# ReFinishing exterior Fiberglass Door



## [email protected] (Sep 4, 2008)

Hey folks, I posted the same question here a while back and got a couple replies... I have stained fiberglass entry doors in the past (new const.) and have good success... I am currently trying to re-finish a door that was stained some 15-20 years back...
I took the advise of the repliers and applied a good exterior latex primer...
I then proceeded to try to stain with a gel-stain...(Min-Wax).. 
Guys, I cant get an even consistency... Get dark blobs and light streaks as the gel gumms up...
I am considering re priming and trying a regular stain.. (no gel stain). I dont know what is going on, I sure wish some of you paint pros would help a poor ol contractor out here...lol.. I would like to be able to achieve an golden oak finish. 
Any ideas or questions for Me???
Thanks in advance
Randy
East Tennessee


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## Steve Richards (Mar 7, 2006)

Do you remember...did I reply to you last time you asked this question?


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Hey folks, I posted the same question here a while back and got a couple replies... I have stained fiberglass entry doors in the past (new const.) and have good success... I am currently trying to re-finish a door that was stained some 15-20 years back...
> I took the advise of the repliers and applied a good exterior latex primer...
> I then proceeded to try to stain with a gel-stain...(Min-Wax)..
> Guys, I cant get an even consistency... Get dark blobs and light streaks as the gel gumms up...
> ...


I'm not sure if this would help, but I wouldn't have used a latex primer. I would have stripped the door with 3M Safest Stripper, primed with an exterior oil primer, and then used Old Masters gel stain. How warm was it when you tried to stain the door? I try to do the staining when it's a cool as possible, 50 F or so. That gives me lots of time to get the stain on and evened out before it starts to gum up.


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## [email protected] (Sep 4, 2008)

Steve, I dont remember for sure, but I dont think you did. Noticed you are from Colo. I was born and raised in Greeley. 
As to the 2nd reply, the temps have been running upper 80 to 90 degrees., I distictively remember a couple of posts advising me to use latex primer. One poster recommended regular min wax stain while the other liked the gel. My biggest problem is getting a good even consistency.. I even got a china bristle brush and used it to dry brush with while constantly wiping it on a dry cloth. I wonder how the factory does it. They must spray it.
I have a Graco sprayer, but dont think or know what type tip one would use with a gel-stain. In fact I dont guess it would go through. Do you think I should try to strip it or prime again and start over. My ears are wide open.
Thanks,
Randy


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## Steve Richards (Mar 7, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> I am considering re priming and trying a regular stain..


regular acrylic latex stain, I hope.
"regular" stain needs to penetrate, your primer (and the fiberglass) won't let it.




[email protected] said:


> Steve, I dont remember for sure, but I dont think you did.


Good!
That means I didn't already give you any crappy advice.:w00t:





[email protected] said:


> Noticed you are from Colo. I was born and raised in Greeley.


I was there a couple months ago... smelled like cow poop.


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## Steve Richards (Mar 7, 2006)

Steve Richards said:


> I was there a couple months ago... smelled like cow poop.


The town...not me

well, maybe me too a little bit.


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

We end up staining (and restaining) a fair number of fiberglas doors and we stick with a solvent-based system, rather than acrylic. When we re-stain, or have to have a different "ground" color because of the final color the client wants, we use an oil-based primer/enamel undercoater (exterior/interior) and either Old Masters gel stain or a custom color that we make from scratch (artists' oil color, linseed oil, drier, mineral spirits). The stains act as glazes, you really don't want them to penetrate. The woodgrain texture on the surface causes more color to stay in some areas and produces the wood look.


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## Steve Richards (Mar 7, 2006)

Thanks Gough..

my post was referring to this line:



[email protected] said:


> I am considering re priming and trying a regular stain.. (no gel stain).


I'm pretty sure it won't work (unless by "regular" he meant acrylic).

You've obviously done more of these than I have...

So you take the lead on this one...:notworthy


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## Steve Richards (Mar 7, 2006)

I'll just stand here in the corner and make little jokes...


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

Steve Richards said:


> Thanks Gough..
> 
> my post was referring to this line:
> 
> ...


Thanks, Steve. It sounds as if you've had better luck with acrylic stains thaI have. I tried them several times, but I've been sticking with solvent-based stains, except for those situations where we can use water-based aniline dyes.

I just hope that my Powerball retirement plan goes into effect before they take all of the oil-based products off the market. No luck so far, but I just got a tip on how to help my chances. I'm going to try buying a ticket....


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## Steve Richards (Mar 7, 2006)

I hate stains!

Customer: "How come this piece of wood looks different from that one? Did you use a different stain on it?"


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

Steve Richards said:


> I hate stains!
> 
> Customer: "How come this piece of wood looks different from that one? Did you use a different stain on it?"


We were staining the doors for a new house and had set up shop in one room. The client called me about how the stain was all wrong. I went back to the job and met with the client. She showed me the doors in question and told me that I clearly forgot to mix the stain thorougly before I used it, because several of the doors looked so different. I explained how we were using an aniline dyestain, which is a solution and doesn't settle out like standard pigment stains. She still wasn't satisfied and remained unhappy about how different several of the doors looked. I shuffled the doors and asked her to pick the ones that looked "wrong". Turns out the ones closest to the window looked different!

She also thought we'd messed up some of her oak door frames. She ended up with some that were quartersawn and thought that the ray pattern was our fault.

I was glad to be done with that one.


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## [email protected] (Sep 4, 2008)

Gough, I am considering stripping the gel stain off...What would be a good solvent to cut it...I will then re prime it with a oil based primer... I plan on tinting the primer... Would you tint it darker or a little lighter than the desired color...
Now the only thing I'm not sure of is what kind of stain to try. I will not be using the Min stuff.. I really dont have alot of choices.. I can get minwax regular stain at lowes.(not gel stain) or I can get Zar at the local builders supply. The only other option is SW paint store and they handle Min Wax. 
Do you brush it on or spray it on. One of the difficult areas is the sidelites.. The top and bottom... the little areas on the edges of the sidelites are no big deal, or they turn out nice.
I have been trying to brush it on and I know you cant wipe it off, It just comes clean.
Thanks for your alls help. These fiberglass doors are killing me... Like I said earlier, I have had pretty good success with new doors, but have never tried to re-finish one.


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Gough, I am considering stripping the gel stain off...What would be a good solvent to cut it...I will then re prime it with a oil based primer... I plan on tinting the primer... Would you tint it darker or a little lighter than the desired color...
> Now the only thing I'm not sure of is what kind of stain to try. I will not be using the Min stuff.. I really dont have alot of choices.. I can get minwax regular stain at lowes.(not gel stain) or I can get Zar at the local builders supply. The only other option is SW paint store and they handle Min Wax.
> Do you brush it on or spray it on. One of the difficult areas is the sidelites.. The top and bottom... the little areas on the edges of the sidelites are no big deal, or they turn out nice.
> I have been trying to brush it on and I know you cant wipe it off, It just comes clean.
> Thanks for your alls help. These fiberglass doors are killing me... Like I said earlier, I have had pretty good success with new doors, but have never tried to re-finish one.


randy

I'd go ahead and remove the stain and the previous primer. We've had good results with 3M Safest Stripper. We usually tint the primer to a little lighter than the final color, with the idea that the stain will darken it some more. If you've got a glass/door shop that you're tight with, you should be able to get some sample pieces to experiment with.

Other than home-made, we only use Old Masters' gel stain. Their website has a dealer locator, so you might be able to find one reasonably close.

We wipe the stain on; brush it out; then dry-brush it with a clean ox-hair brush. We keep wiping the dry-brush with a rag so it doesn't accumulate stain.


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