Fiberglass doors can be stained to look so much like wood that even a trained eye (such as mine) would have a hard time determining whether the door is real wood or not at first glance
The key to a good fiberglass door stain job is to use the right stain. My favorite stain to use on these projects is actually made specifically for fiberglass doors by Therma-Tru Doors. They make a complete kit for fiberglass doors, which is quite impressive and includes everything from stain to varnish.
The Therma-Tru system works for either the interior or exterior side of the door. You can get popular pre-mixed door stain colors, so there should be no need to waste time trying to come up with a suitable stain color on your own.
Other Fiberglass Door Stains
If you can’t readily find the Therma-Tru stain, there are other options that will work on fiberglass doors. An alternate glaze/stain that I have used with good success is Modern Masters Tintable Glaze. This glaze is what I use for woodgraining, and it holds patterns and brush manipulations very well. The only downside to using the Modern Master's glaze is that you have to tint and match it yourself, as there are no pre-mixed colors with glaze. (See this fiberglass door done with MM glaze in Mahogany, with a bright red base coat and a deep burnt red glaze.)
Some other options include gel-stains. Minwax’s gel-stain is recommended for fiberglass doors. You can get pre-mixed colors with Minwax’s gel-stain. Both Old Master’s gel-stain or wiping stain are suitable for fiberglass doors and come in a variety of pre-mixed colors.
It is important that you use a spar varnish over the top of these stains (on the exterior side) for exterior durability. Therma-Tru makes their own interior/exterior varnish, which comes with the door staining kit.
Prepare the Door
Clean the door to remove any grime by first using a no-rinse detergent cleaner such as Dirtex. Follow the Dirtex with a mineral spirits solvent wipe down (hang the solvent rag on a clothes line to thoroughly dry out before disposing of it). Note: If you use a water-based stain, clean with mineral spirits first, then clean with Dirtex. Residual mineral spirits could interfere with the adhesion of a water-based stain (or glaze like Modern Master’s Tintable Glaze).
Staining Technique
Tip. Use a white china bristle brush (do not use a cheap "chip” brush) to dry-brush the stain. White china bristle brushes are nice and soft and are great blending brushes for staining
I use two brushes: one for applying the stain/glaze and the other for dry brushing. The application brush does not have to be super high quality, but the white china bristle brush should be of good quality.
Use the proper sequencing to stain the door. Do the raised panels first, then move on to the stiles and rails.
The Therma-Tru stain is an alkyd stain (as are the gel stains), and you will have a lot of working time. Take your time and do a clean job. Work from top of the door down.
Apply the glaze sparingly with a brush, then stretch it out with the same application brush. If you get too much stain on the surface, drag it off with your application brush. You will need to let this set a little bit before dry brushing. If you wait too long, you won't be able to dry brush it and you'll have to start the panel all over again. You can wipe off dry stain with a rag, dampened with mineral spirits, if you need to.
Dry Brushing
Dry brushing is the most important step to a good-looking stain job on a fiberglass door. Use the flat edge (not the tips yet) of a white china bristle brush, and lightly drag the stain in the direction of the wood grain. Drag with the brush flat and slightly angled, but do it lightly so that you don't remove too much stain. This will wipe some of the stain off of the surface, while leaving it in the embossed grain. This creates the offset in tone between the primary grain (embossed into the fiberglass door) and the background grain (you will want light dragged brush marks for your background grain). Remember not to wipe the door clean, since the dragged brush marks will make for a more realistic wood look. You can then lightly pat (or flog) the door after the dry brush drag to break up the dragged "grain" a bit. If you need to soften and blend, use the tips of your brush and very softly brush out any harshness or stark brush marks. Blend color variations together with the same softening technique.
Take your time, stepping back and looking over your work as you go. Once you get the hang of the dry-brushing, the rest of the finishing is a breeze.
Varnishing
After 48 hours or so (do the test described in the Therma-Tru instructions to determine if the stain is dry enough to proceed), the stain should be dry enough to varnish. Apply the varnish with a soft latex brush, and watch for runs and sags. Pick up any runs or drips with the tip of your brush.
If you are using a gel stain, use an interior/exterior spar varnish. Apply two coats (or three) of the varnish, and you are done. It is important to use a spar varnish for the exterior side of the door. Spar varnishes are flexible and have UV-inhibitors in them, which will help to protect the stain. A standard interior varnish will not hold up to exterior sunlight.
Staining
Note: The following instructions are for staining a new fiberglass door. You can stain a fiberglass door that has been previously painted (in some cases—see the Mahogany stained fiberglass door mentioned above), but that is much harder to do and requires more wood graining techniques than the simple brush dragging and flogging, which is required for a new door. Also, read and follow the Therma-Tru instructions (if you decide to use their stain). They actually have very well-written instructions for using their materials.
Gel Stains
Minwax, Old Masters and more...
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How to Stain a Fiberglass Door
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