Staining Fiberglass Doors in Florida with a Gel Stain

Thermatru front doors are a very durable and beautiful door to have installed on your home.

They have many designs with and without various types of glass.  When they are installed there is no type of coating on them, and many homeowners would like their doors to look like wood. There are two ways to have this done, one is much more durable than the other.

The first option is to have the doors stained using a Gel Stain.  Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, Lowe’s and Home Depot all carry different types of Gel Stain.   Once the door has been stained then a clear sealer is applied to seal and protect the stain.  The sealer is usually an oil-based varnish.

There are several problems using Gel Stain process, the stain and varnish are oil based, and oil-based products attract mold very easily in Florida.  In a matter of months, especially in rainy season you will see your doors starting to turn darker, sort of black.  What this is, is mold.  It is easily removed by washing your doors with a bleach and water solution, then rinsing with clean water.  The second problem you have, especially if your doors get any type of exposure to the sun is fading, cracking, and alligatoring.  Oil based gel stains and varnish have no UV protection.  When the sun hits the doors, the fiberglass doors will expand and contract, the oil-based gel stain and varnish does not expand and contract.  Over time this is when the finish on the doors starts to fade and crack.  The only way to fix this problem is to strip the doors and start over.

Watch for next weeks blog on the second option to staining fiberglass doors in Florida.

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