How To Paint A Door In 2 Ways That Anyone Can Follow

Make A Small Change For A Big Impact On Your San Diego County Home

You can use a small change to make a big impact by painting your home’s doors. Whether it’s for your front or the interior, learn how to paint a door. There are 2 ways you can choose from: taking the door off the wall or leaving it in place.

You’ll find the differences in the post below.

It’ll Be A-door-able!

“Hahaaaa, stop it!”

Jerry chuckles at his joke and Charlene’s face. He’s on point today with the puns and “bad” jokes. Hopefully, he’ll be just as on point when painting their front door.

“But really, Jerry, are you sure you can paint our door?” Charlene asks.

“No sweat! I’ll just look up how to paint a door and follow the instructions,” he states confidently. “If it turns out I can’t we can always schedule a consultation with a painter about painting our door.”

As he’s talking, Jerry slides out his phone and looks up the instructions for how to paint a front door.

Here are the steps he finds.

Before You Paint A Door

“Oh good, I love previews!”

Know that it can take a full day for the paint to dry. If it’s a door you use often, like bathroom doors, it’s best to start early in the day.

You’ll also want to think about whether you want to remove it or not.

Taking a door down to paint usually gives the best results (though pros leave it on the wall most of the time). You will need something to lay it across, like 2 sawhorses. Having it flat helps prevent drips and runs.

“I’d rather not remove it because that seems like more work. Though learning how to touch up paint might be just as much…” Jerry considers.

Another important part to consider is the type of paint to use. The best paints for doors tend to be satin and semi-gloss sheens. They don’t show damages easily and they’re easy to clean.

“Alright, all of these are good to know. Now, let’s get on to learning how to paint a door.”

How To Paint A Door That’s Removed

Take the door off the wall
Remove hinges, knobs, and anything not to be painted
Clean the door with a household cleaner
Sand it if you want the paint to hold better
Prime and paint

“Sounds easy enough. Wait, are there more details on painting a front door further down?” Jerry says aloud as he scrolls downward.

Take the door off the wall by placing a screwdriver under the hinge pin and using a hammer to (carefully) knock it out. It’s best to have someone hold the door while you do this.

As for painting, using a sprayer gives the best finish but it can take some time to get the proper technique. If you use a brush and roller, start with the door edges, then move to the panels, followed by the horizontal rails, and finally the vertical stiles.

“The stiles are the parts going up and down and the rails are the sideways parts,” Jerry notes.

But what if he doesn’t want to take the door down? Jerry scrolls down to see how to paint a front door without removing it.

How To Paint A Door Without Removing It

Start by painting any top panels
Paint horizontal rails below that
Then move to painting the bottom panels
Paint any horizontal rails below that
Finally, paint the vertical stiles

“If I use primer then I should use the same method,” Jerry notes. After reading these steps on how to paint a door he isn’t too sure if he wants to do it himself or not…

2 Days Later

“Wow Jerry, you did a great job painting our front door!” Charlene bursts out with a huge smile. Their front door looks amazing!

“Now you just need to learn how to paint over varnished wood for our next project,” she finishes with a smile.