Painting an already painted steel door?

Toller

I need to repaint the inside of my front door. Other than cleaning it first, do I have to do anything special? Will the cold outside matter?

Gymschu

Maybe a light scuff sand to remove any gloss and give your new paint something to "bite" onto, clean, and repaint.

Startingover

I was going to ask about the same thing since I'm repainting a steel door.

So I don't need paint for medal since I'm just painting on top of old paint?

Brushjockey

If the door is painted with an oil or factory finish, after a good clean and light sand I would use a bonding primer ( like Zinsser 123) first- then a good quality trim paint that will have a bit of sheen to it.
I like BMoore Advance, SW Pro Classic waterborne, Muralo Ultra semi gloss, C2 satin- just some good choices.
Don't go cheap on trim paint.

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joecaption

Steel doors need to be painted with Acrilic latex.
It would be a whole lot eazer and come out better if you wait for warmer weather and remove the door and lay it out flat.
Use a quailty 2" sash brush to do the recessed area and a foam roller for the rest for a glass smooth finish.
Extreamly important to degrease the door before sanding or painting.
Just the oils from your hands will stop the paint from staying stuck.

Startingover

why is it better to lay a door flat? Maybe less runs? I just painted 6 interior doors by standing them up in the garage.............

joecaption

Paint self levels, no having to bend over, no having to work near the floor.
There takling about leaving the door hung, so there's a chance of drips on the floor, removing some paint when the door is closed, having to work around the hindges. Just a whole lot more work then it needs to be.

Gymschu

A few disadvantages to taking the door off are: 1) Needing help to get the door off.....it's usually a 2 person job. 2) When putting the door back on you can scuff up the freshly painted metal and then have to apply another coat. It is easier as Joe says........quality paint levels and flows out so you don't see brush strokes, etc. Just remember to get help taking off and putting on the door.

joecaption

To remove a door with only one person you close the door, remove the pins starting at the bottom. Get ahold of the door knob and open the door.
To get it back in just hold it at a slight angle and line up the top hindge first and close the door.

Startingover

I was on here all the time before I started painting this entire house.

Why didn't I ever hear anyone mention laying a door flat before? Yes, brush strokes sort of show up and I use quality stuff from SW.

Better late than never.

Except I will (one day) be painting 3 sliding doors. 2 are big.

I'll wait till then and ask how you get those off the rollers. (pocket doors)

Also, I had a heck of a time getting the doors lined back up on the hinges, alone. So now I know there's a trick to doing it.

If I ever look at another 1,430 sf house and say, "oh, no problem. I'll just update it by painting everything and striping wallpaper" I hope somebody just shoots me!"

chrisn

You certainly do not HAVE to lay the doors flat.
I and MOST painters here paint thousands upon thousands of them without taking them down. It is hardly necessary.

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jsheridan

Laying doors flat to paint is okay(?) if you have one or two doors. I painted six doors, both sides, last night. One of them needed two coats both sides. In an office, where would I have laid them? On six sets of sawhorses? I couldn't have done both sides if they weren't hanging, not in one night. In all my years I've only painted a couple of doors flat, but for none of the conveniences or necessities mentioned. Not trying to belabor a point, but don't want an inexperienced HO to think it's necessary or even a better way, it's not.
Over applied paint will run and sag on a hanging door, but it will also puddle on a flat door. Properly applied, the paint will hang and level out on a hanging door.
A flat door is a greater dust magnet than a hanging door.
Working over a flat door has a greater risk of a drip from the brush hitting a finished area and getting missed or having to be brushed out creating a mar.
And the amount of handling involved in hanging a heavy door with soft paint could necessitate a possible recoating after hanging. And if you get deep fingerprint impressions on a sheen coat, good luck.
It's not worth it.

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Gymschu

Joe C has a case of "contractoritis." It affects 95% of general contractors in the U.S. It is an incurable disease of the mind which causes general contractors to think that their way is always the right way. I still shudder when I am reminded of a GC who once told me to use up all the leftover interior paint from a job to paint the EXTERIOR of the house........afterall, he said, it's the same thing. Needless to say, I walked and the GC had one of his guys do the exterior painting. GC's know enough about painting to be dangerous. I trust the painters who do it EVERYDAY over a GC who picks up a brush once or twice a month and barks out orders to subcontractors all day........just saying.

cdaniels

I have never taken a door down to paint it in the last 25 years.It's like JS said....you can't paint both sides of a door laying flat and the handling of a newly painted/soft coat is ridiculous.Paint your door hanging, Make sure your paint is brushed out smooth and that the door is not too cold (should be ok if there is heat in the house) and you won't have a problem with runs.

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jsheridan

You could literally fill a book with stories of general contractoritis. Where doors do require removal, cabinets, I have a good one. I did a twelve door built in for a gc. I wanted to prime the doors and sand them when they came, but he told me it was a waste of time, in a tone like I'm stupid, because he still had to fit them and an edge or two might need shaving. Besides, he says, the doors will then be hanging and it will be easier. I told him touching up a shaved edge is not a big deal and that shouldn't stop me from getting that bigger phase done. Then I told him that cabinet doors don't get painted hanging anyway. He says what are you talking about, you always paint cabinet doors on. I said you don't know what you're talking about, and from there it escalated into a shouting match. It had nothing to do with the job, as he wasn't even there during that period. It had everything to do with his knowledge of my trade being challenged. He ended up telling me to do it however I wanted, in a tone like he was pacifying me and was ready to tell me I told you so when I "screwed up". Yet try giving any one of those guys some simple tips on how you can give them a better paint job, and watch the doors blow off. Example: Take a piece of sandpaper and knock the furry edge off of cuts before you join them. Or, knock the furry edges off of hinge cutouts before installing the hinges. Or, sand your overly excessive drywall patches before you install a cabinet body over them and force me to do all that sanding right up against a cherry cabinet panel. A little forethought, and some respect for my trade, that's all I ask.

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