How to Paint Closet Doors

Giving a room a fresh coat of paint can add value to your home, your most important investment. Overlooking details such as door frames and closet doors when you paint, however, can reduce the value of your sweat equity. Take the time to paint the closet doors in all your rooms properly when you take on the challenge of freshening up your home's paint job.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Saw horses
• Low-grit sand paper
• Painter's tape
• Paint sponge
• Paint brush
• Primer
• Satin or semi-gloss paint

Prepare the Doors

1. Take the closet doors off of their hinges and lay them on top of a couple of saw horses for support.

2. Remove any nails, stickers or adhesives from the surface of the door.

3. Remove the handles or door pulls from the closet doors.

4. Repair any damage to the surface of the door or moulding by filling in gaps with spackling compound.

5. Sand your closet door to create a uniform surface before you paint it.

6. Apply a coat of primer after wiping down the closet doors to remove any excess dirt.

Paint a Paneled Door

7. Choose two shades of paint. One color should match the rest of your doors and trim, while the other should be a shade or two darker.

8. Paint the top, bottom and side boards of the door first and allow the paint to dry. The paint color which matches the rest of your trim should be used.

9. Tape off the inside panel of your door once the outer areas are dry.

10. Apply the darker paint color to the inside panels of the closet door.

11. Allow the front of the door to dry before painting the opposite side.

Paint a Flat Door

12. Apply paint in the direction of the wood grain. For most doors, this should be from bottom to top.

13. Allow your brush to trail off the edges of the door to create a more finished look. Be sure to use a rag or clean brush to remove any excess paint which may accumulate at the edges.

14. Paint the top, bottom and sides of the flat closet door and let the paint dry before painting the opposite side of the door.

Tips & Warnings

• A thick coating of mayonnaise can be used to remove stickers from most painted surfaces. You can use a plastic spatula to remove the mayonnaise and the adhesive object from your door.
• Don't forget to tape off any area around your closet that you don't wish to paint if you paint the doors while they are on their hinges.