What sheen to paint a front door.
Painting a steel door in place.
Before you apply the primer and paint lightly sand the door with 400 grit sandpaper so the primer and paint will stick to it better.
You have three methods of application to choose from brushing rolling or spraying.
Brush on a light coat.
Using semigloss exterior paint and a 2 inch angled sash brush with synthetic bristles paint around the edges of the.
To tell if the old paint on your door is latex or oil you can put a small amount of one of these onto a cotton ball or cloth alcohol hand sanitizer acetone or nail polish and then rub it over a small area of the door.
Brushing steel doors probably the most popular way to paint a steel door requiring the least investment of tools.
A steel door needs extra special care when it s painted because the wet paint can easily be manipulated by the tool that s applying it.
Place the door flat on the sawhorses.
When it s on slick steel paint doesn t absorb into the material and laydown and you re going to have a rough looking texture in your paint finish.
Let the door dry completely on one side before flipping it over and painting the opposite side.
When painting edges some paint inevitably slops onto the faces of the door.
I used a semi gloss sheen to paint my front door.
If your door is paneled start with the panels.
Begin by painting the edges with a brush.
6 once the door is covered in one layer of paint allow it to completely dry before giving it a second coat emerald calls out four hours before recoating.
It s better to have that happen before the faces are painted.
How to paint a metal door remove the door if possible and cover any parts of the door you do not wish to paint.
Thoroughly clean the door with a degreaser.
When painting a paneled door begin with the recessed panels then the horizontal rails and finally the vertical styles.
Use a roller to paint the remaining areas of the door in thin even layers.
Paint all four edges of the door first.
A heavy coat of paint covers better and sometimes levels out better but runs are more likely and brush marks are deeper.
Paint a section at a time.
If your paint is latex based there will color residue on your cotton ball cloth.
Paint stripper if you are painting over a metal door that is cracking or peeling paint stripping gloves sandpaper recommend 150 to 180 grit scraper drop cloths i cut up boxes instead of using an actual drop cloth special notes for if you re painting your door in place on its hinges.
Applying the paint is the most satisfying part of painting a steel door plan on a minimum of one coat of primer and two coats of finish.
If the paint is oil based there will be no color than comes off onto your cotton ball cloth.
