Painting Interior Doors For A Professional Look
If you have painted doors at your home, they can get dirty and dingy over time. You can clean them, but after a while, they are going to need an updated paint job. If your interior doors aren't painted, you don't have to worry about this, although you may have to stain them over time. To help you paint your doors for a professional look, there are a few things you should know ahead of time to get it done right. Read on for helpful information and instructions to guide you.
Tools For The Job:
- Semi-gloss paint
- Small paint roller (3 - 4 inches long)
- Paintbrushes
- Painter's tape
- Rags
- Soap and water
Instructions:
- First and foremost, you should clean your doors to get rid of the grime that has built up with time. Clean them thoroughly so you don't have any of the oils from hands over the years soaking back through your fresh paint job. It's also a good time to inspect your door for damage. If you have old paint that dripped and then dried, you should sand these areas. Damage such as minor holes or cracks should be repaired with a wood filler and then sanded down.
- Once your door is clean, dry, repaired and sanded (if needed), you can start prepping. Your doors can be painted while hung, but you should use painter's tape to tape off things such as door handles, hinges and other areas you don't want to get paint on. You can remove the hardware if need be.
- When you begin painting, use the paintbrush to get in the grooves of the door and paint the inlays first. Make sure you catch any drip marks so you don't have any dried dip marks afterward. After the inlays are painted and you have painted around any hardware, you can begin rolling the paint on the flat surfaces of the door. Try to blend in the brush marks with the roller.
- Roll from the top of the door down to the bottom, and then paint the inlays. Once finished, allow it to dry thoroughly. It may take more than one coat of paint to get the job done, especially if it's been a while or if you are painting the door a different color than it once was.
- After the first coat is completely dry (which will take at least a couple of hours), you can paint the second coat in the same manner you painted the first.
- Inspect your work thoroughly after it has dried and check to see if you need a third coat.
- Allow your paint job to dry for at least 24 hours before you put the hardware back on your doors.
Painting one or two doors in your home typically isn't too much of a chore, but if you're looking to have all of your doors painted, you should hire a professional to do the work for you. Call a professional painter for help with this task.
To learn more, contact a resource that offers residential painting services.