Rebuilt The Rear Entry Door
Posted: October 2nd, 2020, 7:04 pm
Water infiltration had done the number on our Concourse's entry door. The wife (VTsweetpea) and I decided to rebuild the core of the existing door rather than buy a new one. Here are the take-a-ways from our experience:
1- Sourcing materials for the project was the first hurdle, especially finding fiberglass for the exterior facing of the door. We were able to purchase a 4x8 sheet of 1/8" thick FG. This eliminated the need to use a thin sheet of FG backed by luan plywood. Also eliminated the potential for rot.
2- Cutting the FG was a struggle. Given the tools I had available- I went thru 4 -120 tooth plywood cutting blades (non carbide) on my circular saw and 2 or 3 carbide grit jigsaw blades to get core outline, window and lockset holes cut. I definitely would look for a better way to make the long straight cuts if I had to do it over again.
3- Figuring out the right materials to use to make the core sandwich was fun. Ended up using polystyrene foam insulation, acrylic foam board and FRP wall paneling.
4- Did we save any money vs ordering a stock door or having one custom made? Definitely on a custom door. Maybe on a stock door depending on what we ordered. The biggest cost was the 1/8" FG sheet. Shipping was a killer on that since the source was in FL and we are in VT!
5- Was it worth it? It was challenging and nerve racking at times (screwing up the FG cuts would have been very costly!). But we are pleased with the final result. See pics.
1- Sourcing materials for the project was the first hurdle, especially finding fiberglass for the exterior facing of the door. We were able to purchase a 4x8 sheet of 1/8" thick FG. This eliminated the need to use a thin sheet of FG backed by luan plywood. Also eliminated the potential for rot.
2- Cutting the FG was a struggle. Given the tools I had available- I went thru 4 -120 tooth plywood cutting blades (non carbide) on my circular saw and 2 or 3 carbide grit jigsaw blades to get core outline, window and lockset holes cut. I definitely would look for a better way to make the long straight cuts if I had to do it over again.
3- Figuring out the right materials to use to make the core sandwich was fun. Ended up using polystyrene foam insulation, acrylic foam board and FRP wall paneling.
4- Did we save any money vs ordering a stock door or having one custom made? Definitely on a custom door. Maybe on a stock door depending on what we ordered. The biggest cost was the 1/8" FG sheet. Shipping was a killer on that since the source was in FL and we are in VT!
5- Was it worth it? It was challenging and nerve racking at times (screwing up the FG cuts would have been very costly!). But we are pleased with the final result. See pics.