Insulated fiberglass doors (windows, refinish, paint, stained)

[tet tea]

We're replacing our front door and the door that leads from the garage into the house in Spring. We currently have insulated steel doors which to tell you the truth I am not a fan of. The one from the garage has started to rust and they are colder than cold in winter. Does anyone have insulated fiberglass doors? If so what is your opinion?

Opinions on either type of door are welcome.

N.B. We live where winter can get way down into the negative temps.

THX

[sacredgrooves]

Insulated fiberglass doors are great! They don't rust either

[Bones]

The door to the garage might have to have a fire rating !!!!!

[sacredgrooves]

yes, it would need to be a fire rated door without question. Most insulated fiberglass doors are though.

[tet tea]

Never thought of the fire rating for the garage entry door. Many thanks for pointing it out.

Are fiberglass doors easy to paint?

[sacredgrooves]

easy to paint, yes. May need to rough it up with some 600 grit sandpaper first, but alot of doors do not even need that as they are a textured finish which would allow paint to grab. If the door is really smooth, rough it up first.

[AmishlandtoDFW]

They are relatively easy to paint, but if removing the paint, not so much. We paid extra for a fiberglass door when we built our current house because I liked the "wood-look" it afforded us: they can be stained to look like a wood door. However, what we weren't told was that each year, we should put a coat of clear coat on. Needless to say, the finish started to come off. Now I've got to strip the door & refinish. Getting off the finish is VERY hard, at least I'm finding it that way. When done, the fiberglass door looks great though & as someone above said, it won't rust.

I have a Therma-Tru door which I'm told is a good brand.

[texdav]

Fiberglass doors can be spray painted just like fiberglass cars. There are even primers made especailly for them. There are several grades of fiberglass doors tho and the scosy varies depending on the grade.They do make good medium cost doors and alot better than the cheap steel ones.

[sgresident]

we replaced our front door(steel) with a very nice, decorative fiberglass door. we love it. the attractiveness of the windows etc. really improved the look of our home. I would think the door to the garage would have to be steel for the fire rating. be sure to check with your local municipality about codes and permits!