Are you thinking of a fiberglass entry door? If yes, so must read this post. Here, we will discuss the major disadvantages of fiberglass doors that one should consider before making a final decision.
The front door is always necessary for the home, as it protects your family and keeps personal belongings safe.
Therefore, choosing a perfect door is extremely crucial. Fiberglass doors have become the first choice for everyone. But are they beneficial? Let’s find out!
4 Major Drawbacks of Fiberglass Doors
Fiberglass doors are in huge demand, as it offers durability for years without compromising the flexibility and appearance. Thus, it is considered an excellent material for exterior doors.
These doors are made up of fiberglass include little insulation, are covered with a reinforced polymer, and are clad with an artificial grain to make them look stunning.
However, common fiberglass door problems may impact your decision. So, let us discuss its drawbacks first.
- These Are Expensive Than Steel & Wood
When you are ready for your new home investment in your limited budget, choosing fiberglass doors can be expensive.
A fiberglass door can cost up to $800- $2500, twice steel and wood. The average cost of a steel door ranges between $200- $1000, while a wood door is $200-$500.
So, you can easily calculate the amount how much fiberglass that is expensive than decorative steel and wood doors.
- Provide Less Protection Than Steel And Wood Doors
As we said earlier, a door is always the first step of the security of your home. Hence, it should be strong enough that protect your home from heavy wind, crime, and more.
With the use of fiberglass doors, you might be at risk of breaking it down easier than other doors such as steel and wood. In terms of security, fiberglass has not achieved great success yet.
- Must Check The Laws
Undoubtedly, fiberglass is highly durable and offers a great way to make your home stylish and attractive.
However, as per the laws of your community, one must check it is safe to use or not. This is crucial to check HOA rules, it sounds like a big con, but it’s a rule.
- Less Resale Value
If you think like a businessman and check its resale value, so it is mentioned that the fiberglass door won’t give you worth enough than steel or wood.
While checking on facts, an excellent steel door resale value is 90%, while fiberglass is 70%.
If you’re planning to make your new home with fiberglass doors, so must check those cons of fiberglass doors before making your final decision.
5 Fiberglass Door Problems That You Can’t Ignore
Besides the durability and appealing look of fiberglass, one should consider many more aspects before buying the fiberglass doors.
The major drawback of choosing fiberglass is you can’t wrap or shift these doors like wooden. Also, it requires maintenance.
Below we have shared some fiberglass door issues usually felt by individuals.
- Easy Depreciation
Fiberglass doors require regular maintenance since they usually fade away after a certain time. The extreme exposure to temperature and climate changes causes a gloomy and unexciting look.
However, the fiberglass doors come with 5 years of warranty, but it might cause issues earlier, and it sounds like you have wasted the money. Moreover, it starts to core its inner glass.
- Cracks
Cracks often create a blotchy look to the door in winters. The rigid material of fiberglass doors can lead to crack, and sometimes it makes your entry door fall and of low quality.
This issue sometimes leads to entering cold air into the house and making your house cool.
- Recreation With Paint
Due to extreme moisture and cool weather, fiberglass doors tend to lose their appearance and rot. Even it causes cracks.
So while recreating the surface of fiberglass you need to check the fiberglass loopholes and fill the paint to cover the cracks. In case the damage is bigger, you might see bubbles over the paint.
- Graining
There are only a few fiberglass doors that often seem like a wood grain door. However, if you want wood grain on doors, you have to pay higher since they are in the top-model category.
The low-quality wood grim pattern doesn’t look like the original wood doors you are looking for.
- The Average Price
Another problem with choosing fiberglass they are expensive than steel and wood doors. So, if you belong to a middle-class family, then affording fiberglass is not in your hands.
Its simple single door costs you more than $500, and for varieties, you need to pay an average of $1000-$3000.
On top of that, installation costs you higher. The fiberglass installation requires an expert who has art to install it beautifully.
Also, frequent maintenance of sealer and staining is required. So, approximately installing a fiberglass door is expensive.
- Lack of Variety
Due to its higher costs, these are not available readily. Most importantly, according to the size of your door, you can’t find exactly what you need, luckily if you find that one will be expensive.
In a nutshell, you have to adjust to what is offered to you since the designs are minimal.
- Include Less Polyurethane
As we said earlier, you can’t find the range of fiberglass doors in the market. Also, most entry doors contain less polyurethane, making them less compatible with other doors like wood and steel.
Additionally, these are less resistant and energy-efficient than steel.
Thus, keeping it for a long time is nerve-wracking since you have to pay for its maintenance, coating, and warranty.
So, you can see that those problems are very upsetting. Moreover, they won’t last for long. Thus, in conclusion, installing it as an entry door is not a mindful idea.
However, fiberglass has many advantages as well. Keep reading.
Are Fiberglass Doors Good And Secure?
To make the final decision, it is important to check every aspect to come up with the right decision. The entry door should be appealing and choosing one that is always fiberglass. Apart from it, fiberglass has many pros.
Let us look upon it and come to the final judgment. Below we have mentioned some of its pros.
- Elegant Appearance
Fiberglass comes in various styles. This is why it has become the best choice for every individual for the entry doors. However, as compared to wood and steel, the styles are limited.
Besides, the most famous appearance of fiberglass doors is a wood grain that looks more natural and elegant. Even more, you can paint the fiberglass, which you won’t find in steel doors.
- Fiberglass Door Installation
Fiberglass door installation is not easy. For the proper finish, one needs to hire an expert for this job. Furthermore, installation is not easy.
It needs a basic structure such as measuring the door frame, adding latches or hinges, and other accessories/ tools to complete the installation.
While the steel or wood door installation is easy and you can make the best out of it.
- Fiberglass Is More Energy-Efficient
Steel and fiberglass are energy-efficient and offer long-term stability than others. So, are fiberglass doors good is all depends on your choice and budget.
Just like other doors or products, it has both pros and cons, so installing it or not is your call only.
Compared to steel, fiberglass is less energy-efficient as they expand with the change in climate and temperature. So, make your decision smartly.
- Maintenance
However, maintenance is required for every type of door, but it is said that fiberglass requires less maintenance cost.
As compared to wood and steel doors fiberglass can be painted, stained, seal and oiled. This would keep the door clean and make it last longer.
- Safety
When it comes to safety, steel & wood doors are more protective than fiberglass. These doors provide harder material that naturally seals the poor weather conditions to enter your home.
While fiberglass offers security but they are easier to break down and makes it less reliable.
- Life-stability
Fiberglass claims to as the best durable option for exterior doors. However, these are not. It often gets dents and might break down with a few cracks.
Also, they have no power to fight harsh climate changes. The best fiberglass they do not rust like steel makes it a durable option.
Moreover, fiberglass can resist temperature, but it cannot contact the sun (heat) for long compared to other wood and steel doors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Of course, anyone can kick in a fiberglass door. But that won’t dent the door or break it to let the intruder in.
Yes, extreme heat from the sun can lead to such fiberglass warping. Just don’t install your fiberglass facing directly to the harsh western or southern sun exposure to minimize the chance.
Being extremely durable, fiberglass exterior doors can last up to 15 to 20 years with bare maintenance.
Yes, fiberglass gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
Not easily, but if you REALLY try it hard, you can leave scratch marks on your fiberglass exterior doors.
The Bottom Line
After reading the disadvantages of fiberglass doors, you can easily estimate that fiberglass is best to install for making your home appearance best.
Despite that, fiberglass doors are expensive and require regular maintenance. Thus, for middle-class society, it won’t work.
However, it would help if you looked at wood or steel doors style that offers style and durability for years without much expense. Regardless, the final decision is all up to you. Good luck!
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