How to Paint a Door like a Pro

Ok, so you decide today is the day your going to break out the old paint brush and roller and paint the front door a new color. You get out the paint and brush and start painting away. Pretty soon, paints everywhere, the door looks like a monkey got a hold of it and your wife is not very happy. So what do you do? Where did you go wrong? With these steps and advice in this article, you can’t go wrong. Who knows, maybe your wife will even tell you what a nice job you’ve done.

First things first, look at you tools. Do you have a nice $50 paint brush that’s been well taken care of, or and old 50 cent paintbrush that’s full of hardened paint from the last paint project? Do you have a new mini roller cover, or and old big roller cover from 1985 that’s full of spider babies? Tools make the man, and without the right ones you’re painting is going to turn into a fiasco. Spend the money at the hardware or paint store on a new brush and mini roller cover. Get a clean roller pan. It won’t hurt to buy a paint brush comb for your $50 paint brush; you may want to keep that around for a while.

Get out the old saw horses or something that you can place the door face down on. Remove all the hardware. Don’t worry about the hinges, just take out the hinge pin with a hammer and nail punch. Leave the hinges on. If you take out the screws, you will be in trouble; the door might not fit right once you put them back on. Use masking tape, or preferably painter’s masking tape, which has an adhesive that leaves not marks after it is removed. Once the door knobs and locks are off, the hinges and other hardware like glass is taped up, then its time for a light sand paper. The finer the grit the better. Take a light pass on the bottom first. If it leaves any noticeable grooves, then get a finer grit paper. Sand the door gently so as to knock down any bumps or other imperfections in the paint.

Its time to paint. Dip the roller cover in the paint pan and roll it around until you have an even coverage over the roller cover. Gently apply to the side of the door if you have a center window. If you have indentations or other types of panels paint hem first. Roll a small amount and immediately grab your paint brush and go over the fresh painted surface in a long and continuous stroke. Don’t wait to long, or the paint will dry and you will get a nasty streak. Use a wet rag to fix any paint that may have dried to fast. Continue along in this fashion until the door is painted. Let it dry overnight or most of the day if you need to put it back up for the night. Do one side at a time and one coat a day, especially if you have a metal or fiberglass door.

By following these steps and advice, you can paint like a pro, without having to use an $800 paint rig and the fancy white suit and hat. Just remember that most mistakes can be fixed using a wet rag and bucket of water before the paint dries. Sandpaper can fix the dried paint. Get good tools, and leave yourself plenty of time to dry and you should have a door masterpiece that even Leonardo would be proud of, and if your lucky, maybe even your wife will be proud too!