Painting Old Wood Front Door

Leave it to dry for four hours and apply to second coat.

Painting old wood front door.

The high pressure of the sprayer can knock those old boards loose and infuse the bare areas of wood with water. Exterior doors especially front doors are often the first thing someone will notice about your house. Old wooden doors generally need sanding and priming. If you want to keep the wood grain from showing through the paint trowel a thin layer of spackling compound over the entire surface ready patch is one brand available at home centers for 6 for 1 qt.

Preparing exterior wood for painting isn t difficult but it does require some prep work to ensure that your new paint has a smooth stable surface to adhere to. What you should know create a welcoming and spacious entry to your home with not one but two exterior doors. Decades of paint buildup can make a door rub against the jamb or door stop molding. When it comes to painting your front door there are a million colors to choose from but only one real option for the finish.

Installing a double entry door. The fastest way to remove paint buildup on a wooden door is with a sharp stainless steel or carbide scraper. To get a smooth working surface scrape off any peeling pieces and sand down the old paint until the surface of the door feels even all over. Instead the paint should be scraped off by hand using a paint scraping tool.

It s got to be semigloss. The same goes for exterior trim. With old buildings such as my 130 year old barn water blasting the loose paint is not a recommended practice. And if you want to add character to your home then painting exterior doors is a simple and effective way to change the look of your house.

Apply the paint with a synthetic brush in the direction of the grain. Start with a medium 120 grit piece of sandpaper and then work your way up to 220 grit paper. Putty knife to work the compound into the wood grain pores and to fill holes. For a door made of pine white fir or another wood species that doesn t bleed i e gives off tinted compounds in wood called tannins go with a water based exterior paint such as behr.

If your front door is bare wood you ll still be able to see the grain after two coats so will need a third one for solid colour. After scraping sand the wooden door to smooth the scraped edges. Learn the basics about installing a new front door or replacing an old one before you decide whether to tackle the job yourself or hire a pro.