How to Paint a Front Door

Looking for a quick and easy way to elevate your home’s curb appeal can be a daunting task. Front doors play a pretty big role when it comes to upping curb appeal. However, getting a new door is usually pretty pricey. So, many people opt for repainting their door instead. It’s a job that doesn’t require a lot of tools, time, or money. Once finished, it will instantly refresh your home’s exterior look.

To learn how you can repaint your front door, simply follow the steps below.

1. Choosing The Right Paint and Primer

The first step is choosing a primer and paint that can withstand outdoor use. You can use a combined primer-and-paint product in the following situations:

• When you’re painting a bare, unpainted door
• When you’re repainting in a similar color
• When you’re painting over a lighter shade with a darker color

In other situations—such as when your door is peeling, or previously stained, you’ll need separate primer and paint.

Primer Choices

When selecting the primer to use before painting your door, choose white if your top coat will be bright, light, or vibrant. Use gray under less vibrant colors, or darker colors.

Make sure to use either a water-based primer or an oil-based primer that is rated for exterior use. Match the primer type to the paint type. If you’re using a water-based primer, use a water-based paint, or oil-based primer with oil-based paint.

Paint Choices

When it comes to paint choices, you can use either water-based latex paints or oil-based paints, depending on your needs. Latex paints are easier to work with and they dry faster. They also retain colors well, which is helps prevent fading from exposure to UV rays and the elements.

Oil-based paints are more durable. They’ll last longer without chipping, and they resist stains better, which means you’ll need to repaint less often.

Semi-gloss finishes give you plenty of durability without highlighting imperfections. They’re also easy to clean compared to rougher textures. Flat, matte, satin, and eggshell finishes, because of their rougher texture, are harder to clean. They also tend to catch and hold dirt and grime.

However, gloss finishes suffer from the opposite problem. They’re more durable but tend to highlight every little scratch or smudge. The high sheen also tends to highlight imperfections beneath the paint.

2. Remove the Door and Hardware

While you can paint a door in the doorway, the finished result won’t be as clean, and you could drip paint on floors or on your porch. Use a screwdriver to remove the hinges from the door.

Next, place the door on sawhorses or a clean surface. Use a screwdriver to remove the flanges around the doorknob. Instead of removing the entire doorknob assembly, you can simply use masking tape to tape the flanges to the knob on each side. This will hold them out of the way while you’re painting.

3. Wash and Dry the Door

Next, it’s time to wash and dry the door. Use a mild detergent to remove dust and grime. If the door is chipped, sand down the rough areas before washing. Allow the door to dry thoroughly before painting.

4. Prime Then Allow to Dry

After washing and drying the door, apply primer to the door’s surface. Work in sections. Use a paintbrush to prime the details—but feel free to use a roller to coat larger panels or sections quickly.

Be sure to refer to manufacturer instructions for details like the drying time so that you know how long to wait before you can apply paint.

5. Paint Two or Three Coats

After the primer has dried, the next step is to paint. Be sure to refer to manufacturer instructions regarding drying time between coats.

Using a paintbrush for the details and a roller for larger sections, apply a coat of paint. Allow it to dry, then apply a second coat. Once the second coat has dried, check the finish. If you need additional coverage to even out the color, apply a third coat, then let dry.

Finally, once the last coat of paint has dried, you can replace the flanges around the doorknobs and the hinges to complete the job.

Painting a front door is an easy job that most homeowners can accomplish in a weekend. To do it right, just follow the simple steps above.