Pre-colored wood grain fiberglass doors that look decent?

17 years ago

I am looking to replace a steel door (2'8" wide) with a fiberglass one. This will not be the main entrance door, but a front facing side entrance that will probably see most of the heavy traffic and wear.

I've looked that the Therma-Tru fiberglass entry doors and they are beautiful, but given that the house will still be under renovations (dust/debris) and that it is unoccupied and the door cannot be left open for four days for the gel staining process, I may have to look elsewhere.

Some other really nice doors come ready to stain and can be really expensive. As a side door, I don't want to go crazy with the expenses. I will save that for the main entry door with the sidelights.

I've seen the Feather River doors at Home Depot and I am not impressed. They look very fake, and some of the same-colored samples showed a lot of variety in color. One medium oak door looked very light and one looked appropriately darker. I am told that it is "the luck of the lot". I also saw some doors that had sloppy workmanship, such as window caulking bead that was uneven and ran away from the sealed edge and onto the window. I have also read some discouraging things about the quality of the Feather River doors and the response of both Feather River and HD.

I saw a Masonite Oakcraft pre-colored wood grain door and it wasn't very impressive. The salesman at the store I went to so discouraged the consideration of the Oakcraft that it didn't even pay to discuss it with him further.

Given my perceived complications with a door that needs to be stained, and the poor showing thus far of the pre-colored doors, I may just go with a smooth fiberglass door and paint it, even though the wood grain would complement the kitchen to which it will enter.

The door salesman for Therma-Tru stated that the pre-colored doors are simply spray painted and almost guaranteed to scratch, especially while being installed. He said that fixing such a scratch is like trying to match the paint on your new car that someone scratched. He also stated that the manufacturers cringe when they produce the pre-colored doors but that they are bending to market pressure to offer these "inferior" doors.

Has anyone found happiness with a pre-colored wood grain fiberglass entry door?

Featured Answer

Michael

17 years ago

Precision Entry.

Michael

Comments (9)

hey_starfish
17 years ago
I wouldn't be too quick to jump on the very popular fiberglas door craze too quick. These doors are not maintenance free and will show wear with age. Have you seen a MasterCraft door with the steel skin on the exterior and a real oak wood veneer on the inside? That might be a good upgrade for a door that sees alot of use. MasterCraft is owned by Menards and I believe is exclusive to them. I still like a wood door best.

Here is a link that might be useful: Simpson Door
lbny_rob
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for some feedback.
I know that fiberglass is not the end-all, but given the temperature ranges in the NYC area plus my being two blocks from the ocean, the wood doors can take a beating. As a side door, this will have a storm door in front of it, but no portico, porch or awning.

I was actually thinking about a door with wood on the inside and fiberglass on the outside, if such clad doors do exist. Like this, I can get the look I want on the inside and the increased durability on the outside.

As far as I know, Menards is not anywhere in this side of the world (I will double check though).

Thanks...Rob
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lbny_rob
Original Author
17 years ago
Michael,
there is one rather local dealer of Precision Entry products, so I will try to visit them.

You seem to REALLY like their products and recommend them frequently. Thanks for the heads up. In the usual course of looking around, they are not an obvious find- unlike Pella, Therma-Tru, Masonite and a few others which can be found in abundance.

Rob
Michael
17 years ago
rob,

It's the ONLY door we offer! You don't notice them because they don't spend billions on advertising trying to convince you to buy it. They are only available through a reliable home improvement network of contractors. Yet, their annual sales approach $78 million dollars.

When you see it, compare the quality and price to the others that you mention and WHAM..sold!

Michael
lbny_rob
Original Author
17 years ago
Quite a testimonial!

I'd love to prove you right!

Rob
lbny_rob
Original Author
17 years ago
I went to the local Precision Entry door dealer this weekend. As far as realism, the factory stained wood grain fiberglass doors looked nicer than the Masonite Oaklite versions and leaps and bounds better than the Feather River product at Home Depot. They did not look as real as end-user stained Therma-Tru doors- but they are obviously marketed to people that for a number of reasons have eliminated the "do-it-yourself" fiberglass staining options.

What is interesting is that you can choose a different color or stain for the inside and outside panels of the door.

The door is not inexpensive (not a complaint, but an observation- it seems to be a better value than the fractionally cheaper Feather River doors I saw at Home Depot!). I was quoted $1650 for a half-lite fiberglass 32" door with the Lehigh glass (uninstalled and no lock hardware). A similar Therma-Tru was about $1000 or so, but would come unstained. If you factored in hired someone to stain the door, I expect that the cost narrows slightly.

The storm doors offered by the parent company of Precision Entry were very nice too.

In the end, $1650 is more than I planned to spend for a door that will not be THE "showcase" door, but may just be one of those cost adjustments I need to consider.

I'll have to think about it, but again, I was impressed with the Precision Entry offerings.
brand5880
16 years ago
Mastercraft now makes 3 different kinds of fiberglass doors you may want to take a look.

Here is a link that might be useful: MidwestManufacturing (AKA Mastercraft)
reaganreilly
2 years ago
Michael, what’s the website for Precision?

Pre-colored wood grain fiberglass doors that look decent?

Michael

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Pre-colored wood grain fiberglass doors that look decent?

Michael

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