Wood doors have a long life span, but that does not mean they cannot get worn down, especially front doors which are constantly exposed to different weather conditions. If your doors are looking a little worn down, then one of the easiest and cheapest ways to resolve this is to repaint your worn-down wooden door. Read on further to learn about how to repaint a worn-down wooden door.
Before painting your wood door
It is important to settle everything first before diving into the painting activity. This is to ensure that your door will come out looking its best. Here are some of the things you should prepare and bear in mind before starting.
- Choosing the right colour. It is important to choose the right colour to match the style of your home. Research well on what colour goes into your home’s architecture to narrow down your choices. If you still have a few in mind, you can choose to tape some samples onto your door and check out what it looks like at different times of the day.
- Gathering your equipment and materials. For the painting job itself, it is recommended, aside from your classic paint and paintbrush, to have some paint roller and tray for better efficiency with your work. Get some painter’s tape and old newspapers to catch the paint spilt on other surfaces. Also, grab some medium-grit sandpaper and a flat-bladed scraper to remove old paint. For easier removal, you may prefer using a chemical stripper, just remember to use a mask and a pair of gloves when working with this.
- Prepping your door. Use your sandpaper to lightly sand away some of the old coat, and also remove some of the imperfections in your door. Use your flat-bladed scraper to assist you with this job. If you bought a chemical stripper, be sure to cover the whole surface of the door. Follow the instructions carefully regarding how long you should wait for it to dry. Put some tape on surfaces of the door you would like to protect from paint, and newspaper for other surfaces paint may spill on.
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Painting your wood door
If you have done all of the steps above, then you may finally proceed to paint your door. For wood doors with panels, it is important to paint in an outward direction, starting from the wood panels, to the middle partitions, and then to the edges. Use your paint roller and tray for flat surfaces, and paintbrush to smooth out paint on other details of the door. Apply a light, even coat and repeat several times for the perfect finish. Remember to dry the paint off for some time before applying the next coat.
Now that you have finished painting your door, just wait a few more hours for it to be hung back again, or if you did it while it was on your door, then give it a few hours before using it again. By this time, your door will be looking its best to match your wonderful home!
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Pieter Boyce
Wooden Window and Door Specialist
This article was written on behalf of Fortis & Hooke by Pieter Boyce. Pieter has an intense passion for English Architectural history and has been specialising in the conservation of original wooden windows and doors for decades. His exceptional knowledge of timber windows and doors, both listed or non-listed, is attributed to his hands-on approach to learning all aspects of the complete restoration of original features as well as having personally surveyed thousands of items throughout his long tenure as a head surveyor for one of the largest window and door restoration companies in the UK. He now runs a boutique wooden window and door consultancy and fervently champions the retention of original windows and doors. To learn more of Pieter’s services, visit his website at www.boultonboyce.co.uk.