Doors – Paint adherence on fiberglass door. Does it need time to ‘cure’? Can I top-coat it

doorsexteriorpainting

We bought this door:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feather-River-Doors-6-Lite-Clear-Craftsman-Unfinished-Smooth-Fiberglass-Prehung-Front-Door-GK3191/204487447?N=5yc1vZas82Z7cm

I've primed it using Zinsser and then gave it 2 coats of Behr Marquee Exterior.

Looks great. Alas, 24 hours later, I can take my fingernail and scrape of the paint.

It's been a bit humid/rainy. Do I just need to give it more time for the paint to fully harden? Or did I do something wrong with this fiberglass door?

UPDATE:

Another day and the problem remains. I can confirm it's the paint. The paint can be scraped off with a fingernail, but the primer stays.

I'll give it another day or so (it's been humid) and hopefully it fully 'cures'. But if not, do I have options short of stripping the entire door? Is there any sort of top-coat I could apply to give it a stronger surface?

Best Answer

I have lots of questions!

  • Is the door installed in place? If so, is there a storm or screen door?
  • Did you paint both inside and outside surfaces? If so: Did you use the same paint on both? Are they both experiencing the same problems?

If there is a glass storm/screen door in front of the door, this could lead to problems with paint on the outside where the paint is trapped between the door and the glass. If you could answer these questions in your question or as a comment, I can provide a more targeted response.

This paint has a 4 week cure time and should will take longer to set if applied in higher than 60-70% humidity.

For expert advice, you may consult with a BEHR Certified Coatings Professional, call 1-800-854-0133 Ext. 2 in the US.