How to Paint a Front Door in 3 Easy Steps

Painting a doorway can be a bit much more sophisticated than you might believe at initial. Not only does it need specific painting expertise, but it also demands planning, research, and prep. If you fall short to do the work ahead of portray the doorway, the door will most likely not flip out the way you want it to.

To prevent this from going on, we have designed this report that explains how to paint a entrance door. Hold reading for much more.

What You’ll Need

  • Painter’s tape
  • Tarp
  • Screwdriver
  • Wet rag
  • Dry rag
  • Degreaser
  • Sandpaper
  • Roller
  • Paintbrush
  • Outdoor primer and paint
  • Container for keeping track of hardware

The 3 Steps to Painting a Front Door

1. Prep the Door

How to Paint a Front Door in 3 Easy Steps
Image Credit: Elizaveta Galitckaia, Shutterstock

Even after you have planned and investigated painting your door, it nevertheless is not time to paint it nevertheless. You will need to prep the door initial. Prepping the door is vital to get a cleanse look.

  • Remove the Door: If you have a glass or screen door, remove the front door from the hinges. This is the best way to get an even coat without the paint getting on any other surface. It also creates a cleaner look. We recommend removing the door if it is possible. If you cannot remove the door for any reason, you will want to use painter’s tape and tarps to thoroughly cover all the areas you want to avoid. This will not be as effective as removing the door, but it will help to at least protect other areas.
  • Remove Hardware: If you decide to remove the door or use tarps, remove all hardware, like the handle. This will make it a lot easier to get a clean finish on the door. We recommend putting the screws and hardware in a bowl so that they don’t get lost while you are working on the door.
  • Work on Imperfections: The last thing you need to do in the prep phase is work on any imperfections. More than likely, your door will have smudges, cracks in the paint, or other broken bits. You’ll want to wipe down the door with a wet rag and degreaser to remove the grime properly. Then, use sandpaper to remove any imperfections. Wipe away the excess dust using a dry rag before moving on.

2. Paint the Door

How to Paint a Front Door in 3 Easy Steps
Image Credit: congerdesign, Piqsels

Next, it’s time to actually paint the door. Painting the front doorway is a whole lot less complicated than preparing, studying, and prepping for it. This part of the approach is by much the best if you are affected person.

  • Prime the Door: The first thing you need to do is prime the door using your selected outdoor primer. You will want to cover the door completely using a roller and paintbrush. The roller will help you apply the primer quickly to the flat surfaces but use the paintbrush to cover trim and any detail work as well. You will want to let the primer dry completely before using the paint. If the primer is not dried properly, you will run into issues later.
  • Start Painting: Once the primer is dry, paint the door with your selected paint. Use the same method described above to apply the paint. Use the roller for the flat surfaces of the door but use a paintbrush to get into the detail work. Let the layer of paint dry. Depending on the paint you get, you will likely need to apply a second coat. Just repeat the process of the first coat and let it dry. Even if the instructions on the paint do not require a second coat, the second coat may be worth the effort. Just as before, let the paint layer completely dry before moving on to the next step.

3. Reattach the Hardware

How to Paint a Front Door in 3 Easy Steps
Image Credit: Prostock-studio, Shutterstock

The last point you require to do is reattach the components. This involves placing the doorway back again on the frame if relevant and placing the knobs and hinges back on the doorway. This is the closing contact for portray your entrance door. Be confident that all the paint is dry just before carrying out this, however.

Don’t Forget to Plan and Research

Before you get paint and throw it on your door, there’s a great deal of preparing and research that demands to be accomplished initial. For instance, you will have to make a decision the greatest time to paint, the paint shade, and the paint sort. If you really don't believe about these variables beforehand, you could simply uncover yourself in an avoidable miscalculation.

Best Time to Paint

You constantly want to paint a door when you actually have the time to do it. You need to not expect to paint the door following work. You will likely need to prep the doorway, and you may have to make touch-ups. For this reason, you will want to paint the door when you have sufficient time, such as on a weekend.

For a front door exclusively, you will also have to believe about the temperature. Considering that you will need to have to consider the doorway down, you most likely really don't want to get this work accomplished when it is raining or storming. So, plan to do your entrance door on a weekend when the temperature is great out.

How to Paint a Front Door in 3 Easy Steps
Image Credit: bricoydeco, Pixabay

Selecting the Right Paint

You will want to select the right paint as well. This involves the color and paint type. Let’s start with the paint type. Your exterior doorway will need to have to be primed, and it will need to be outdoor-pleasant. The primer will need to have to match the type of paint you select.

Pick the ideal shade that matches the exterior of your house as effectively. You can slim down the search by taping paint chips to the door. Once you have only a few options to take into account, get samples of the paint so that you can swatch the hues up coming to a single another. Seem at the paint at distinct times for the duration of the day so you can see how it seems to be as the light modifications.

Can You Paint a Front Door Without Removing It?

It is achievable to paint a entrance doorway with no removing it from its hinges, but this could be a lot more tough and result in much less crisp lines.

The goal of getting rid of the doorway from its hinges is to get an even coat of paint that does not contact any of the hardware or other surfaces. As a end result, eliminating the door from its hinges creates the greatest last seem. Of system, you will most likely want a screened-in door or yet another substitute to keep bugs and other pests out of the home whilst you are painting it.

In the circumstance that it is not possible to take away your doorway prior to painting it, you will want to be diligent in utilizing painter’s tape and tarps to stop other surfaces from being painted. You will also want to be amazingly watchful when painting close to the hinges. This will support you get an actual line all close to the door.

How to Paint a Front Door in 3 Easy Steps
Image Credit: wavebreakmedia, Shutterstock

Should I Use a Brush or Roller to Paint a Door?

When painting the entrance doorway, you will very likely want to use equally a roller and a paintbrush. Most doorways have flat, thorough, and indented surfaces. Making use of the roller and paintbrush will ensure that all surfaces are painted correctly.

Use the roller to paint the flat surfaces of the door. Provided that the flat surfaces just take up most of the door, the roller will go over most of the region speedily. Right after that, go in with a paintbrush to paint the depth perform, trimming, and regions not touched by the rollers.

Final Thoughts

The genuine approach of portray a front doorway is not frustrating. The tricky part lies in investigating, organizing, and prepping the door. It’s vital to emphasis on prep-function just as you target on the true portray section. By following the methods over, you must have a clear-looking doorway that boosts the suppress charm of your residence.


Featured Picture Credit rating: Mabeline72, Shutterstock

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