Painting a door begins with proper prep work. This is how to paint a door to make it look great. Door
painting preparation involves removing the door and items off the door. After, clean the door and start
painting.
How to Paint a Door Summary
- Remove the door
- Remove items off the door
- Clean the door
- Paint the door
Detach the Door
To get the best paint job possible, take the door right off. After, you can set the door flat side up on a
couple of stands: one stand for each end of the door. Something like a sawhorse works great for the
stands.
Remove Items Off the Door
- Remove whatever items are attached to the door. These can be things like the knob or deadbolt.
- Clean the Door
If your door is not that dirty, a couple of wipe downs with some clean rags can do the job. For a real
filthy door, you can use a cleaning product:
- Dish soap works well for washing doors.
Painting the Door
After your door is clean and dry, you can begin painting even if the door is fiberglass. To start, use a little paint on the tip of a quality
brush. Furthermore, you want to begin painting on the recessed parts of the door. Make sure to paint
with the grain to get a nice even paint job. You can finish off the paint job with a roller:
- As with the brush, you want to have very little paint on the roller.
Remember to also paint the edges of the door as well. If there is unfinished wood on the edges, make
sure to use a primer first. Wait for the paint to dry and repeat the process on the other side of the door.
Now each side of the door is painted. To get a professional company like paint job, do this all again so
that there are two coats on each side of the door. However, you need to wait for the paint to dry
between coats. With your paint job complete, re-attach your door. Now you have a great-looking door.
To go a step further, you can paint the door frame as well.
How to Paint a Door Frame
The process of how to paint a door frame should focus a lot on proper preparation, just like painting
the actual door. Preparation is a step many people skip and they pay for it with poor results: a bad paint
job. You will need to remove all the attachments that are on the door frame. After removing obstacles
on the frame, give it a good sanding. After sanding comes cleaning the dust and debris:
- Specks of dust can be very visible when painted over
When you got the frame nice and cleared off is when you will start taping off the area around it. The
final step will be painting the actual door frame. With all the proper preparation completed, you can get
to painting and have a beautiful-looking door frame.
How to Paint a Door Jamb Summary
- Remove all obstacles on the frame.
- Sand the frame.
- Clean and dust off the frame.
- Tape off and protect the area around.
- Paint the door frame.
Not removing obstacles when painting a door frame is a good way to make your paint job look low
quality. Remove all the things attached to the frame. Remove the little strike plate that will most likely
be on your frame:
- The strike plate is the little metal piece that is in the door frame. The latch in the doorknob goes
inside of this.
The purpose of a strike plate is to protect the door frame/ door jamb from the knob latch going
in and out hundreds of times year after year
If you are painting an exterior door jamb, then remove the doorbell if you have one. Then comes the
actual door. Remove the door by unscrewing the hinges off the frame. Leave them attached to the door
for easy installation after painting. However, this step might be already completed if you just finished
painting the door as discussed above.
After your frame is all cleared off, begin the sanding process. You should use sandpaper that is around
100 grit:
- Sandpaper grit that is around 100 would be classified as medium-grade.
Sand the door frame until the old paint is removed and there are no marks or groves left. You want the
frame nice and smooth.
Now that the frame is well sanded, you need to properly clean the door jamb. Unfortunately, this is a
step that is skipped over a lot. Doing this will give you a paint job with a lot of imperfections. To avoid
these imperfections, use a clean brush to dust off the debris made from sanding. You should also use
this brush to clean out holes, such as the strike plate hole and the area where the hinges were. After you are
done this initial dusting, use a 2 nd clean brush to finish up the left-over debris.
With a nice clean door frame, you can start taping off the area around and protect the floor. Use a good
quality painter’s tape as to not leave tape residue. Tape off the area around the frame but also
remember to protect the floor from paint. You can place the paper on the ground around the frame to
protect the floor.
Now the final step will be painting the frame. You can use a primer first or paint that is paint and primer
all in one. Start with the outside edge first using a paintbrush that is around an inch wide. An inch-wide
brush will not allow for too much paint buildup on the face of the frame. After the outside edges, you
can paint the face and the inside area where the door sits. After the paint is dry, you can re-attach
everything you took off. And if you want an amazing look for your frame, you can always use a
professional painting company.