Exterior door design has shifted in the past five years. Decorative stained glass doors and doors with decorative glass are very popular. Stained glass and beveled glass allow more light in a home and are very attractive.
Wood exterior doors can be modified to make custom wood doors. Insulated glass is an excellent inlay for wood doors. Special cuts must be made to modify the wood door and the glass must be glazed to set it in place. Stained glass can then be placed over this base.
A fiberglass paint stripper will safely remove the clear top coat off a fiberglass door. Fiberglass strippers can be fast acting, so work quickly and choose one appropriate for your door. Here is a list of strippers safe to use on Therma Tru Corporation fiberglass doors.
Clear coatings on fiberglass exterior doors take a huge beating - especially clear coatings behind a storm door. I have seen traditional clear finishes and plastic parts on doors melt from the sun's heat. Acid rain, ultraviolet light, and other atmospheric pollutants simply erode clear finishes on fiberglass doors, polished brass and many other outdoor items. The key to minimizing restoration work lies in keeping up with the coatings.
Find manufacturers of good washable flat interior paint here. Paint with 100% acrylic resin will perform superbly.
Flat interior paint has always been tricky to clean. Newer washable flat paints make cleaning a cinch, and hide nicks and dings. Paint with 100% acrylic resin will do the best job.
When painting metal, read the label of the paints first! Paint metal to avoid rust with primer and paint with rust inhibitor and be sure to prep the surface well. Check to be sure the paints and primers are compatible as rust preventive agents as well.
Paint that prevents rust on steel must have a rust inhibitor. The primer should be oil based and contain rust preventive inhibitors. Be sure to check the label and use this list of companies as a guide.
The right paint and primer can deter rust. Avoid the job of rust removal by using primer and paints with rust inhibitor. Rust preventive primer contains rust inhibitors - check the labels. Oil based paint makes the best primer to serve as a rust corrosion inhibitor.
Urethane or varnish? Oil based paint of urethanes or water based finishes for your urethane coating? Clear coatings are complex. Which is best? Tips for choosing the right urethane paints for the job are explained here.
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