Fiberglass-Reinforced

The Fiber-Classic is manufactured with a panel face of a fiberglass-reinforced thermoset composite compound, compression-molded with a wood grain like natural red oak. Wood stiles and top rail provide a full thermal break and allow the door to be field-trimmed. The frame is primed finger-jointed select pine with compression weatherstripping made of a specially-formulated rubber compound that remains flexible even at low temperatures. Corner seal pads at the base of the jamb legs help protect against air and water infiltration. A moisture-resistant bottom end rail has been added to prevent rot or warping.

There are a variety of sills available: thermally broken fixed (available in either the self-adjusting or the oak adjustable) and public access. The "monumental" grade oak adjustable sill made with a decay-resistant composite substrate is available in bronze, brass, or mill finishes. You can get the oak cap in three grades: monumental, premium, and construction. Other sills are available for inswing or outswing units in aluminum with mill or anodized finish.

The door itself can be stained to resemble wood, or painted. The solid polyurethane core (CFC-free) used between the faces provides an R-value of 13.6. In addition to the 20-minute fire-rated door, they also offer doorlights, sidelights, and doors sized at 7'0"and 8'0".

Thermoset Composite

The Classic-Craft panel faces are manufactured from a proprietary thermoset composite that's compression-molded to look like wood grain. The solid polyurethane foam core has five times greater insulation value than a solid wood door. They've duplicated a hand-crafted red oak door (Figure 8-2) and the door edges are clear northern red oak. The lock side of the door has a 4-inch-wide LVL stile that runs the entire length of the door. Classic-Craft doors are available in 3'0" x 6'8", with sidelights of 12 and 14 inches. You can get removable grilles for the glass, and an oak adjustable sill for the door.

Photo Courtesy of: Thema-Tru Corporation

Figure 8-2: The Classic-Craft door system

One finishing technique I like is to paint the jamb in a color two or three shades lighter than the casing. The contrasting colors really set off the beauty of the wood grain.

Therma-Tru prefers to sell a whole door system, but they will sell blanks to replace a damaged door that's been fitted in their own frame.

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