I am looking to replace the fire rated door from the garage into the basement. This door is our primary entry point and we use it multiple times a day.

I don’t know what material is the best for our needs. Security is not a concern and we are more concerned about durability, form/function and maintenance/cleaning.

Pricing is varied from $550 for composite, $800 for metal and $1000 for fiberglass. I am leaning towards composite or fiberglass.

Are there major differences I am not realizing? My current thought process is composite and I could replace the door twice for the cost of fiberglass.

What does your code require with regards to a firebreak? Basement may not be considered a "living space" and not fall into the code requirement but, if a fire is able to migrate into the basement and under your house, bad things could ensue.

With all that, we recently went with a steel door between the house and garage (no basement here). It is also required to be self-closing so there is a bit of a slam [until i went back and adjusted the hinges] due to the inertia of the closing action.

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What does your code require with regards to a firebreak?

Generally the entire area between the structure of the house and that of the garage that contacts each other must be of fire rated construction, which would include the doors.

Although they probably look the worst, I think the steel doors would be better and longer lasting than the others. I've seen them start in the $300 range (just the door, not installed).

If I remember correctly a door going from a garage into a habitat space is required to have a 1 hour fire rating.

Most all steel doors will easily have this rating but many wood and fiberglass doors won’t. Regardless of which material you choose a fire rated door will have a sticker or placard on it confirming its rating. Also, it’s not just the door but the frame that is required to be fire rated as well. This is usually done by using a fireproof primer and or paint.

What type of material is a "composite" door made from? In my world, "composite" is a generic term that would include fiberglass as one of many possible materials. Does composite mean MDF core with plastic face sheets?

I've been told by some people that if you have security concerns, then go with the steel door. Downside is that it's not much of a thermal barrier and that small dents can easily happen with all the traffic going through the doorway with people using their feet on it and things banging into it. The composite/fiberglass doors wouldn't have those downsides as much.

Ok let’s forget the fire code part and I was able to confirm my local code only requires a 20 minutes rated door.

It simple comes down to the material I want.

The composite door is a solid core interior mdf style door.

Composite is just a door made of chip board stuff coated in a fancy fire retardant and finished with smooth exterior. Same with the fiberglass-it’s just finished in that not all the way thru.

Our front door is the fiberglass and the garage is the composite one-both were cheaper than steel clad and had better aesthetics .

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Originally posted by smlsig:

If I remember correctly a door going from a garage into a habitat space is required to have a 1 hour fire rating.

The door between our attached garage and the kitchen is hollow core wood, just like any of the interior doors in the house. I can't imagine it lasting more than five minutes, if that much, in a fire.

Steel. Excellent insulation. Excellent security. Least expensive for the most part. Easy button turf for me.

Every jurisdiction has different code requirements. If it is getting inspected talk to the inspector before buying a door.

Lots of inspectors have their own interpretation.

Do not forget one or both sides of the wall need to be 5/8 and or firecode rated Sheetrock.

A fire rated door is rated to with stand exposure to fire for a period of time, material doesn’t matter. It then becomes about appearance. Hollow metal generally looks like a flat slab you can get hollow metal with reveal but why pay for that when you can get that on a wood door. You can get and mdf rated door and paint it. Fiberglass is generally more expensive depending on manufacturer.

Fiberglass, it lasts and lasts, doesn't rot or rust like steel. They make Fiberglass impact doors that are very strong. Steel however is the most impervious to fire.

Steel doors dent and ding too easily. Fiberglass fie rated doors are a great choice, you can even get fiberglass doors that have realistic looking wood grain that can be stained to look like your other wood interior doors.

I had a steel door on a rent house. The tenant’s two dogs damaged it so badly with their claws I had to replace it after she moved out. It was fairly thin steel with a wood perimeter and foam filling. I’m not sure I would call a lumberyard residential steel door a durable choice, if appearance is a concern.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arfmel,