Staining Fiberglass Doors in Florida Part 2

Hopefully you have read my earlier blog on the first option of staining fiberglass doors using oil-based Gel Stain and Varnish.

The second option homeowners have instead of using gel stain on fiberglass doors is using paint.

PAINT YOU ASK...I WANT MY DOORS TO LOOK LIKE WOOD, NOT PAINT!

I know that is exactly what you are thinking, however with the right knowledge and skill level of your painting contractor, any door can be made to look like wood using paint.

The most important step in painting a fiberglass door is the very first product used.

Yes, you should first clean and lightly sand your doors, then you apply a coat of PPG Gripper, this is a bonding primer that is applied to the door.  I use this for 2 reasons, it does not void the warranty on your door, but it also bonds to the fiberglass and does not peel off.  I usually have the Gripper tinted to match the base coat of the faux.

Yes, I said faux.  Once the door has been primed with Gripper, I lightly sand and apply 2 coats of a base coat color on the door.  The base coat color will be the undertone for the faux wood grain.   I always use Sherwin Williams Duration or Resilience in a gloss finish.  This this the base coat a high sheen and makes the finish slippery for the faux finish coat.

Then I apply a coat of the topcoat using Sherwin Williams Duration or Resilience in a gloss finish.  Before I start to apply the paint, I thin it out using Floetrol, this slows down the drying time and thins out the paint.  This is exactly what I want.

When I start the faux, I use several chip brushes, wet sponge, and wet rag.

I work from the inside out on the door, meaning I do all the panels first, but one at a time, then move to the next one. I am not going to go into detail as to exactly how I do it, I don’t want to give out my secret, but I keep going over the entire door until I get the desired look the homeowner wants.

I have perfected this finish, so even if a homeowner has an actual wood door that has been stained and painted, I can use this same system and make their wood door look like wood, even though I did it with paint. 

This option should last on a door 5-7 years, depending on the color and sun exposure, but remember the door has 4 coats of a premium grade of Sherwin Williams paint on them. 

Please look at the below pictures, they  are faux finished using paint, not stain.  Can you tell the difference?

• Home
• Home Design
• Ask The Experts
• Gallery
• Painting Services
• Reviews
• Hiring a Painter
• About Us
• Products