Front Doors...steel or fiberglass???

[mtemm]

this is not about a debate, I just know very little about either and am trying to learn the pros and cons about each. We live in the northeast, and probably will forgo a storm door since the current door on the house has severe sun damage.

I appreciate any insight you all can provide!

 

[ToyStory Fan]

I have a fiberglass (Therma-Tru) door and absolutely love it. No one can tell it is fiberglass, it takes stain that well (we did ours in a Cherry stain). If you are going with no storm door (same as us) I'd absolutely go fiberglass over the steel. I think it feels more like a solid soor, where a steel door still feels a little flimsy (it is after all only two thin sheets sandwiched around foam) The steel will dent and ding easier.

I'd recommend 2 things one is a nice brass kickplate for either door you decide on, and if you do go with a steel door, find out about having it painted at an auto body shop, the finish will be much more durable and uniform.

 

[mtemm]

thanks! those are good points. Question, do you buy the kickplates separately, or does the door come with them? Also, do you only put them on the inside, or does it go on the outside, too? (probably a dumb question, but hey, I have no idea!)

I would like it painted, not stained. Are fiberglass doors easy to paint? Do they come already primed at least?

 

[poohandwendy]

thanks! those are good points. Question, do you buy the kickplates separately, or does the door come with them? Also, do you only put them on the inside, or does it go on the outside, too? (probably a dumb question, but hey, I have no idea!)

I am almost positive kickplates are always separate. We have them on both the inside and outside. Be sure to use screws that will not rust (we learned the hard way). The package comes with ones that DO rust.

We bought a steel door a few years ago, love it, but it does have a small dent in it...annoys me. I am pretty sure painting is pretty much easy with both. (not sure about the primer issue though)

 

[RNMOM]

We just bought a steel door. We plan to be in this house only 2-3 more years and didn't want the extra expense. It got two dings just getting it home.

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Originally posted by mtemm
thanks! those are good points. Question, do you buy the kickplates separately, or does the door come with them? Also, do you only put them on the inside, or does it go on the outside, too? (probably a dumb question, but hey, I have no idea!)

I would like it painted, not stained. Are fiberglass doors easy to paint? Do they come already primed at least?

We have the kick plate on the outside only, and it was separate. I think you can paint them too, but we wanted a natural "wood" look to the door. Therma-Tru in particular has their own "finishing" system that you order with the door, it has a stain/paint and a gelcoat that goes over the top. The door is not primed, it is a prepared fiberglass finish ready to take stain.

You can find out more here http://www.thermatru.com

I'm actually upset that the new house we are buying has a steel door, I really like my FG door. Almost forgot the FG doors are NOT cheap...I think ours (we got the Classic Craft CC79 door with sidelights) cost us about $2,400(plus installation).

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

I got a new fiberglass one at Home Depot for $169! It has the fan shaped window up top with the leaded glass design. I love it!(I only wish I had gotten brown instead of white!)

Steel doors ding too easily for my taste.

 

[believe]

We just bought a prestained fiberglass door at Home Depot. So far we love it and have received several compliments on it.

 

[Bildmouse]

We chose the fg door because it has a better insulation factor and it looks like wood. We chose to stain it to match our interior trim but you can also paint. We have been very happy with it!

 

[mtemm]

okay, so what is the difference between a fg door that costs $2400 and one that costs $169???? What a huge difference!!! How much more was your installation????

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

My door is made by Stanley. If I would have had them install it then it would have been an additional $129. Friends of mine did it for a case of beer. (way cheaper and they did not get the beer until the job was done! LOL) They do this for a living.

 

[believe]

okay, so what is the difference between a fg door that costs $2400 and one that costs $169???? What a huge difference!!! How much more was your installation????

Cost is determined by size of door, prestaining of door, special orders and installation. Our door was a basic door, prestained, without the side pieces and cost around $450.00. Some doors are actually 3 pieces and those cost the most, especially if they have to be special ordered. If you have the door stained at the factory it can also increase your cost. Our installation was $100.00, they were running a deal at the time.

I would not have it installed by a friend unless they did it for a living. If the door is not installed correctly it can allow rain to get into the trim and cause water damage.

 

[mtemm]

thanks, that makes sense. We don't need the side pieces, so that should help with the cost, anyway. $450 is about what I expected to pay, and the $100 installation sounds worth it to me!

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Ours was a special order, with 1/2 panel leaded glass oval, and matching sidelights (both sides), additionally we opted for the upgraded hardwood framing (vs pine) and the entire door assembly was delivered as a single unit (so it was partially assembled at the factory).

I'm surprised to hear the low install prices, the Home Depot near me charges about $600 for doors with sidelights.