Q. I love the appearance of a stained real wood door, but I hatethe maintenance. My old front door is warped and weathered. Whatoptions do I have to get the same real wood look without maintenance?
A. Your best choices are stainable fiberglass or carbon doors.These doors have deep natural-looking graining that is difficult todistinguish from real wood. I have stained (dark oak) double carbondoors on the front of my house and a single fiberglass door on theback.
Another option is a stainable insulated steel door. Stainablesteel doors have many efficiency, durability and security advantages,but they don't quite match the authentic wood-look of fiberglass orcarbon doors.
All stainable fiberglass and carbon doors have a foam core whichgives them an insulation value about six times that of solid wood.They also don't shrink and grow with changes in the seasons (humiditylevels) as wood does, so they maintain their airtight seals.
Carbon doors are very similar to fiberglass except that carbonfibers are used in the plastic resin instead of glass fibers. Thecarbon fibers used are supposed to have a lower coefficient ofexpansion with temperature changes than the glass fibers do. Thisminimizes occasional bowing.
The prices of both carbon and fiberglass doors are similar and inthe range of a medium-quality steel door. The final cost can varysignificantly if you select some fancy decorative glass. Some aresold only through professional installers and others can be purchasedat home center stores. The manufacturers offer complete staining kitsfor the do-it-yourselfer.
Adding decorative glass can certainly enhance the appearance of adoor without sacrificing security or efficiency. The typical optionsare leaded, frosted, beveled, and etched. I have a combination ofetched and beveled oval glass panels in my front door and just clearlow-e glass in the back.
Almost all the decorative glass panels are sandwiched betweenclear indoor and outdoor panes. This creates two insulating air gapsand greater insulation. It is also difficult to break through. Foradded security, order extra-secure glass that includes a lifetime no-break warranty.
Some features to look for are an adjustable threshold seal andfoam-filled weatherstripping. A large, reinforced lock block (hiddeninside the door) enhances security as does a multipoint lockingsystem.
An extra hinged sidelite is an advantage for more light and whenyou move large furniture in and out.
Update Bulletin No. 955 is a buyer's guide of stainable, carbonand fiberglass doors, listing manufacturers, styles, insulation,decorative glass options, design/efficiency features, and finishinginstructions. Please send $3 and a business-size, self-addressedenvelope to: James Dulley, Chicago Sun-Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive,Cincinnati, Ohio 45244. Or download from: www.dulley.com.
Q. Our toilet seems to be running, but only at night. I cannothear it during the day and the water level only goes down so far andthen it fills again. Why would a toilet run only at night?
A. You toilet is not just running at night. What you hear is thewater coming back into the tank at a very slow rate. Since it is soquiet at night, this is the only time you can hear the water running.
Your problem is most likely a leaky flapper valve in the bottom ofthe tank. When the tank level drops an inch or so, the float dropsenough to turn on the water just slightly until it is slowly filledagain.
Engineer James Dulley writes from Cincinnati.
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