Make a grand statement of artistry and luxury with handcrafted fiberglass exterior doors.
High-quality, handcrafted fiberglass exterior doors are virtually indistinguishable from wood. They can stand up to any climate and resist warping, cracking, and denting. It’s easier than ever to match any style and turn an entrance into a grand statement.
A truly beautiful exterior door is a bold expression of the architectural style and the owner’s personality. Typically, the first material that comes to mind is wood. But high-quality, handcrafted fiberglass is equally up to the task, especially in demanding climates.
JELD-WEN® IWP® Aurora® fiberglass exterior doors are as beautiful and authentic as they are durable. They’re built to be identical in look and feel to IWP Wood doors, for example, but able to stand up to any climate — hot or cold, wet or dry.
Going beyond wood
Created using an innovative, multi-step process, each IWP Aurora fiberglass exterior door is like a work of art while also meeting all building codes, including fire, weather, and sound. In fact, these beautiful doors can be custom made to fit a homeowner’s unique style. Let’s take a closer look at how IWP Aurora@ fiberglass doors are made.
Building the wood model
Working with experts in the boat industry, JELD-WEN developed its own nine-step, innovative skin manufacturing process. It all begins with the building of a real wood door, chosen for its rich woodgrain detail.
Creating the mold
Once the first step is completed, a silicone mold is made from an IWP Wood door and crafted into shape with the same craftsmanship as boat hulls were once created. This attention to detail makes it possible for fiberglass doors to capture every detail of the wood, down to the knots and other unique characteristics, for a product that looks, feels, and even knocks like the original.
The first nine of 11 steps that go into crafting a JELD-WEN® IWP® Aurora® fiberglass exterior door. Machined to individual specifications and shading not pictured here.
Once the mold is finished, it’s time to build the door from the outside in using JELD-WEN’s proprietary Strata™ technology. To add visual depth, a gel coat is sprayed onto the mold and UV cured, followed by a pigment coat to enhance the woodgrain detail.
Creating the skin
Most fiberglass door manufacturers use “chopped” fiberglass and press it into shape with steel dies. IWP Aurora doors use a fiberglass mat that is hand applied in layers for a thick, strong door skin. The skin captures the exact woodgrain details and includes the capability to re-create virtually any custom-molded door up to 4ˈ wide by 10ˈ tall.
The fiberglass skin is applied in layers and adhered to a strong 4″ LVL internal frame with cross rails and a 7/8″ hardwood edge band that adds to the feel of a real wood door. If you wondered what gives the door the weight and “knock” of a solid wood door, it’s the high-density polyurethane foam core poured onto the skin.
Trimming and joining
Having constructed the door in halves, each one is machine trimmed and joined together. Now it’s time to choose the glass, color, finish, and hardware to put a personal, distinctive stamp on the final product. With the rich array of customizing options, the opportunities to create a unique design are limited only by one’s imagination.
A historic reproduction at Cristo Rey High School
Cristo Rey High School offers a beautiful example of how fiberglass can be called upon to create historically accurate replicas of existing exterior wood doors. The project managers went with IWP Aurora fiberglass doors and JELD-WEN’s network of knowledgeable architectural consultants, ensuring a seamless look with the rest of the building and top-notch modern functionality and low maintenance offered by fiberglass.
Get started with IWP Aurora fiberglass exterior doors
