How to Paint Your Interior Doors

Given their size, interior doors are natural focal points in a room. As a result it is important to achieve a smooth and attractive appearance when painting interior doors. Typically doors are painted to match the other trim inside a room.

Preparation

When painting a new door to be installed that has never been painted, the door should first be sanded by hand or with a power hand sander using 180 to 220 grit sandpaper to achieve a smooth surface suitable for painting. The door should then be painted first with a good primer before applying the finishing coat. Existing doors that have been painted previously should first be cleaned thoroughly with water and a mild detergent and then the surface when dry should be roughened with a sanding block, sanding sponge or 80 grit sandpaper to ensure good paint adherence. Doors may be painted while hung or can be removed from the hinges for painting. Remove doorknobs and striker plates before painting. If the door will be painted while hung, mask off the hinges with painter's tape to prevent getting paint on the hardware.

Equipment

Doors can be painted with a brush, paint roller or spray gun. If a spray gun is used, it is typically easier to remove the door from the hinges to paint it to keep overspray from covering areas that you do not want painted. When using a roller to paint the larger surfaces, a trim brush will also be required to cut in the edges. If painting with brushes, a trim brush and a wider brush for the larger surfaces will be needed. Purchase quality paint brushes for use in painting doors to minimize brush streaks and to obtain the best finish.

Painting Tips

With all doors start at the top and work down when painting. Most interior doors in modern construction are hollow core doors with smooth surfaces. This type of door should be painted with strokes that go with the wood grain which typically will be vertical. In older homes, sometimes solid core doors with rails and panels are encountered. With this type, paint the horizontal rails with horizontal strokes and the vertical rails with vertical up and down strokes. Paint the rails first and then work on the panel areas. Aim at achieving a smooth surface by removing excess paint from brushes or rollers before applying paint to the surfaces of the door being painted. Sometimes a second coat of paint is required especially when covering a darker color with a lighter cover of paint. When this is necessary, after the first coat has completely dried, roughen the surface again with a sanding block or sponge before applying the second coat. After sanding, wipe the surfaces with a clean cloth to remove any residue left behind. Once the final coat has dried, reinstall the door if it was removed from the hinges and reinstall the door knobs and striker plate. Remove any masking tape applied to the hinges and clean up.

Source:

"Painting Doors". House-Painting-Info. August 6, 2009.