Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Paint the door with an exterior-grade paint-and-primer-in-one. Even if you use a roller, you can use a brush for the final coat to achieve this look. I decided to paint the front door without taking it off the hinges or even removing the hardware because that is the fastest and easiest way. Did you know you can read expert answers for this article? Wash the top edge as well, as dust tends to accumulate atop a door if it is left open. The sanding will remove any rough spots or dirt, making the surface as clean and smooth as possible for the paint. Fortunately, today most newly installed steel entry doors come pre-primed, meaning a coat of primer was applied at the factory and the door is ready to paint. When the coat is dry, make sure to apply a second and even a third coat if necessary. Generally, when the paint no longer feels tacky to the touch, the door can be reinstalled. Then paint the raised surfaces with a small roller. Here are a few tips on how you can prep the exterior door for painting. Clean the door using a diluted all-purpose general cleaner to remove any grime and dirt. How to Paint the Exterior of the Front Door. Step 3 Place the door back on its … When you're outside, the side where the hinges are will show when the door is open. Apply primer and paint to the front (exterior side) of the door, as well as to its top, bottom and sides. The easiest way to paint a door is to remove it from the doorframe. Patrick's Company won a "Top Job" award from the American Painting contractor magazine in 2020. How to paint an exterior door. Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. The colors will appear quite different outdoors than they do inside your home. Paint the exterior side first. The below steps demonstrate the right way to give your door an update, courtesy of the Room for Tuesday blog. Prepare the wood. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Before you can paint an exterior door, you need to clean it, sand it, and prime it, and this requires some tools. Using either water based acrylic paint for wood or an oil primer for metal, paint the door’s six sides—the exterior, interior and each of the four edges. Once the caulk is dry, prime that section again. Day after day it looked worse and worse. Whether you have a new exterior door to paint or are going to repaint an existing door, the techniques are basically the same. Wash the door with a few squirts of dish soap added to a bucket of warm water. This will lessen the number of coats of paint needed for full coverage. Pour the paint into a tray. Preparation time will depend on how much you have to do. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Should I paint the door first or the trim? Step Seven: Painting Techniques All Right Reserved. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d1\/Paint-an-Exterior-Door-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Paint-an-Exterior-Door-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d1\/Paint-an-Exterior-Door-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1353250-v4-728px-Paint-an-Exterior-Door-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"