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Discussion Forum

Which brand of entry door, Thermatru, S

cmbb | Posted in General Discussion on August 26, 2003 12:58pm

Which of the several brands would be the better entry door, either fiberglass or metal. Therma tru, Stanley or Anderson.   in the state of Maine

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  1. Shep | Aug 26, 2003 02:14am | #1

    CMBB-- I'm not from Maine (although I have enjoyed my visits there ) but my preference is for Therma-Tru doors. They just seem to have a higher quality than Stanley or some of the others I've used. As far as steel vs. fiberglass, there isn't much difference unless you are looking for a door that looks like wood. In that case, go for the fiberglass and get the mfgs. finishing kit. The other advantage to fiberglass is that it won't rust like the steel if you are near the coast. The disadvantage to fiberglass is it's more expensive than steel. You'll have to make that call. I've put in a lot of steel doors and my customers have been happy with them.

    1. Edgar76b | Aug 26, 2003 02:39am | #2

      I'm not a big stanley door fan , But when your talking Anderson and therma tru your talking apples and oranges. they are both very different.

      Therma-tru Makes steel doors as well. I guess it depends on what your doing and your budget as usual.Where there's A wheel there's a way, got any wheels?

  2. Piffin | Aug 26, 2003 02:47am | #3

    I'm in the midcoast region of Maine.

    I can't speak to Stanley reall. I installerd a few of them when they first got into selling doors and decided that they weren't up to my standards so I haven't used one since.

    Do a search here under thrematru and you'll see all my negative comments and reasons why I will not use one unless it is the HOs choice and they agree to take care of the headaches and expense attached to using them. Their Steel doors are OK for a budget job though.

    I like Andersen doors well enough. They are a different claass of door than the others. Also, with Andersen you are buying a quality company.

    There are better door, but given the three you outline, my choice would be the Andersen, hands down.

    .

    Excellence is its own reward!

    1. cmbb | Aug 26, 2003 04:55am | #4

      Thanks guys;  Piffin; what should I look for as far as problems with Therma tru?  Stanley would not be my first choice, they do look cheaper than the others.

      1. calvin | Aug 26, 2003 06:11am | #5

        Pif will give you his reasons, but here is mine for not using therma-tru.  Poor workmanship from manufacturer thru distributor.  Maybe bad luck, but 10 strikes and you're out.  Andersen is a quality door and product.  Recent stanley's, smooth fiberglass ok for the money.  Ranks in line with Pease.   I think in many cases, the local distributor's fabrication will sell or unsell the product.  It's a shame some decisions are based on luck.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

        Quittin' Time

      2. BobKovacs | Aug 26, 2003 03:19pm | #7

        As Calvin said, one of the biggest problems with Thermatru is actually at the distributor level.  Most of them buy door slabs from Thermatru, and mountthem in a frame at their local shop (cheaper to ship a pile of slabs than complete prehung units).  Therefore, the overall quality of the door depends on the guy cutting the hinge mortises, etc.  I've had Thermatru doors hung at the factory (years ago) that were great- the distributor-hung doors are hit and miss.

        If I'm not mistaken, all of Andersen's stuff is factory assembled, which puts it at the same quality level as their windows- very good for the $$.

        Bob

        1. Robrehm | Aug 26, 2003 03:38pm | #8

          Without a doubt it is the quality of the distributor. At one time I was a factory trained service rep for Peachtree (guess what door I don't use). Most doors are assembeled by the distributors & that makes all the difference in the world.

      3. Piffin | Aug 26, 2003 08:04pm | #11

        I ran the search for you.

        Here's the link to a thread where I detailed this and other opinions are there to balance me out.

        http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=24074.1.

        Excellence is its own reward!

    2. User avater
      talkingdog | Aug 26, 2003 10:26am | #6

      What do you have to pay for the Anderson top-of-the-line entry door?

  3. dIrishInMe | Aug 26, 2003 08:00pm | #9

    The down side of metal doors is that they get dented - and then the only way to fix them (that I know of) is with body putty - as in body work!  The use of metal doors also depends on your application, as, for example a metal door may be required between the garage and the house to get the proper fire rating.   If you can afford it, use fiberglass everywhere except for where a higher fire rating is required.

    In our area, I haven't seen the aforementioned problems with Therma-tru (sp?), altough different local suppliers supply different quality/options in the way they are hung.   But like they said above, they are hung locally so what I get here in NC are not what you get in Mane.  With the T-T doors I get a few of the features I like are the adjustable strike and adjustable threshold.  These make it easier to get the door absolutely air tight.

    As for Stanley doors, I think of them as a utility quality door that are good for sheds, etc. 

    Doors are, for the most part,  like anything else - you get what you pay for.

    Matt
  4. djmarro | Aug 26, 2003 08:03pm | #10

    I just finished an install of a H.O. supplied Thermatru and Stanley entry doors in Standish, ME. I was impressed with the Thermatru fiberglass front entry door. This was my first experience with them. Well made. The H.O. stained and the door came out beautiful. The Stanley was at a basement entry. Average quality. After finishing the install I opened the door to find the weatherstripping ripped in one area. After a call to Stanley, I had a new weatherstripping kit within 4 days. Just 1 more trip to complete the job!! Anderson is my 1st choice in the Maine area. Great product support.

                                                           Dana

                                              Salmon Falls Housewrights

  5. Shep | Aug 27, 2003 04:15am | #12

    I'm surprised to hear about the problems with Therma-Tru doors. I guess I missed Piffin's post on them. I've had nothing but good luck using them, even when I've ordered something unusual. I can't say that about Stanley. I do like Anderson products in general, although I've only installed one hinged door.

    1. Piffin | Aug 27, 2003 04:40am | #13

      One of the things I like about the Andersen doors is that the door fits the jamb.

      I'm not sure that I like the adjustable hinges that many manufacturers are using now. .

      Excellence is its own reward!

      1. caseyr | Aug 27, 2003 06:28am | #14

        The above comment about using steel where fire rating is desired made me think of a problem I need to solve. 

        Has anyone ever laminated a veneer door skin to a steel door?  The door between my living room and my garage is a light weight interior wooden door and I would like to replace it with a fire resistant door.  The grain and clear finish on the current door blends in very nicely with the 1950's wood paneling on the living room wall and I would like a similar  look on the replacement fire resitant door.

        Yeah, I know, some have claimed they can paint wood grain on steel that is indistinguishable from the real thing, but I can't and I haven't found a painter around this area that can even paint a wall much less a faux wood grained door...

        1. User avater
          GoldenWreckedAngle | Aug 28, 2003 05:25am | #18

          The idea certainly seems feasible but the problem you might run into is that wood and metal expand and contract at completely different rates. On a semi-exterior door, such as a garage, the constantly fluxuating temperatures might create enough of a problem to delaminate the combination over time.

          There are a number of very convincing "wood print" plastic laminates on the market now. I would think their thermal expansion and contration capabilities would be a little more compatible with the movement in an exterior steel door.Kevin Halliburton

          "I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity."  - I.M. Pei -

          1. caseyr | Aug 28, 2003 05:40am | #19

            Thanks, Kevin

            The delimination possibility is what had me concerned enough to ask.  I was well aware of the different expansion rates of wood and metal - but then epoxy and cement have quite different rates and are used together, although usually over a smaller area.  Thought perhaps some type of flexible adhesive that would give but still hold.  Haven't checked the plastic faux wood grain lately, but the stuff they use on metal desks and particle board bookcases doesn't look particularly convincing to me. 

          2. kaufman | Aug 28, 2003 07:13am | #23

            Therma Tru used to make a great door, but the last dozen or so I have installed have given me fits. I'm currently looking for a different brand of door. Stanley's fit and finish is slowly surpassing Therma-False doors.

          3. donpapenburg | Aug 28, 2003 07:17am | #24

            How about ripping the steel skin off the inside of the door . Then glue the wood panel in place .   But then it might warp.

          4. caseyr | Aug 28, 2003 07:47am | #25

            It might also compromise the fire resistance of the door, not to mention all of its structural strength...

          5. User avater
            GoldenWreckedAngle | Aug 28, 2003 04:13pm | #26

            I've got several species of "wood grain" laminate by Wilsonart here in my office and they have really improved the line over the last few years. I had some roughed up solid core doors I thought about using in my house before I picked up a whole trailer full of solid oak doors instead. The laminate is actually good enough that I considered veneering those solid cores with it, strickly for zero maintenance and durability reasons.

            I'm not entirely convinced you would have a problem with a true wood veneer but I would want to research it a little more.

            You might actually be surprised at how easy it is to do a pretty convincing wood grain faux finish with a fan overgrainer brush and several layers of paint and stain overlayed with clear. I would encourage you to find a really good book on the subject and work on your technique until you are happy with it. It looks like a real art but in reality it is not all that difficult. Kevin Halliburton

            "I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity."  - I.M. Pei -

          6. User avater
            BillHartmann | Aug 28, 2003 06:28pm | #27

            Why not just replace it with a wood door?

            You can get fire rated wood doors? And I don't know what your codes are, but I am under the impression that in some place just a plain solid core door is used.

          7. User avater
            GoldenWreckedAngle | Aug 28, 2003 07:04pm | #28

            Uh, oh yea, well sure - that would work too... but it's no where near as creative.Kevin Halliburton

            "I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity."  - I.M. Pei -

          8. caseyr | Aug 28, 2003 11:49pm | #29

            Thanks, Bill, hadn't realized that wood doors were fire rated but a quick search shows me that they come in 20, 45, and 60 minute ratings, and higher ratings with mineral cores.   

            Code isn't an issue for this, just my own paranoia...

        2. Piffin | Aug 28, 2003 05:51am | #22

          That is essentially an interior door so I wouldn't worry about the thermal differential.

          this was discussed once before and I seem to remember sombody questioning whether the wood/glue addition would accually reduce the flame spread resistance. Don't remember the answer but it would surely give a manufacturer a valid reason to void warantee.

          But I would go ahead and do it, if it were me..

          Excellence is its own reward!

      2. Shep | Aug 28, 2003 02:13am | #15

        Piffin-- That's an interesting comment. I agree that Anderson does make good-fitting products ( windows and doors both ) but the Therma Tru doors I've installed have also had good, even  margins all the way around the door. I don't use the adjustable hinges 'cause I find them more trouble than their worth. I do like the magnetic weatherstripping and adjustable saddles.  Maybe it is just a regional difference, but I like Therma-Tru .

        1. Snort | Aug 28, 2003 03:16am | #16

          We get Therma-Tru's thru Lowe's Coantractor's Yard. Never really thought about it, but they must be factory hung.

          We have had a bunch of problems with T-T's with the fixed fibeglass thresholds, but doors with the adjustable oak threshes have been no problem, well, as long as the door is hung right.

          I've had to swap out some Therma-Tru slabs in already hung frames(customer either did or didn't want lites), and the replacement slabs have always fit exactly, hinge line up and reveals. I'm talking about both fiberglass and steel.

          And, I, for one, love the adjustable hinges on the Jeld-Wen family of doors(Norco,Caradco,etc), it definitley makes hanging their crappy doors a little easier<G> EliphIno!

          1. User avater
            scottyb | Aug 28, 2003 05:02am | #17

            Peachtree.End of story.

          2. Piffin | Aug 28, 2003 05:45am | #21

            Peachtree is a short story.

            It is an adequate door and company.

            I have Peachtree doors on my house.

            But they are nothing to brag on and they had a lot of problems in the late eighties/early ninties. The hardware is economy grade stuff which keeps it off my jobs..

            Excellence is its own reward!

        2. Piffin | Aug 28, 2003 05:42am | #20

          It may be regional because doors are assembled to frames at the regional distributor with most brands.

          I don't know if you read my comments in the other thread, but I have lots of trouble with frames out of square becasue the threas is longer than the head on TT doors. I have also had every other one with hinges not properly set.

          My biggest gripe though is worth repeating here. The wood backing block inside door for the composite doors they push is too small to support having the knob drilled out. The solid wood portion is barely beyond the hole so the door is extremely weak. I have a customer with one facing the wind and they do not want a stormn door on it for style reasons.

          Therma tru has sent two replacements and I have rehung them because it only takes a few weeks for the door to warp out of plane because of that weak spot. Customers finally gave up.

          I'm glad it was their choice of door and not something I pushed on them..

          Excellence is its own reward!

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