Interior doors are often important focal points of any room in a home. Like any door that sustains use, an interior door can chip, crack and collect dents and scratches over time, in addition to losing its vibrancy of color. But with a few painting techniques, you can revive your interior door and restore it to its former quality and look.
Instructions
1. Open the windows in your home or in the room where the door is located. This will increase the ventilation and provide clean air for you to breathe while you work with chemical strippers and paint.
2. Remove all hardware, such as the doorknob, from the door. While you don’t need to remove the door from its hinges to paint it, you want to remove any parts of the door that you can’t paint, as it will be easier for you to paint evenly.
3. Cover the door’s hinges with blue painter’s masking tape. This will protect the hinges from accidental brushes, spills or splashes. Place the tape just at the edge of the hinge and, if necessary, trim the excess tape with a sharp knife or blade. You may want to put a plastic tarp or paper under and around the door to protect your flooring from the paint.
4. Apply a semi-paste chemical stripper to a clean paintbrush and brush it in a thick layer onto the whole surface of the door. Though you don’t necessarily have to strip away old paint, you will want to use a stripper if your door has several layers of old paint or finish already on it. If you don’t want to or need to chemically strip old paint away, make sure that you wipe the door clean with a sponge and warm water, then proceed to Step 6.
5. Let the chemical stripping paste sit on the wood for 20 minutes or until the old paint begins to crack and bubble. When it begins to crack and bubble, scrape the paint away with a putty knife or paint knife. Be careful not to scratch or dent the door by pressing too hard with the putty knife.
6. Prime the door with an oil-based paint primer. Because there are so many different primers available, make sure you read and follow the directions for application, as they could vary slightly between brands.
7. Paint the door on all sides with whatever interior door paint you wish to use. You can use a brush or a roller, depending on your preference; but if your door has ornate features or is paneled, rather than just a solid surface, you may want to use a paintbrush. Paint in whatever direction you like, but make sure you are consistent. For a paneled door, you may want to paint vertically on the style and rail of the door and horizontally on the panel and bevel. Ultimately, the direction you paint is up to you.
8. Paint on a finishing coat. Make sure you match the painting direction you used on the previous coat.
9. Allow at least one day for the paint to dry completely before reinstalling the door hardware.
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