Painting A Panel Door While On The Hinges

Wipe down the door to remove all the girt and grime.

Painting a panel door while on the hinges.

Lay the door you are working on across two sawhorses or another other type of support to keep it horizontal. Remove your door hardware. Give a light sanding to the entire door to give the paint a rough surface to grip. Work up from the inside bottom across the header and down the striker side.

This will get rid of any dust dirt or bugs that are stuck. Begin by painting the edges with a brush. Excess paint causes visible drips. Also be careful to not load too much paint on your brush at one time.

Clean and prep the door. To remove the door wedge a flathead screwdriver or chisel in the joint between the hinge and the top of the hinge pins. Simply remove the taped part when you re done ideally when the paint is still wet so that the line comes off clean if you wait until it s dry it might take off some paint from the door. If your door has windows mask off the edges of the glass.

You can if you re cautious also lay the door on a drop cloth on the floor. When painting a paneled door begin with the recessed panels then the horizontal rails and. Paint over the area and you won t have to worry as much about getting paint on the hinges. Place the door flat on the sawhorses.

To paint a flat door start by painting the inside hinge edge working around the door in one direction. Depending on the condition of any old paint you might need to strip it down too. Use a brush for this narrow space for better control. You can still paint a paneled door while it is hanging but you run the risk of drips particularly out of the corners of the panels.

If you re painting a door that s already been installed and functioning your first decision is whether you want to paint the door while it s installed or remove it from the hinges and paint it un installed. More interior door painting tips.