Chiming in here, as we're in the thick of a remodel and I am feeling desperate for help with 3 fiberglass doors we have inside our home that lead to outside. We're replacing all other interior doors with white shaker doors, however these 3 have me stumped. They are wood grain, stained doors, 1 is our front door with 2 side panels with windows, 1 is a French patio door, and the final has a window panel middle. Is it possible to just gel stain them? Do I have to strip them bare? If I don't stain, is there a painting process? We have just finished the awful sanding and stripping process of our entire staircase and it was a miserably filthy dusty ordeal. I am so dreading any additional stripping, but I also know we want to do things correct the first time. Help please!

Hi! I am quietly observing! Ha! You are all right in some way---the roof is definately gray. The door is NOT centered and the mailbox does belong to the left of the door (the wider side). I really don't know what the original builders were thinking to not make it centered, but it was going to entail way too much to change it when we resided. Our intensions are to put the house up for sale this summer/fall. We bought it and slowly redid the entire house inside and out-now we're feeling the need to get to the country - and likely start all over again! :) With all of that said-I'm not looking to spend a TON of money, but we will definately be painting the porch, putting the window boxes up, painting the door, putting new lights/lanterns up, and a new mailbox mounted to the house. Thank you so much for all your help...I will definately post pictures of our progress!! We're starting on it this weekend!

I didn't care for the Thermatru stain (found a returned kit at HD) - too thin - and definitely prefer Cetol to the Thermatru top coat. Cetol held up much better to sun and rain than the sample (wood) I did with Thermatru. Thermatru's is water-based, Cetol is oil-based and I guess maybe I'm just biased - I don't think there is such a thing as a good exterior water-based clear coat. Faron recommended the Cetol so that's what I used. I only bought the kit (wrong stain color) for the sample FG piece and the brushes, but the brushes were cheap too. Didn't have luck with Minwax gel (too thick) but as baby bear said, the Zar was "just right!" - a neighbor used it (different color) with great results on his FG door, so I took his recommendation. I know a lot of people use gel stains, but I think the gels might just all be too thick for a novice to use on FG, the Zar went on like paint and was very easy to dry brush. As it says in the link, it's all in the technique.

I'm thinking the shutters would look good black. Plus, those dormer windows should probably have a black line around the white trim to sort of point them up. Are you getting a door with glass panes across the top? Small squares, maybe 3 or 4 across the top? If so, that might look nice in black also, or perhaps a deep "jet" green. You need to change that single light into a pair of lantern, one on either side. Your house is an adorable little classic cape, and I really like it. If you are in the northeast where you have a snowy winter, I also suggest that you replace the narrow steps and wrought iron railings. Widen the steps to the full width of the stoop, and then have the railings come straight down from the brick wall all the way to the ground. You will need some railings to hold on to with the snow piling up there. Keep the wroughtiron black. Neat as a pin. Love your house.