayspaint]

What I've done when stripping stuff like that is to tape the adjacent surfaces your not stripping. Start with a layer or two of blue painters tape and put duck tape over that.

The duck tape will resist the stripping chemicals well enough to get the job done, though it is a gooey mess when you remove it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Diva of DIY]

Oooooooh, great idea! Thx for the advice, Jmayspaint!!! Also, I wonder if I could get away with using an oil-based poly over a water-based poly (for the parts I don't have to restain)....anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Nestor_Kelebay]

You might find some difficulty in buying an oil based polyurethane. I know that alkyd products are generally not available anymore (except for alkyd primers and high gloss alkyds for painting metal). An "oil based" polyurethane is nothing more than an alkyd resin with urethane groups inside it making it stronger and harder just like the roll cage on a racing car makes the car stronger in a crash and harder to crush. I don't see why the EPA wouldn't treat alkyd based polyurethanes any different than alkyd based paints. So, if you can still buy an "oil based" polyurethane (pronounced "alkyd based polyurethane") where you live, then buy it while you still can.

I'm wondering if you actually used a water based polyurethane. From what I know, those are available for hardwood floors, and I'm not familiar with those products.

I'm wondering if it wasn't a product called Polycrylic, which I think is made by MinWax. Polycrylic is basically a cross-linking latex paint that dries to a clear high gloss finish. Because it gives you a clear hard coating, people refer to it as a water based "varnish", or even a water based "polyurethane" even though it doesn't have any urethane linkages in it.

I don't see why you can't use an oil based polyurethane over the water based product you have. To my mind, doing that wouldn't be a lot different than applying an oil based paint over a latex paint. People used to do that all the time when alkyd paints were still available.

 

[Diva of DIY]

Nestor, thx for the detailed explanation…obviously, your knowledge is quite extensive. Just to clarify, when I say “oil-based poly”, I’m referring to a product called ZAR® Ultra Exterior Oil-Based Polyurethane. I believe this will give me the max protection I need. Another mistake I initially made was using a water-based poly over an oil-based stain as using an oil-based stain is a necessity when working with fiberglass.

 

[ToolSeeker]

Oil based poly is still available in Fla. as is oil primer.

 

[Diva of DIY]

Yep and plenty of it!!! Thx to everyone for all the great advice so far!!!!

 

[spraygunn]

Hey Diva,
I’ve experienced the same problem as you. It only flakes off on the glass moldings. The molding must be wiped down with lacquer thinner prior to the finishing process . It will greatly improve the adhesion of the top coat. As for the top coats...for years I would only consider using an oil base varnish. It was difficult for me to even consider using a vinyl acrylic varnish. Finding the right one is the challenge. Now that I have switched, I would never go back to oil. The exterior vinyl acrylics will outlast the oil varnishes by far. I have gone back and inspected doors I finished 2-3-4 years back and they look as good as they did the day I finished them, providing the homeowner shows proper care. A minimum of three coats are recommended.
One note of caution, the exterior vinyl acrylic varnishes are difficult to work with compared to oil based varnishes. There is little room for error and no going back to touch up unless you want to totally re-coat the entire door. There are two products I would recommend looking into... General Finishes “Exterior 450" in multiple sheens or Target Coatings “EM2000 series”. If I had to split hairs I prefer the Target Coatings mainly because the EM2000 series is a hybrid product of oil and acrylic. It’s comparatively expensive to other like products, but IMO worth it. Most importantly they are formulated for exterior use.
www.generalfinishes.com and www.targetcoatings.com

 

[spraygunn]

One more thing I neglected to mention...if you plan to chemically strip the fiberglass, you should know there are special strippers formulated strictly for fiberglass. Using a regular stripper may be too potent and can damage the fiberglass. Also if you choose to follow my suggestion with regard to using the lacquer thinner, be sure to use rubber gloves made to withstand chemicals. Also make sure you’re in a well ventilated area....I’ve always said when using lacquer products, “where else can you come to work, get high and get paid for it?”

 

[Diva of DIY]

Spraygunn, such AWESOME advice! I've NEVER come across anything on the internet about vinyl acrylics! This is great to know. Also, I do know that fiberglass stripping requires a methylene chloride-based product. Will definitely do more research on vinyl acrylics!

 

[spraygunn]

http://www.tcpglobal.com/KLEGAF354.html?sc=115&category=2996028#.VpLgXFLPz0k

 

[Diva of DIY]

Hey, everybody! Here I am again, three years later, with the same problem I had back in 2016. I can't even believe it! I actually started another post about this and a couple folks did reach out with advice. Regardless, I'll make a long story short. I finally took the issue back to the company in which I bought the sidelight. After being passed around to three different individuals, they "guessed" that since the sidelight insert is white (underneath the peeling stain), that I must've been given a paintable insert with my fiberglass sidelight. WHAAAAAAT? I was livid! They explained that the manufacturing facility should've treated the paintable insert to accept stain. After griping, complaining and going to the owner, who chose to ignore me, a PlastPro rep offered me a can of spray called Stain Mate which hardens in five days and is supposed to make any paintable surface able to be stained. Funny, I can't even find this product online and no one in the industry has ever heard of it. I spoke to Sherwin Williams and they recommended their Extreme Bond Primer and Resilience Exterior Acrylic Latex if I chose to paint the insert instead. They also told me I didn't need a coat of poly, either. It freaked me out but they insisted I didn't. WOW! Just an FYI to everyone...interesting to know how the door/sidelight industry works.

 

[stick\shift]

Wow, hadn't seen Nestor's name on a post in quite a while. He did get long-winded sometimes but he knew his stuff.