We are trying to choose entry doors and garage doors for our new home. We decided to go with a Therma Tru entry door and Clopay garage doors. Both would be stained - I would have liked a walnut color, but Clopay only has two choices, dark and medium oak. We then decided on a natural oak TT entry door which seems to match the best. The problem is, we will have no idea whether they will match (and they are in close proximity, so they need to match) until we get them. Any suggestions are appreciated!

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.

I have a fiberglass garage door in white, and while I love the look, the insulating qualities, & light weight (easier on the opener's motor than heavy wood), I wouldn't want it in a faux wood look. When I researched entry doors, it seemed like the big complaint about wood-look fiberglass is that it fades after time and needs to be restained periodically. I wouldn't want to do that for a big garage door. The gel staining wouldn't be too difficult, but applying the UV resistant poly coats would give me pause. A wood door's maintenance would be just as demanding, and wood is heavier (needs more powerful door openers) and is prone to warping (which is why we got rid of our old wood doors). I would think a steel door in a faux wood finish would have the same maintenance issues as fiberglass. It's not so much the door material as the coating on it -- stains & poly don't stand up to heat, sun, rain, & snow well. So just as long as you know what you're getting into. A wood look door may well be worth the effort & expense to you. And maybe your DIY skills are way better than mine! Wood garage doors seem to be the fashion now. Over in Advice, many are asking how to update their homes. The popular answers are 1. Don't paint the brick, it's a maintenance hassle; 2. Replace your garage door with a stained wood door. I question the responses because in my experience, it's the opposite: stained wood garage doors are a maintenance hassle, but painted brick is not if prepped well (is in good condition, sparkling clean and bone dry before painting).

A stained wood-look finish would add a lot of warmth and character to the brick. Adding windows to your garage door would brighten up the garage and make the side of the house feel more welcoming. Clopay's Gallery Collection garage doors https://www.clopaydoor.com/gallerysteel and Canyon Ridge Collection with Ultra-Grain finish https://www.clopaydoor.com/canyonridgeultragrain look amazing. They are insulated and low-maintenance so rooms above the garage will be more comfortable. If you want a painted door, check out the Coachman Collection. https://www.clopaydoor.com/coachman Clopay offers complementing fiberglass front doors so you can coordinate style and finish. https://www.clopaydoor.com/entry-door You can use our Door Imagination System to upload a photo of your home and try on different door styles to see how they look. https://www.clopaydoor.com/door-imagination-system Professional dealers are located throughout the US and Canada. https://www.clopaydoor.com/where-to-buy/residential Here are some photos submitted by homeowners. Hope this helps!