A neighbor went through several doors due to hot afternoon sun (west facing). The steel door worked well but got hot enough to burn appendages. They settled on fiberglass as it had a good combination of features for them (durability and doesn't-get-hot-enough-to-burn-your-hand).

Steel and 100% Acrylic Exterior paint should hold up well, and is easy to repaint.Most steel doors come factory primed (ready to paint).

Maybe best to avoid Fiberglass, as it requires regular maintenance, and are difficult to restore once the varnish starts to become problematic. UV degrades varnish unless maintained every 3-5 years.

Exterior Wood Doors are expensive (but can be beautiful). The only reason to go with wood is if you want to show it off (stained and varnished). If you varnish a door it requires regular maintenance, as all clear varnish is susceptible to breaking down in UV, and typically not ideal for exteriors.

FYI - Fiberglass doors should not be sanded, and strippers can damage them if left on too long.

On the inside, they usually wear fine, but there is risk for damage around the door handle, and the stain is not easily repairable (the new and old stain does not blend)

I've never had any issue with sanding a fiberglass door. Or fiberglass anything. Or with any type of coating for it either. :) I have an in house restored 71 fiberglass Corvette with zero issues holding paint, and the average exterior door gets far less weather exposure than a car. I'd be curious as to what specific issues you have with fiberglass, and what products that you are using that do not react well to it.

I’d be curious to know which manufactures of fiberglass doors are most reputable. Anyone have any experience with Steve’s Doors aka Steve’s & Sons?

http://www.stevesdoors.com/exterior-doors/

Also, someone had mentioned issues with heavy handleset hardware i.e., Baldwin, maintaining integrity over time on a fiberglass door. Anyone care to address this?

Btw, about now my door rep is wore out!

"Btw, about now my door rep is wore out!"

Nah,

just increasing his margins on every change..........

We receive calls to repair Fiberglass doors fairly often (Wisconsin, Zone 5).

Painting contractors do not wants to handle repairing Fiberglass, because they are time-consuming (stain must dry 24 before re-coat and varnish requires a day to dry between coats), and because there is only a fair rate of success when completed...also difficult to be profitable on such projects, without charging more than the door cost.

I will try to upload a couple pics again a little later, for some reason they are not loading right now.

If a person is good about maintenance (regular re-varnishing) they are nice looking. I may be biased because I only see the bad ones.

"I've never had any issue with sanding a fiberglass door. Or fiberglass anything. I'd be curious as to what specific issues you have with fiberglass,"

Enough already! Sanding fiberglass create's airborne particles that if inhaled cause serious health problems. Have you never took time to read the label on body repair products used to repair your little 2 seater? Who want's to buy and use all those safty apparatuses just to refinish their front door? Before you tell me about your dust mask,that doesn't address particles that cover your body and surrounding area waiting to be disturbed and inhaled. Fiberglass doors can be beautiful but let's not skew common sense.

sanding can damage the texture that gives it the wood grain look, and in the crevices are trapped pigment.

*Just do a search on 'damaged fiberglass doors' and it will be evident what happens UV compromises the varnish.

Hi, Chris, JudyG here.

I take it that you have not been happy with all the responses you have received on your posts? You know steel is not the answer. That is what you have now. Too hot.

What’s going on? We have been trying to help you.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/which-of-these-two-doors-compliments-the-home-and-is-more-current-dsvw-vd~4883145[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/which-of-these-two-doors-compliments-the-home-and-is-more-current-dsvw-vd~4883145)

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/entry-door-color-advise-whats-modern-and-compliments-the-home-dsvw-vd~4888177[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/entry-door-color-advise-whats-modern-and-compliments-the-home-dsvw-vd~4888177)

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/do-i-paint-the-door-door-transom-door-sidelight-transom-brickmould-dsvw-vd~4874950[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/do-i-paint-the-door-door-transom-door-sidelight-transom-brickmould-dsvw-vd~4874950)

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4885331/can-i-paint-a-brand-new-prehung-mahogany-front-entry-door-right-away

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4884116/does-this-door-go-with-this-house

I know it and y’all have been very helpful. The latest is this; I received a quote of $2035 for an “engineered” hardwood door and sidelight then a $938 quote for a 49x12 transom. I’m trying to upload screenshot (j.peg) but they won’t load for some reason. I’ll post pics of my door when it’s finished, in the meantime here’s my response to the Steve’s Doors rep Jeff.

Hi Jeff, I’m ok with price of the door and sidelight but because the price of the transom is unreasonably high I’m going in a different direction.

Thanks

Sent from my iPad

I was going to try and post my experience here tonight but I will do it tomorrow, can’t end a night working myself all up because to be honest, I am more than a little frustrated at the moment. I am well aware of how many posts I made btw and I’m not get my jollies I can assure you.

Tried uploading the jpeg quotes again with no success also tried previously posted screenshots and they won’t upload. Did I break a houzz law or something? Goodnight all

If that transom is mulled at the factory, that is a very good price. I think the issue here is that you have too many choices and know just enough to focus on the wrong thing and not be able to really pick the wheat from the chaff.

Remember that it is not just about pricing. Service and install need to figure into a decision as well. They are actually more important in any way than a low price. It's why the name brands ha r longevity. They offer a real world ability to back their warrant your with service for the long term.

Your message to the seller of the door appears to be cutting off your nose to spite your face. You should have asked questions and learned why your perceived high quote came in at the number it did. Instead, your frustrations got the better of you. The potential relationship that you could have with a great installer can be ruined in an instant with a snarky note like that.

Livewire, there’s a distinct difference between snarky and pointed. My note was intended to end the business relationship and was appropriate given the informal nature of our correspondence. My response to Jeff was to exhibit agreement with the price of the door while objecting to the price of the transom. Secondly, you’ve assumed the installer is represented in my post which he is not. Much like the business of buying a door, the business of installing the door had me circumvent the retailer and their installers. In that process alone I saved approximately $400-$600 not including some additional rot repairs that don’t exit. So although this leg work can certainly be over whelming, if it saves me money and Im happy with the result, I don’t mind if I’m taken as what the English would call “snarky”. However, there’s an English virtue “mind the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves”, I’m hoping this one suites me precisely. Jeff didn’t get his feelings hurt, Jeff quoted me $250 in an email then sent a quote for $938. Jeff tried to increase his margin. Jeff can do that. Chris can go in another direction. Chris did that.

If you don’t know, that’s snarky

I don’t mean to be curt, especially with people helping and it’s much appreciated. In buying the door or spending the tens of thousands of dollars on other goods and services I’ve learned, above all things, that the people providing those goods and services, especially strangers, should never be taken at face value as we have become a society that has vastly distorted the idiom “you get what you pay for” for justify extracting the most profit for the least amount of goods and services. In fact, hitting a “home run” regardless of whether or not the customer gets what they pay for is the business norm in our society and paying out the nose for something acceptable is the standard. Sad, but true

Elderly and handicap beware, I could tell you stories that would absolutely blow your mind!

In the interest of closing on a more positive note, I’ve had a plethora of excellent service providers thru the years.