A common diy home project is putting a new coat of paint on your front door. It will brighten up a spot you use every day and it is a very inexpensive way to make your entry door beautiful. Here is a tried and true way of going at this small project to make it easy on you and make the paint coating last for years to come.
1. Buy One quart of a high quality exterior 100% acrylic paint. Paying a little more will get you a lot more bang for your buck. Higher quality paint that is all acrylic sticks better, has a higher solids count which means the coating is tougher and color will not fade as quickly as a latex paint. Most entry doors have a gloss sheen so that they hold up to constant use so pick a paint that is a semi-gloss or satin sheen so there is a shine and it is easier to clean. Pickup up a roller kit, 120 grit sand sponge, 2 inch brush. You can usually find cabinet roller kits at a big box for around $10. The nap or sponge cover puts the paint on very smoothly and doesn't leave brush marks.
2. Put down a drop cloth or contractors paper at the doors base to prevent getting paint on your floors or threshold.
3. Remove the doors knob and any other hardware like a knocker or nails for hanging your Christmas wreath. In my experience the paint goes on a lot smoother when you are not catching your roller on a nail or going around a door knob or latch. The time it takes to take it off will save you on possible getting paint on the hardware and avoiding brush marks for a smooth finish. Or you can wrap painters tape around the knob. Either way works.
4. Grab your 120 grit sand sponge and give your door a good sanding. By scuffing the door you are creating a solid surface for the paint to catch to. A lot of times entry doors are painted with a gloss sheen or shiny finish so it needs to be removed for the new paint to adhere correctly. Once you are done sanding take a damp rag and thoroughly wipe the dust and paint off the door. You may have to do this a few times to get it completely clean.
5. Get your quart of paint and shake or stir it for about a minute. Pour a third of it onto your small rolling tray that you bought. Pour a third into a cut can or another paint can that you can use to apply the paint with a brush. Pictured below is the correct sequence to paint a panel door. If your door is flat you can roll all of it. So load up your roller and work in quarter sections of the door from top to bottom to achieve a uniform coat of paint. The best way to get it on evenly is to work in an N-pattern when applying the paint. This means literally roll out an N in your quarter section then roll from where you ended the letter back to the start of it. Repeat on all sections.
6. Your door is going to need a few hours to dry so plan on leaving it open or at least cracked
slightly for this amount of time. If you close it to soon the paint will pull off and stick to the jam.
7. Once it has dried replace the door knob and other hardware. You now have a great looking entry door!
Bill Donigan
Donigan Painting
Syracuse NY 13208
315-313-3254 or 315-748-6323
http://doniganpainting.webstarts.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment