coffeehaus - what type of "locking system" do you have? I didn't know Thermatru sold locksets - thought you always had to buy those separately. We have a Thermatru FiberClassic door. I ordered it prefinished but builder didn't. I stained it myself, didn't come out too badly except I should have worn a hairnet b/c I got hair in the stain and you can't touch up the door after the stain has dried. the few little spots I nicked I had to dab stain on with a toothpick, artist's brush didn't even work. Sorry, hadn't put the knob back on for this pic (was going to change HW but I have to interior side of door first - that's going to be a Honey Maple to match interior doors). Closeup of grain (with a piece of my interior trim - colors don't work together!)

I need to replace an exterior french door that is exposed to the elements. It seems like everyone in this area (Central Florida) recommends and sells PlastPro. I am also considering Therma Tru Smooth Star or Fiber Classic fiberglass. Does anyone have personal experience with either product? I would love advice from the experts, as well.

Two years ago we replaced the steel Jeld-Wen door in our 1996 built home. It was rotting around the base. This was a door with sidelights and elliptical window above. Cost of steel door was around $5700 plus installation. We couldn't find any other dealers/brands that could "fit" the opening in our brick home or were interested in dealing with it. Needless to say even the new Jeld-Wen door didn't quite fit as expected after numerous measurements by dealers before ordering. If you're getting a door with sidelights make sure it's a continuous seal along the bottom. That helps so the dividers don't wick up moisture & rot. We also went with a non-wood product so the dividers won't rot plus it's covered so we'll never need to paint. We went with a factory paint finish on the door that I hated after installation so immediately had an auto body company repaint. We've had no problems with denting in the 14 years of a steel door on any of our doors. I do use a magnetic door plate at the base- ordered from Amazon I think. We have had problems with leaking with both the old Jeld-Wen and the new Jeld-Wen door around the windows when we get a hard driving horizontal rain. Recently I took some auto-sealant around the windows on the exterior to seal any cracks and that seems to have solved the problem. We went with steel because we get direct sunlight from the south and don't have any major overhang to protect the door. We were told the fiberglass would fade and perhaps have more problems than the steel. We were also told not to get a storm door due to the heat build-up. Hope this helps a little. I have no experience with the other brands or fiberglass. Therma-tru was the brand I wanted to get at replacement, but their elliptical was a different shape. In hindsight, I kind of wish we had a fiberglass. We have an oval window that the guys in our house wanted. Now wish we had a full rectangle - it seems to be more modern. Good luck with your decision.

Thanks for the information. The install is a full frame replacement and includes haul away of the door. We were leaning towards the factory painting because of the smooth finish. I have a Mastercraft door going into my garage that has the same type of finish. It is 6v years old and looks brand new. I did look at the Provia too. Just seemed like overkill for the spot where I am installing. The location where we are installing the door only is used during the summer, is well protected, and cant bee seen from front or back of house. I really wanted natural light for the laundry room.