How to Paint Doors Quickly

Painting a door can take a long time. If you lay the door on sawhorses for painting, you can only do one side at a time, so painting a single door can take two or more days. If you're changing colors, it can take you 4 or 5 days to finish a single door. However, there's a way you can paint several doors in just a day or two.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wood strips 18 to 24 long
• 2 saw horses
• A few 2 x 4's to lay on the floor
• Sandpaper (120/150 grit)
• Screwdrivers to remove hinges hinge pins and doorknobs
• Paint brushes, paint roller and paint

1. Find a place to work, like a garage or high-ceiling basement with the floor covered with plastic to keep any dust down. Assemble the tools and other things you'll need.

2. Remove the hinge pins and take down the door.

3. Using a screwdriver, take the hinges and doorknobs off.

4. Lay the door flat on the sawhorses. Use wood filler to fill any gouges. Allow it to dry, then sand both sides of the door.

5. Follow the same process with any other doors you need to paint.

6. Stand a door upright on the 2 x 4's that are lying on the floor. Then stand a second door upright to form a V shape (but open a little at the narrow end). The 2 x 4's will raise the doors off the floor, so you can paint right to the edge.

7. Nailing down through the wooden strips, fasten the two doors together. The wooden strips will stabilize the upright doors so you can work on them without having to worry about them falling over. If you have more doors you need to paint, you can just make the V into a W.

8. Paint (cut in) around the door edges, sides and doorknob openings and then, starting at the top, paint each door. Since you have access to both sides of the door, you can paint the entire door and don't have to wait for one side to dry to before you can turn it over and paint the other side.

9. Wait for the first coat to dry. Give the doors a light sanding and apply the second coat. If you're working with latex paint, which dries in a couple of hours, you could several doors in a single day.

10. Wait for the paint to dry thoroughly, then reattach the hinges and knobs. Finally, rehang the door.

Tips & Warnings

• While you have the hinges off the door, it is a good time to clean them up and lubricate the hinge pins before you reinstall them.
• Some people suggest painting doors in place by putting a drop cloth underneath and wedging them so they don't swing. While possible, you need to carefully tape all the hinges and knobs so they don't get marked with paint.

[ICEFROG]

on 6/25/2008 Use rubber cement on hinges and things you don't want to paint. It will peel off when you are done. Got that one from the Wall Wizard (Brian Santos). Works like a charm everytime.

[ettaariane]

on 12/1/2007 Never remove doors to paint, they may not re-hang properly. Use a 4" mohair roller and a two inch mohair paint brush. Do not load either with too much paint. Minimal is the way. A door should take a max of 10mins each side, to paint and with the above tools you will aquire a perfect finish. Tip. Don't be impatient, wait for the correct drying time between coats then the following coat will cover smoothly and the brush and roller won't drag.