5 BEST PRACTICES FOR PAINTING DOORS
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Freshly painted doors enhance any home. From refreshing your customers’ front doors to painting interior doors more efficiently, these tools and techniques can help.

The interior of a home with a deep red-painted front door opening into the white-painted entryway with staircase.

1

Paint Quality Counts

Rain, snow, wind, UV damage, mildew resistance—it is vital to choose a paint formulated to stand up to the elements for exterior doors, without sacrificing brilliant paint color.

We recommend recently enhanced AURA^® Exterior paint in satin or soft gloss for an ultra-premium look that outperforms the competitors' exterior paints. Rugged Regal^® Select High Build exterior paint is another strong option. And for a powerful bonding primer, look no further than INSL-X^® STIX^® Waterborne Bonding Primer.

A painting contractor removes door hardware at the customer’s home

2

To Remove or Not to Remove Door Hardware

If you are going to remove the hardware, take photos before removing the hardware. Put all hardware components in clearly-labeled bags so that reassembling the hardware is easier.

If the door is in relatively good shape, you could tape the hardware and paint the door without removing the hardware. This method is less preferred because it can result in brush marks from cutting in around the hardware.

A professional painter paints the frame of a front door of a red-painted house with white Benjamin Moore paint.

3

Watch Out for Runs and Pooling Paint

When painting doors horizontally:

Be sure to brush the inset panels

Check panels for pooling paint after rolling or spraying

When painting doors vertically:

Watch out for runs, especially if you are working with thinned paint

Humidity can keep the product open longer so check for runs or sags

Have a 2-inch flat and 2-inch angled brush ready for hard-to-reach places

A beautiful home exterior home with a dark brown front door, off-white-painted siding, and manicured landscaping.

4

Adjust for Weather

Add extra dry time for humid, wet, or cold weather

Check a reliable local forecast and work accordingly to ensure the best results

Allow the door to dry as instructed by the TDS for the paint you’ve selected

A painting contractor sprays an unfinished door using a paint sprayer

5

Try These Next Level Tools

Door Racking Systems

Benefit to Contractor:
Investing in a racking system to stack and paint multiple doors can help your painting business save time, space, and ultimately—money.

Benefit to Homeowner:
Less of the homeowner’s space will be taken up by drying doors.

Portable Spray Booths

Benefit to Contractor:
Save space on the job site or at your shop.

Benefit to Homeowner:
Saves the living space from overspray and gives the contractor an environment to create a flawless finish.

HVLP & Airless Sprayers

Benefit to Contractor:
Most sprayers can be used for primers, paints and stains—making them a versatile, time-saving tool. Plus, HVLP sprayers will produce less waste.

Benefit to Homeowner:
Besides being faster, spraying doors can provide a beautiful, smooth finish.