Replies

1. 
   gb93433 | Apr 22, 2006 07:53am | #1

   What kind of surface is it? Is it fiberglass, wood, etc.? What kind of finish do you plan to use on it. Painted, clear, stained?

1. 
   mike585 | Apr 22, 2006 01:40pm | #2

   It's wood. I want to remove the veneer and glue a new veneer. Then I will stain and finish with poly.

    

2. 
   gb93433 | Apr 22, 2006 05:52pm | #3

   If you have never worked with veneer then I would suggest that you do something small first.

   You would need to use a glue that will not break down over time when exposed to exterior conditions.

   Those doors are glued together under ideal conditions in a set of clamps or a press. When you veneer one side the piece will pull to that side because the glue shrinks. There is no guarantee that your door will end up straight. Even with very thin veneer a big slab will pull when the glue dries.

   Last year I bought an exterior fiberglass door blank (not bored) for my home at Lowes. The door was a little over $300. The Therma True door was about $1000. The Pella door was higher yet. When I looked at the doors I could not tell any difference between them. The only difference was that the Therma True door came finished. They weighed about the same and the designs were very similar. For $300 dollars I would just buy a new one. The risk of getting a crooked door is very great.

   For much of my life I have been making and installing doors and I would not attempt to re-veneer a door simply because I doubt that it would end up straight. However, I have put Formica on doors and cover both sides. If you cover both sides at the same time you may not have any problem. But if you veneer just one side I think you would be very disappointed.

   There are Wilsonart and Formica products that might work. I do not know. They have products which have a wood veneer face and a phenolic paper back.

   There is the risk of not having a straight door when you are done.