How to Repaint a Metal Door

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

Fall is coming and that means the trick or treaters will be on your doorstep soon. How scary is your entrance? We live in an area that gets harsh winters and hot summers. The elements really take a toll on outside doors. This is a good time of year to take care of any of those “scary” maintenance projects on your home. Today I’ll show you how to repaint a metal storm door.

In the front of our home, we have a wooden door and a white metal storm door with glass panes. It has gotten rusty over the years. Add in a lot of dirt from the traffic on the street and we were in need of a face lift.

Metal doors are easy to re-paint. There are a lot of color options to seal it and give it a new look. We decided to replace the mail slot, but repainted the door and door knobs. Of course, after you paint your door it may look so good that you’ll be inspired to replace those old door knobs.

Whether replacing or repainting your knobs, here are some easy steps on how to repaint a metal storm door.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Repaint a Metal Storm Door Materials

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door Instructions

As you can see below, there was a lot of rust coming through the white paint. The doorknobs and mail slot were tarnished, and the glass desperately needed cleaning.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

To prep the door, take off any hardware you will repaint (by spray painting) or cover it with painters tape and foil.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

Take out any glass or screens, if your door has them. It’s easier to clean and prepare the door for painting without them. Cover the surrounding area with drop cloths. Cover a wide area since spray paint can travel and cover many surrounding surfaces.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

Sand the door as best as you can. I used a random orbital sander and sanding blocks.  The goal is to get rid of any loose paint, dust, debris and rust from the door to prepare it for paint.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

Using a rag and TSP cleaner, spray down the door and wipe it dry. This prepares the surface so new primer and paint will adhere well. Now you are ready to prime and paint the door.

Prime with a good oil-based spray paint using thin coats. Let it dry the recommended time. Paint your door with a gloss enamel paint in the color of your choice.  (I used one can of paint and one can of primer to paint this door on both the inside and out.) Let the door dry over night.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

After the door dries you can put on your new hardware (if you chose to replace it.) I took the initiative to replace the tarnished mail slot with a new one in oil rubbed bronze. You can find these at your local home improvement store or online.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

I chose to re-paint instead of replacing the outside of the door knob and deadbolt. Using a brush and a can of paint means you don’t have to tape off or remove the door knob to repaint it.  If you are spray-painting, you might want to remove the knob first. It took two light coats to cover tarnished brass. Make sure to adhere to the drying time for this kind of paint.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

Clean up all of your supplies and enjoy your newly painted metal door. I’ve done this on another door in our house and it saved us hundreds of dollars since we didn’t have to replace the whole door. Painting is an easy DIY project you can definitely do in a weekend.

How to Repaint a Metal Storm Door

See you at Decor Adventures soon and happy painting.

Decor Adventures Blog

~ Read more of Jessica’s tutorials ~

 

Pin for later!

Easily update your front door with this tutorial on how to paint your rusted, metal storm door. | DIY tutorial | How to paint metal | Pretty Handy Girl #prettyhandygirl #DIYtutorial

6 replies
  1. Dinah
    Dinah says:

    We have a dark maroon/deep red front door and need a security door. Although the door jamb is white, and our front porch is white, I felt that a white security door would be too stark against the dark red wooden front door. So I have purchased a black security door that I like (with insect mesh). What are your thoughts on a white versus black security door w/ insect screen, instead of a white one?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.