How to Paint a Front Door
Cole Schaefer, a professional painter, shows you how to properly prep and paint your front door the right way, so it will look like new for many years to come.
View Transcript
| Video/Text on-screen | Copy |
|---|---|
| Opening - Dunn-Edwards Logo | [Music] |
| Man talking | Hi. I'm Cole Schaefer, professional painter, and welcome to Dunn-Edwards paints “how to paint” video series. Now front door is thought to be the mouth of the home, the entry point where energy abundance and opportunities awaits us, and all you need in order to have a freshly painted front door are some basic painting tools, high quality paint, a few hours and a sunny day. In this video I'll show you how to properly prep and paint your front door the right way so it will look like new for many years to come. Now when painting your front door. |
| Old paint can clip | Now when painting your front door, avoid using any old paint that's been lying around in your garage for a long period of time, this will not provide the quality of finish you're looking for. |
| Man talking | Instead you'll want to select the right type of paint specifically for your door, and in order to do this, you'll need to take into consideration the type of door. Whether it's fabricated with wood, metal or even fiberglass, and its current condition. So, let's take a look at this front door, it's a decorative glass panel door made of wood and it's currently painted with the water-based paint and it appears to be in fairly good condition. Now, it does have a few scratches and dull spots but no signs of mildew. Cracks are flaky which is a good thing. Now if your door is in similar condition, all you need to do is sand it lightly. To promote good adhesion, apply a primer and two coats of high quality water-based paint and you're done. Now if your door is in good condition but was previously painted with an oil-based paint, then you need to thoroughly sand the door before priming it and then apply two coats of paint. Now if you're unsure of what type of paint is currently on your door |
| Rubbing door | Now, if you're unsure of what type of paint is currently on your door, put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and rub it over the paint of your door. If the paint wipes off and the cotton ball it's a water-based paint. If the paint doesn't wipe off its an oil-based paint. |
| Man talking | Okay, so, since this door is in pretty good condition we're just going to prep the surface for painting. |
| Prepping door | So first grab your screwdriver. Remove any decorative hardware such as mail slot covers or door knockers from your door. Next use masking tape and mask off items such as door knobs, locks and threshold seals. It's best not to remove these items whenever possible. |
| Man talking | I like to use Dunn-Edwards premium orange masking tape as it provides a straight clean line, no bleeding through, easy one-day removal, and is a heck of a lot cheaper than other premium tapes. |
| Painting door | Now keep in mind, today's water-based paints dry quickly, so use a paint roller to help apply the paint over a large area faster, so you can keep a wet edge and brush out the paint for a smooth finish. |
| Man talking | After you sanded the door, clean it and let it dry. Now it's ready to be primed. Apply one coat of a good quality water-based primer such as Dunn-Edwards Ultra Grip Premium multi surface primer, and two coats of a water or oil-based paint, I recommend using Dunn-Edwards Evershield Premium exterior paint as it provides maximum protection against UV color fade, mildew, water intrusion, grain cracking, peeling, and blistering. It's also a water-based paint so cleanup is super easy. |
| Painting door | Now begin painting each of the panels. First, you'll need a two or two-and-a-half inch angle sash brush and a mini roller. To get started, cut in all the recessed corners of the panel first and then use your roller to apply the paint on the panel. Quickly brush out any paint on the panel to get a smooth finish. Now move on to the next panel, painting one panel at a time. Be sure to check for any paint drips and smooth ‘em out with your brush before they have a chance to dry. Next paint the Center style and rail between the panel's then paint the top rail section. |
| Man talking | Feather the areas as you meet the paint where you have previously painted. Next paint the two outside styles, and lastly paint the bottom rail. Allow the door to completely dry before applying your second coat of paint using these same steps. Now, depending on the color you choose you may need to paint a third or fourth coat to get a nice rich color. Once the door is completely dried remove the tape and install a decorative hardware back on the door. Well hopefully this video has inspired you to paint your front door knowing how easy it can be if it's in good condition. To learn more about paint and painting watch the other how to paint videos on dunnedwards.com/videos. for Dunn-Edwards paints, I'm Cole Schaefer, thanks for watching and happy painting you. |
| Closing - Dunn-Edwards Logo | [Music] |