Doors play a key role in interior design. They add personality to the entire property, so it’s essential to pay good attention to their color, material, and texture.
If you do not have the budget to renovate your space with sleek and ready-to-install modern bedroom doors, we highly recommend painting them again. This can bring about a brand new look on a budget.
In this short guide, we’ll explore how you can paint interior doors like a pro. Your interior doors will look good as new!
How to Paint Your Interior Doors
On average, it takes between five and twenty-four hours to paint a door, including waiting time. You will need:
- Paintbrush
- Paint roller
- One quart of paint
- Primer
- Sandpaper and sanding block
- Screwdriver
- Hammer and nail/pin punch
- Tack cloth
Once you have all the materials arranged, follow these steps:
Step 1: Remove the Door
It’s possible to paint your door while it’s still attached to the hinges, but professional painters recommend removing it. To remove your door, locate the hinge pins on its side and tap them gently upwards using a hammer and a nail or a pin punch.
When you’ve removed the pins, hold the door from the other side to support the door's weight (or ask someone else to help you out). Then, start removing the bottom hinge with a screwdriver. Once that’s done, do the same with the top hinge.
Gradually lift the door off and place it gently on the floor. We recommend covering the floor with a disposable plastic sheet before putting down the door–this will make cleaning the mess afterwards much easier.
Additionally, be sure to store the pins and screws in a safe place.
Step 2: Sand and Prime the Door
Now, sand the door to remove old paint and varnish. This will make the door’s surface smooth enough to be repainted.
There are two ways to sand a door: manually or with an electrical sander. An electrical sander costs a few hundred dollars and requires handling experience, which is why we recommend homeowners manually sand the door using sandpaper.
You’ll need a variety of sandpaper for professional results. Start sanding your door with an eighty-grit sandpaper and use a tack cloth to remove the dust. Once you’ve sanded the entire door, do the same with a one-hundred-grit sandpaper, and then a 120-grit sandpaper. For super fine results, you might want to sand it with a 220-grit sandpaper at the end.
Once you’ve sanded the door, prime it. Note that the application of primer is done in the same order as the paint application (more on this in the next step).
Step 3: Paint It in Order
Experts recommend painting in the following order, no matter what color you’re painting your interior doors:
- Edges
- Panels
- Rails
- Stiles
Use a broad paint brush when painting the edges–but when painting panels, rails, and stiles, it’s best to use a closed-end foam roller. Make sure you make straight and broad strokes.
Step 4: Recoat the Door
After painting one side of the door, wait for at least a few hours for the paint to dry. Note that the waiting time primarily depends on the type of paint you’ve chosen. For example, latex paint dries in an hour, while oil-based paint takes at least six hours to dry.
Once the painted side has completely dried, sand the door again with a 320-grit sandpaper. Then, apply a second coat for a finished look. After the second coat dries, flip the door and repeat the process for the other side.
Step 5: Reinstall It
Lastly, reinstall the door. You’ll need a helper for this.
Lift the painted door and align it properly with the door frame. Insert the hinge pins into the hinges. Tap them gently with a hammer until they’re fixed. Don’t forget to test the swing of the door after you’ve reinstalled it!
Looking for new interior doors, instead? 27EStore has your back–check out our wide range of all types of interior doors to suit any home aesthetic!
