How To Prep A Front Door For Painting
Understanding how to get a door for painting can help you achieve professional looking results on your finished door.
How to prep a front door for painting. A new coat of paint is a welcome opportunity to choose a new color and refresh your home s first impression. Prep the door if you have the patience space and materials go ahead and take your door off the hinges and lay it flat on sawhorse legs. If you do not have a glass or storm door that stands between your door and the elements you ll want to make certain you use exterior paint. So if you re painting a door you can t live without like a bathroom or exterior door start first thing in the morning so it can be back in service by day s end.
If it was painted with oil based paint prime before using a latex based paint. In this video cole schaefer a professional painter shows you how to properly prep and paint your front door the right way so it will look like new for ma. So armed with the knowledge that preparation is king when it comes to painting here are 10 tips to help your exterior paint prep projects go faster look better and cost less. Once the primer has dried on the front of the door flip the door over to prime the back.
You ll need a screwdriver latex gloves goggles tsp or tsp pf drop cloths a bucket clean rags 180 grit sandpaper liquid chemical deglosser. For a single exterior door that has been primed you ll need approximately one quart of paint. Choose whether you need to prime the door before painting. Because of the texture of the door surface preparing a door for painting is especially important.
Painting a door typically takes three to five hours depending on the condition of the door and how fussy you are. If the door was originally painted with latex paint priming should be unnecessary. You can paint it on the hinges be sure to cover them in painters tape but laying it flat will help prevents drips and runs. But add in the drying time and it s a full day project.
Prep the door one day and then start your first coat of primer bright and early the next morning. When painting wood doors make sure all six sides of your door are covered to protect it from rotting cracking and expansion. Painting a poorly prepped surface will only result in disappointment while quality pre paint work pays huge dividends. Front doors require a certain amount of maintenance such as regular cleaning weatherproofing and the occasional well deserved spruce up.