HIGHRISK
Member
Anyone have any experience with staining fiberglass wood look doors? My builder is telling me 2k to stain 2 front doors. I find that really hard to believe that the process to stain and clear these doors is that labor intensive.
MESO-Rx
Anabolic Steroids
Staining Fiberglass Doors
- Thread starter HIGHRISK
- Start date
If you do it yourself it is a lot of work. I have assisted my brother with gel staining his new fiberglass front door. He went with a solid color though.
Was it the Nambla flag? I bet it was the Nambla flag.
I'm betting you could get some old, river dredged Cypress wood front doors for that price. I saw a guys house in Maitland with that wood as garage door material
HIGHRISK
Member
My thoughts exactly! I’m about 90% confident I can do it. I was just wondering if there’s something I missing on why so expensive. I found a few companies here that stain . I’m going to call them out and get a quote.
HIGHRISK
Member
What do you think I’m rich? Lol I already paid $4,500 for these damn doors! But this prick didn’t tell me that it was another 2k to stain them. I’ve came this far and spent so much already. I think it would be a big mistake to paint them
HIGHRISK
Member
These are the doors in question if anyone has any personal experience. 
HIGHRISK
Member
I’ve been watching YouTube videos and reading up on it. Seems like it’s very doable.
Why would gel stain be hard to use? I am staining my bathroom vanity with gel stain and my front doors as well. But its raw wood so I am using regular stain. The bathroom vanity is coated but gel stain works. Going with coffee color gel stain and espresso regular stain.
I had my house built a few years back. I picked my plot and had it custom built as they were about half way done with the neighborhood. I lived there for a few years before selling it.
Two things I learned about the 2 builders (most builders for that matter), they all have breakfast together (meaning their prices are very similar), and at a minimal they double the price of what the subs charge them.
I had plenty of pricing conversations with my neighbors and we started quoting the subs as they entered the neighborhood. Quoting them on additional work for our homes. Compared that to what the builders were charging and everyone from the window guy to the tile guy had the same formula! Builder doubled all the pricing.
Having said all of that you have 1 or 2 options. Do it yourself or drive into a new neighborhood that they’re building and grab the stain guy or painter and have them quote your job. I always quote first to evaluate if it’s worth my time to do it myself.
I’m looking to do a water based stain (DIY) on my garage floors, had it at my other place. Absolutely loved the look and feel.
HIGHRISK
Member
I used oil based stain to do both my porches tongue and groove. It was white pine or knotty pine whatever you wanna call it. It worked perfect. I have Fypon beams throughout and used a General finishes gel stain and it’s been fantastic for that. Oil base is probably the best for any wood. Gel for anything else imo.
I am using minwax regular stain. What brand are you using? Is regular stain oil?
I heard that sand paper is not good to use to get a gloss off becasue it leaves scratched but actually should use steal wool or a gloss removing pad by 3M.
Anyone have advice on getting a gloss off of a wood?
Anyone have advice on getting a gloss off of a wood?
Artifex
Member
If you have varnish or lacquer finish ( topnotch your the existing stain ) you have to remove with stripper , then sanding. ..
HIGHRISK
Member
I’m probably going to use what I used for all the other wood I stained. Its from Home Depot verathane (spelling?) red oak.
