I had a beautiful fiberglass door with glass oval and sidelites installed and was extremely excited about it. I was worried I wouldn't be able to stain it correctly so I hired someone to do it for me. After he put on a coat of stain, I knew it wasn't what I wanted and told him to put on another coat. It was dark in some spots and lighter in others but I thought it might have been because some parts were still wet. He assured me it would look great when finished and the polyurethane was put on before I could see it again. When I looked at the mostly 'finished' door, I flipped out. I had been looking so forward to the new door for so long and spent so much money and got a job a six year old could have done. It was more like a really, really lousy paint job than staining. He's supposed to come back and put on another coat of polyurethane but the door is absolutely nothing like I want it. I read before getting the fiberglass door that once stained, that was it. Is this true? Do I have any options now as far as a new stain job which is my ultimate want, or at least a good paint job? Words can't describe how miserable I am about this. I can't afford a lot more on what I've already spent. Please help!

Can you stain a fiberglass door? That doesn't sound right to me. :shrug: Wouldn't it be a special "paint" or something? Maybe he used the wrong thing.

Here's what I found:

Embossed fiberglass is a low maintenance substitute to the standard wood door. Plus, staining a fiberglass door can be easier than working with wood. The main difference between wood and fiberglass is the type of stain and its application.

Embossed, wood grained, fiberglass can't absorb the stain like wood. A standard wiping stain will not work. The only type of stain that will work is a gel stain. The same type used on difficult to stain woods.

I really doubt you can get it off the door.

More:

It will take alot of effort, the original finish and stain needs to be removed as best you can. Stay away from urethanes and any poly types. Clear Lacquer or varnish is the way to go. It will outlast any plastic surface. Your biggest problem is the dry time and cure time. It dries quickly but take couple of days to cure. If you can find a way to protect the door from the elements, it will help.

And:

Peel Away is a good paint stripper and should work on most clear coats. I have tried many paint strippers over the years, including environmentally friendly types, and I find the old smelly metholchloride paint stripper works the best.

Metholchloride paint stripper will burn skin and has a very strong solvent smell. Work with this type outdoors, wear protective clothing and heavy rubber gloves.

Peel Away is a little different. It is applied to the surface then a special paper covers it. This paper keeps the Peel Away wet, allowing it to work.

Both types will dissolve the clear coat and gel stain. Using a stripper on a fiberglass door is easy; apply the stripper and wait according directions, use a scouring pad to help loosen the finish, then rinse well with water. If any stain remains after the door is dry, use lacquer thinner, a scouring pad and rags to remove it.

Stain does not come out of those fiberglass type doors especially if it's a gel stain. That stuff is hard to get out of regular wood. You have to sand it out and it takes forever. Believe me, I've tried to get that stuff out of regular wood and it's a #####. Don't really know what you can do with the fiberglass as I work mainly with wood.

That's a real shame. I only hope the person you hired is licensed and bonded. I would be putting in a claim against that person for the new door to replace the one he messed up and time and materials to get the job done right. It sucks when you save up to get something you really wanted, only to have someone else screw it up.

That's a real shame. I only hope the person you hired is licensed and bonded. I would be putting in a claim against that person for the new door to replace the one he messed up and time and materials to get the job done right. It sucks when you save up to get something you really wanted, only to have someone else screw it up.
:yeahthat:

That's a real shame. I only hope the person you hired is licensed and bonded. I would be putting in a claim against that person for the new door to replace the one he messed up and time and materials to get the job done right. It sucks when you save up to get something you really wanted, only to have someone else screw it up.

Well.....
unfortunately I always kind of thought our horse and buggy community knew everything when it came to carpentry and agriculture and all that. I guess I learned the hard way that some of the new-fangled stuff ain't so cut and dry for them.

Well.....
unfortunately I always kind of thought our horse and buggy community knew everything when it came to carpentry and agriculture and all that. I guess I learned the hard way that some of the new-fangled stuff ain't so cut and dry for them.
Paint the door, then faux paint wood grain on it. If done well, you can make your 'glass door look like beautiful exotic woods.

Paint the door, then faux paint wood grain on it. If done well, you can make your 'glass door look like beautiful exotic woods.

So I can paint over the coat of polyurethane he put on it without doing any other treating beforehand? You don't think the wood grain already into the fiberglass would come through? Our fiberglass shutters are painted with a wood grain look to them and a matching color for the door would look pretty good, but no where near the nice wood look I was really hoping for.

So I can paint over the coat of polyurethane he put on it without doing any other treating beforehand? You don't think the wood grain already into the fiberglass would come through? Our fiberglass shutters are painted with a wood grain look to them and a matching color for the door would look pretty good, but no where near the nice wood look I was really hoping for.
Sand the poly first (220grit) to give the paint something to bite. If I was you, I'd go to a REAL paint store, not the paint desk at Lowes, and ask them for their opinion on what products to use. Then thank you for their input and tell them you want to think about your options before you do anything and then go buy your supplies wherever you want.

Paint the door, then faux paint wood grain on it. If done well, you can make your 'glass door look like beautiful exotic woods.
:yay:

I have one like yours painted to look like mahogany. I would try a shop like Sherwin Williams in the Park.