Question - I want to replace my old leaky front door with a natural wood door, but I cannot afford one. How efficient and durable are the new stainable fiberglass doors that look and feel like real wood? - R.K.
Answer - Inexpensive fiberglass front doors are an excellent alternative to real hard wood doors. They are more durable than wood because fiberglass resists moisture, shrinking, warping and scratching - common problems with real wood. With a built-in triple latch point deadbolt, they are secure.
It is often difficult to distinguish a stained fiberglass door from a real wood door. Some fiberglass door manufacturers use pieces of real wood for the deep graining pattern to get the authentic look and feel of wood.
You can stain or paint a fiberglass door just like a wood door. Using oil-based stain is the easiest method to achieve a natural wood look. Although it requires more work, hand rubbing artist oil into the fiberglass door gives a more luxurious deep grained appearance.
Insulated fiberglass doors are significantly more energy efficient than wood doors. With rigid foam polystyrene insulation inside the fiberglass skins, the insulation value is four times greater than a solid wood door.
Using polyurethane foam offers even higher insulation than polystyrene foam. When this is injected inside the door cavity during assembly, all of the voids and gaps are completely filled with insulation.
Another efficiency advantage of fiberglass is that it expands and contracts very little with temperature and humidity changes. This ensures a long-term airtight seal. Reinforcing wood pieces are used inside the perimeter of the door and at the lockset area for strength.
Fiberglass doors are usually sold as prehung assemblies, complete with the threshold. This makes installation simple. You can select a model with jamb-jack adjusting screws. Using a special socket wrench, one person can easily fine tune the position door/frame inside the wall opening.
Most fiberglass doors use multifinger (up to five) sweep weatherstripping under the door and compression weatherstripping around the door. You will immediately notice fewer drafts and less outdoor noise. This also reduces friction so the door closes easily with little wear.
The most airtight fiberglass doors use a refrigerator-type of magnetic seal in the door frame. A narrow decorative brass-plated steel strip is inset around the door perimeter. When you close the door, the seal sticks to the brass-plated strip. This seals well even if the door settles over time.
Write for Utility Bills Update No. 913 listing nine manufacturers of fiberglass doors, types of insulation and weatherstripping used, prices, and staining/finishing instructions. Please include $2 handling fee, cash or check. Write to James Dulley, Deseret News, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244
Question - Does it make sense to install rigid foam insulation directly under the roof? Do I need attic ventilation? - J.R.
Answer - Generally, you should have adequate attic ventilation to remove moisture from the attic in the winter before it condenses. Even with a vapor barrier under the attic floor insulation, some indoor moisture still gets through.
Another option is to block off all the attic vents and install additional foam insulation under the roof itself. Tests in Sweden have shown that this results in a drier attic. You must have an airtight house to block most of the indoor air from reaching the attic. Open the vents again in the summer.