# Fibrglass door problem



## Ramsden Painting (Jul 17, 2011)

One of my property managers called me in to look at the doors on this small subdivision. The gel coat on the doors are failing. We did not perform any original painting or staining on this project we are just being called in to correct it. It seems from my walk round anything in the shade or protected obviously did much better than the one door I have shown you. Has anybody have this problem will gel coats before?

The few protected by a storm door and the shade look mint. Is there any other project that would work better?
Thanks

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## Ramsden Painting (Jul 17, 2011)

It actually rubs off on your hand as it losses any protection

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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

I've seen similar failures from using interior stain outside. I've seen it go to pot quick even if top coated with ext varnish. I assumed the int stains just couldn't stand the UV's at all. 
Aren't a lot of gel stains interior only?


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## Stonehampaintdept (Jan 10, 2013)

Gel Stains generally have the feature of applying onto fiberglass doors. Never heard of a fiberglass door inside. Only thing I saw on a can of minwax gel stain was to put a spar urethane topcoat for ext use. Which says to me it's not going to hold up outdoors. Clears also have nil UV resistance so the color would still be exposed.


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## Wood511 (Dec 13, 2010)

That's a nice rustic look where it's failing. Some people pay top dollar to get that look!


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

I was a little confused by the OP. So it's not the Gelcoat that's failing, it's the gel stain, right? The Gelcoat is the top layer of the fiberglass door itself.

It looks to me as is there was no topcoat or a very thin one. 

We've gotten good service using Old Master's gel stains and a spar poly, but lately have switched to ThermaTru's Same-Day stain, which seems to be a lot nicer to work with than solvent-based spar poly. Time will tell how it holds up.

We've stripped doors like that with 3M's Safest Stripper and refinished them, although it does take some careful work with a scrub brush to clean the old stain out of the "grain".


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

This does look like an interior gel stain was used with no exterior clear for protection. Are you going to strip it and re gel coat it? Smart Strip worked great for the one we did not long ago.


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## JNLP (Dec 13, 2007)

I think it has to do with not enough protecting and/or not keeping up with it. I see a crapload of them look like that in some of the plans I work around.

Could be blow & go painters just slapping one quick coat of who knows what to make it presentable & get paid. Could also be uninformed or careless owners not hitting it with more urethane as directed each year. Mix them together and it can be a quick disaster.

I do mine by the books & then some and they've all held up great the first year when I return for 1yr service touch ups. A few I have been back to again after 2-3 years though are starting to show some wear and guessing they'll keep on going south from there. I always recommend & offer to do it but most decline saying their husband can do it.


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## CliffK (Dec 21, 2010)

Stonehampaintdept said:


> Gel Stains generally have the feature of applying onto fiberglass doors. Never heard of a fiberglass door inside. Only thing I saw on a can of minwax gel stain was to put a spar urethane topcoat for ext use. Which says to me it's not going to hold up outdoors. Clears also have nil UV resistance so the color would still be exposed.


 We have only used waterborne clears over the gel stains with excellent success. The spar urethanes don't work outside over the gels in the sun and weather in our experience.


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## Ramsden Painting (Jul 17, 2011)

Quick history


. These doors are 5years old and builder already refinished some 3 yrs ago after first failure. Then he walked from the project.(don't know why)

A rep from some company came out recently to look at them but the condo president can't remember his company. And said to use paint thinner on the bad powers and blend in and then restain with a gel stain and blend in to the " good area" that would be the upper doors area. Or if that doesn't work strip them and start new.

I asked if they would paint them as an option, figured sand, oil prime and paint.

Is like to remove the door and recoating in the shop but not an option plus I'd be dealing with 18 different homeowners.

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## Paradigmzz (May 5, 2010)

wipe them down, its a dark gel stain, stain with dark gel stain, marine spar varnish 3 coats. dont overthink it. if you have to, re- gelstain a second coat the next day. access to properties (logistics) is the hardest part of the job.


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## CliffK (Dec 21, 2010)

Ramsden Painting said:


> Quick history
> 
> 
> . These doors are 5years old and builder already refinished some 3 yrs ago after first failure......
> ...


 That's the way I would go. Pick a color & prep/prime & paint them. They'll stand up well and you'll be a hero.


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

CliffK said:


> That's the way I would go. Pick a color & prep/prime & paint them. They'll stand up well and you'll be a hero.


I agree. As dark as that stain is and the fact its a 'fake' door (no wood character), a nice dark brown paint will still show most of the grain.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

I'm going with CliffK and Bender on this one. The lighter colored doors like this can look pretty convincing with stain and clear coat, but those are so dark that a similar brown paint would look about the same and last a lot longer.

I generally try to steer clients toward split-finished doors when the doors are unprotected from the weather: paint on the outside, stain/clearcoat on the inside. Sometimes, they even listen to me.


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## national lumber (Dec 10, 2012)

Ramsden Painting said:


> Quick history
> 
> 
> . These doors are 5years old and builder already refinished some 3 yrs ago after first failure. Then he walked from the project.(don't know why)
> ...


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## Ramsden Painting (Jul 17, 2011)

Thanks all for the input. Ill let you know the outcome

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## aaron61 (Apr 29, 2007)

Paint them or Sikkens


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## jack pauhl (Nov 10, 2008)

I see that all the time. Thats because HO's are not keeping up maintenance on custom stained doors. Those fiberglas doors should be re-cleared every 18 months especially when in direct sun and the first time they are stained they should have at minimum 4 coats of clear applied to them. No one does that and that I why I see these doors fail all the time. 

Those waterbase clears are so thin that by the time you brush the clear so it wont drip or run from cracks---there is barely a coat on there when its dry. 

Simple solution.

Reprime the door with new graining base color, typically orange or mahogany color or blonde for natural colors. Stain the door with whatever stain you prefer and apply the appropriate coats of clear. When I do these doors I set the customer up on automatic callback on the calendar in Gmail. I just did a maintenance coat last week on a door I stained 18 months ago. Took 20 mins to re-clear and that door will always look awesome, and last. I charge $285 minimum for 1 side of an entry door when the door is on the job I am working on or close by, more if I have to drive specifically to do only a door. That is 4-5 trips. The time driving almost always exceeds the time on the job. Then charge for the 1 hour maintenance coat 18 months later.


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## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

aaron61 said:


> Paint them or Sikkens



Can you just wipe it down and put a couple of coats of sikkens on a door failing similar to this??


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## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

jack pauhl said:


> I see that all the time. Thats because HO's are not keeping up maintenance on custom stained doors. Those fiberglas doors should be re-cleared every 18 months especially when in direct sun and the first time they are stained they should have at minimum 4 coats of clear applied to them. No one does that and that I why I see these doors fail all the time.
> 
> Those waterbase clears are so thin that by the time you brush the clear so it wont drip or run from cracks---there is barely a coat on there when its dry.
> 
> ...



what would be a good primer to use, I would think a thin as possible, so not fill the wood grain grooves, anybody got any tips, I got roped into fixing a failed fiber glass door by one of my old customers I couldnt say no to


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Dave base coat it(solid color similar to species you are trying to mimic), restain and put on three coats of spar. Trying to fix a failing stain job hardly ever works out.


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## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

Tommy

Any base coat in particular, like 123 bullseye??


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

You can use any exterior product you can tint to your desired base color. 123 should be fine.


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