wood/glass transition

If it's an exterior door you actually want to lay a small beadof finish onto the glass to prevent moisture from getting between the wood and the glass.

For large thermal expansions, such as an outside door you would want something that isn't cracked all the time. The glass needs to move against the wood and they have different thermal coefficients. Use a flexible clear caulking after you are done finishing.

Yes, just use lots of tape. You will have a hard time getting the urethane off the frosted glass. You may want to cleanup with solvents before the urethane gets too hardened (a day or two, at most)

Steve B wrote:

Like he said. On frosted glass paint is a bitch to clean off. Just place the tape ~1/16" from the wood. Use the green tape - it's more flexible, thinner, and there's less bleeding under the tape. Rub the tape's closest edge down with a cloth to make sure it's down tight. You may want to seal the closest edge of the tape with some shellac. That will prevent bleed under and it's easy to wipe off with alcohol which won't disturb your shiny new finish.

Large thermal expansions? Where? It's a panel and frame door with "a large glass panel". The thermal coefficient of expansion of glass is

Caulking? How? Where? The door is assembled - you want him to do what, exactly? Force the caulk into a non-existent gap, or run it up on the edge of the wood? Both poor choices.

Lots of tape...are you assuming he has some palsy or something? He needs exactly one strip of tape running around the glass perimeter if he's refinishing while it's laying flat. If he's doing it while it's standing, then he'll mask off the all of the glass with plastic.

You are so wrong. You are talking strictly heat. The real culprit is woods naturaul expansion and contraction. I had my bay windows blow the seals because of the lack of enough growth area. Use a flexible caulk. And yes the blue painters tape or frog tape are good to protect stains and finishes.

lmao

No, Josie and the Pussycats said _thermal_ expansion, and that's what I responded to. If you're talking about coefficients of expansion with respect to humidity, that obviously only applies to the glass. If the wood is well-sealed with a low permeability finish, there is minimal movement in the rails and stiles of a framed door. If there were a lot of movement all doors would require big gaps all the way around the door/jamb, and, well, that's not the case.

BTW, your experience with your bay windows doesn't translate to anyone but yourself. No one knows how big the bay windows are, the number of panes, etc, etc. I would feel safe in assuming that you are comparing apples to oranges and extrapolating from there.

Since you posted about the caulking above, you don't seem to have read my comments on caulking a non-existent gap. Where's the caulk supposed to go exactly?

In small gaps, such as the OP's, paint or poly is the best sealant unless you want to goober up a nice wood door with visible caulk that is doomed to fail anyway.

Sorry, interior door.

Temperature not a factor. Humidity a minimal/marginal factor. My advice stands.

I hope it's not an oak door or that glass is history. :-)

I don't believe they sell oak at Home Depot. I would say from its weight and color that it is pine or some other wood.

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

Sorry, Steve. I was bringing up a joke from another thread. :-)

Liquid frisket.

-- Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't. -- Pete Seeger

Not if you use stainless glass...

-MIKE- shot a wad with; Guggler posted: ?

I get you know Josie is FOS. What seems to be not apparent (to those responding) is the WHY it posts what it does.. or am I wrong about that? Are there those in who would believe the followups are actually helping someone?

No mail in the box, Mike.. is there a problem? I haven't a lot of time to spend with this.

------------->chips @hushmail.com

Home Depot sells lots of door in oak. I am just finisshing one, right now that almost fits the OP description. No frosted gals...that will come later after the Varathane layer hardens, with a decal with "wifey's pantry" or sommething like that. Special order to get ones without the muntin bars and just plain glass, in oak. Pantry doors were perfect, with their frosted glass and "Pantry" decor etched into them, if I could fit a 36" wide door.

Now don't mention alcohol based stains to me or my palm sander.

Steve

I'm not really interested in hearing you regale the tales of your stalking.

HAH! Oak rust will dissolve stainless glass just as easily.

-- Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't. -- Pete Seeger

That's how the glass got frosted.