Painting metal is hard to do without the use of a high dollar spray rig or expensive air compressor and spray gun. You also don’t need an enclosed shop to protect against debris and dirt or a respirator to breath. Don’t let the professional painters trick you into thinking you need a lot of equipment. All you really need is a paint roller, roller pan and a roller cover.
Once you’ve decided to paint a new metal door you will need to buy some supplies. Take a trip down to your local hardware store or home improvement center and walk down the painting supplies aisle. Pick up a cheap roller pan. Once you get to the rollers and the roller covers, pick up a small roller. I like to use one about three inches but there are other options available. Next you need to buy a roller cover. Buy one with a very short and tight nap. The nap is very important to painting a new metal door successfully. I like to buy a roller cover that costs the most money; these tend to do the best job, even though I end up throwing it away. Now all you need is some metal door paint in the color of your choice, then its time to paint!
Once you get back from the paint supply store, its time to take the door down and prep it for painting. Begin by removing the door from its hinges. Have a helper hold the door open and grabbing it with both hands. Use a hammer and a nail punch to hit the hinge pin up and out from the hinge. Start from the bottom and work your way to the top. The same process is reversed when you re-hang the door.
Set the door on a set of sturdy saw horses or work bench out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will dry the paint to fast and cause some serious problems. SO always paint in the shade! Remove the handles and locks and set them aside for future use. Now remove the hinges and screws. Keep each three-screw set with its hinges and mark each hinge as top, middle and bottom. Keeping the screws with their own hinges and the hinges in the same place prevents any problems with the door closing after reassembly. Remove any window inserts carefully and set them aside.
Now that the door hardware has been removed, labeled and set aside, its time to clean the door. Take a damp sponge or rag and wipe the door down. Get especially good around the edges of the panels and around windows where dust and debris settle most. Let the door dry for an hour or so before you begin painting. After its dry I like to use a dry paint brush and sweep any excess debris from the door before I begin painting.
Since all new metal doors come with primer already on it, we can immediately begin to paint the door. Pour some paint into the paint tray and begin loading the roller with paint. Roll the paint up and down the pan to thoroughly cover the roller with paint until it is completely wet with paint. Now begin rolling the paint on the door.
Start first with rolling the paint onto the door panels and any raised edges. It’s ok if you get the paint in globs around the raised edges, you will remove those mistakes in a second. Use the roller cover to squish in the paint if you need to. Do one panel at a time. After the first panel is painted re-roll the cover into the paint tray and remove any excess paint. Now gently roll over any globs, streaks or lines that may have formed during your first coat. It’s critical to have the smoothest coat possible. Paint each panel as described one at a time until all the panels are done.
Now that the panels are painted, begin painting around the panels on the smooth surface of the metal door. Do small sections first, and then re-roll over them to remove any lines or smudges. Work from the top to bottom and do the sides as well.
Once you are satisfied with the first coat, allow it to dry for a few hours before you apply the second coat. It may take up to three or four coats for some paints. Once you have applied a few coats, let the entire door dry for 24 hours before you flip over the other side and paint it. If you don’t let it dry enough, you’ll scrape the fresh paint off of the metal door and you’ll have to start over from scratch. Once the door is dry, flip it over and do the same process as before.
Reattach all of the hardware once the door is dry and set on the hinges. Have your helper hold the door while you insert the hinge pins into the door from top to bottom. Check the swing and the locks and adjust as needed. Good luck on painting your metal door!
