How to Paint Doors (The Professional Way)
Many of us have been staring at the same walls and doors in our homes for many years (or maybe many decades.) If you’ve wanted to give your home an update, painting a door is a quick and easy way to do just that. Today I’ll to show you how to paint doors (the professional way) so they look amazing for years (or decades) to come.
How to Paint Doors (The Professional Way)
So you want to paint like a pro? Well, sit back and let me give you some tips and a tutorial for painting a door. This tutorial pertains to any paneled door (interior or exterior).
Our doors are all the six panel type. If you have flat (non-panel) versions, you can skip this post and come back later. For the rest of us, get out your paper and pencils and take some notes (does anyone do this anymore?)
Materials:
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optional:Â Painting Pyramids
How to Test for Latex or Oil Paint?
To determine if you need to prime your door you need to assess if your door was painted with latex or oil paint first. To test the paint, rub a small spot with rubbing alcohol (or ammonia) and if the paint comes off it is latex. If not, it’s oil paint.
How Do I Know if My Door Has Lead Paint:
You can easily test your door (or any paint) for the presence of lead by using a lead test swab. I go into more detail about lead paint in this tutorial.
But, the short of it is, if you have lead paint, you must be very careful when sanding it. Cover the area with disposable plastic. Use a wet sanding block (never use a power sander). Wear a respirator and be sure to clean everything with disposable wet wipes.)
When Do You Have to Prime?
As we determined above, if your door was painted with oil-based paint (and you want to use latex paint) you will need to prime. But, here are a few more reasons you need to prime your door first:
- Bare wood or stained wood doors.
- Dark painted doors you wish to paint lighter (or vice versa), you want to use a tinted-primer to cut down on coats.
- If the door was painted with oil and you want to use latex paint. If you are painting over latex with latex (or oil over oil) and the previous paint job is in good shape you can skip the primer. (This was the case with my door, so I didn’t prime it.)
- The paint is chipping. First, scrape or sand any flakes and then prime. (Important: Check for Lead Paint First.)
- Lead paint (whether in good shape or not), you will need to prime.
Should I Remove or Paint a Hung Door?
The easiest way to paint a door is to remove the door, then remove the knobs and latch. Then you can lay it horizontally on sawhorses. Painting a door on sawhorses eliminates potential drips and is easier on your back. But, removing the door can also be a pain, especially if it’s a large solid wood door. I’ve painted plenty of doors without removing them, and they look great. It comes down to personal preference.
Preparation:
Whether you are removing the door or painting it in place, be sure to cover the area underneath with a drop cloth, newspapers, or flattened cardboard boxes (my favorite for hung doors because it gives some cushion when you are kneeling on the floor.
Lightly sand the entire door. No need to bust out the power sander, you can use a sanding block or sheet of sand paper. Be sure to sand down any bumps or blemishes. The main goal is to give your door a little “tooth” for the new paint or primer to adhere to. Wipe off the door with a damp rag to remove any sawdust.
Instructions for How to Paint Doors the Professional Way.
Step 1: Paint the interior panels first as shown in the graphic below.
Using a small roller to paint doors can greatly speed the process. Begin by rolling paint on the flat panels. Work quickly by rolling on the paint, then use a brush to smooth out the paint and fill in the detailed areas around the flat panel.
This is one of the most important tips for getting a professional look:
Follow the grain direction when brushing on the paint
If you follow the grain and the direction of the arrows in the graphic above, you will maintain the look of the door construction. Original wood doors are made with several pieces and the wood grain changes direction. Even if you have cheap hollow core doors, you can fake the look of a quality door by following the grain pattern.
In other words: NEVER run your brush strokes perpendicular to the wood grain. This does NOT look professional.
Step 2: Next, roll the inside center vertical piece. Start by rolling the paint on in an up and down direction.
Then drag your brush up and down vertically with the wood grain (see arrows in the above diagram.)
Step 3: Next paint the horizontal cross pieces in the middle of the door.
Keep your brush strokes horizontal (with the grain) and cross over the tall vertical center.
Step 4: Paint the door border. Pay attention to the direction of the wood grain for this last step. The grain on the two sides should go vertically from top to bottom.
There are header and footer panels sandwiched between the left and right sides. These “sandwiched” pieces should be painted by dragging your brush horizontally (see diagram above.)
Step 5: The last step is to paint the edges of the door. (Do Not paint the hinges…that’s not very professional either!) If your hinges or doorknobs were painted previously you can follow this tutorial with four ways to remove paint from metal hinges.
Roll paint onto the edges then smooth them with the paintbrush. Be on the lookout for drips or puddles of paint. Go back and check the face of your door for drips now before the paint cures.
Let your door dry (30 minutes – 1 hour), then follow up with a second coat of paint. When you are done let the doors dry for 2+ hours before flipping to paint the other side. I have found that it helps to put pieces of cardboard or rags under the door so the paint doesn’t stick to the sawhorses. But you can also buy Painting Pyraminds which elevate the door and hold it on tiny points.
Ready to perfect more of your painting skills? Check out the Paint Week series with 5 Lessons to Perfect Your Painting Skills:
And if you really want to paint your front door but can’t decide on a color, you’ll love this collection of Bold Colored Front Doors!
I painted my metal front door last year without removing it from the hinges and the best advice I have
Is to use a small foam roller ( as advised after my 3rd trip to the paint store in frustration!) I was using
A high-gloss black paint and kept seeing all of my brush lines…..then tried to use a roller, but could not do the inside of the panels. The man at the paint store finally asked what it was I was painting and then told me to use the small foam rollers as they will paint right into the panels and will not leave marks upon drying 🙂
I’m just now finding this post! About 3 years ago, I had my front door replaced after I’d come home from work one day to find it kicked in. The man put in a new frame and door. Nothing was painted before hand. I doubt he would have wanted to wait for me to do that! So my front door is store-bought primer white. I’m going to attempt to paint it while it’s hung because I cannot take it down/put it back up by myself. My question is: How long should I wait after it’s totally painted before I close the door? I could start very early on a Saturday, but I would need to be able to close it and lock it in the evening. Any particular paint (brand) you’d recommend for quick, solid drying? Thanks!
Cindy, oh definitely paint that exterior door while still hung. I’d use a latex paint rated for exterior durability. Paint on a sunny day so it will dry faster. Also, you can smear a line of petroleum jelly inside the door jamb where the door presses against it (or the weather stripping) to prevent sticking. Hope that helps!
P.s. Be sure to prime the door and use a Semi-Gloss or Gloss for durability.
Thank you! 🙂
I am wondering is your outside door metal? Mine is and it needs painted. Has hung as is for way to long and husband has been to busy so going to takle it by myself. For the metal door do you suggest sanding it or just priming it? And I’m assuming the same paint as long as it has an outside durability.
Kim, mine is wood. But, even if it is metal, you want to lightly sand to give the surface some “tooth” for your paint to stick to. Then definitely use a good primer (should be rated for exterior.) And a good exterior paint.
The best tips here are not to remove the doors and to paint the doors using a excellent brush and self-leveling paint!!!
I painted my doors in my house and now they wont shut? what can I do?
I am painting my exterior door and I am not planning to take it down to paint it. I did take notes from your process and I think it will work.
OH Thank you! I read so many tutorials on door painting that nearly scared me out of it. You laid it out simple and easy, I painted 3 doors downstairs black, just as you instructed above; they look GREAT!! Thanks for taking the time to post this. 🙂
XOXO
I’m a little late to the party, but… I was a high-end house painter for two years (and learned from someone who’d been doing it for 25 yrs) and I just have to say that a pro would never remove the door – it’s a pain and why add to the workload when it doesn’t make the painting that much easier? But if you’ve removed your door you might as well paint the bottom edge while you’re down there (rarely gets done). I have never seen anyone use a roller, either, but I imagine it does help if you haven’t been painting 40 hrs/week and can’t go fast enough to keep the paint from drying up on you.
It kind of bothers me that a book has told you what “pros” do when it’s clearly a modified-for-non-pros version…
Happy painting!
Oh yeah, don’t forget to buy an expensive brush (Wooster or Purdy) and paint (Benjamin Moore or maybe Sherwin Williams)! It makes a world of difference
Jv is correct, no need to remove the door, just the handle. Personally would never paint a door laying on saw horses, as dust would settle on it.
Have to agree here, definitely better to paint a door in situ and just remove the handles etc. Also the quality of the paint and tools makes a HUGE difference to the finish.
See my other post – YES, take all the doors off and all the hardware – paint them ALL at one time and if you are doing multiple rooms, the darn doors are out of your way when trying to get all that painting done.
Hello!
I was wondering if you paint the top, bottom, and sides of the door? And what type of paint you should use….I would love to paint my interior doors (some paneled and some flat) but don’t want them sticking. Also, do you know how to paint a door jambs? I really want to paint my interior doors, but worry I’ll mess it all up and have a bunch of doors that stick. Thanks for your help!
Cheryl, if I take the door off the hinges then I paint the entire thing. All 6 sides. Dust doesn’t attach as easily to a clean painted door. If I paint it while still hung I paint everything but the bottom. Leave the door open at least overnight and up to 48 hours if you can. The paint should dry thoroughly and not stick to the other jamb. If it does stick, your door may be too tight in the frame. Most doors only lightly touch the jamb when closed. You can also try putting a thin wiping of vaseline on the jamb (after the paint is dry) to prevent it from sticking.
Thank you!! 😀
Great tutorial! I am following your advice right now and painting the outside of my white front door with medium blue latex paint, satin sheen. I didn’t have to prime.
Can I really apply another coat after just one hour?
I’d love to, to get this done all in one day, but the can says wait 4 hours and I’ve even heard to wait 24 hours. But if you did it in one hour with success, I want to do that too! Thanks!
Colleen, as long as the first coat is completely dry you can definitely proceed with the next coat. You will want to be careful not to lay anything on the doors for up to a week as the paint cures. But, otherwise, go for it!
Thanks so much Brittany, I am done and it looks amazing, now to get this stupid deadbolt back on, it’s actually giving me trouble and I thought it was the easy part, lol!
OK, I’m back. lol
What if you have those hollow wood-look doors? How do you paint them?
Kristin, I’m assuming you are asking about the doors that do not have individual panels, but one flat surface instead. In that case, you would paint them top to bottom. Roll on the paint and then use your brush to smooth the paint top to bottom with the grain. If you do have paneled doors, just paint them like shown in the tutorial and brush with the grain. The door shown is actually hollow too.
If they are “wood look” …you very possibly need to prime them. Make sure you get a primer that says “bonding” or “adhesion”….different primers do different things.
This was great. Thank you.
I painted my front door just a few weeks ago and just kinda winged it. Judging by your tutorial I did everything right! I used both a roller and a brush on mine, and didn’t like either one. I didn’t like the streaks the brush left, and the roller seemed to soak up more paint than it applied. I ended up using a wide sponge brush thing and liked it best!
our new house has the original 6 panel wood doors…i wanted to keep them but the thought of painting seemed hopeless especially after my first go-around…glad to know that there is a way to do it so i can keep these doors in the house..thanks