Front door paint advice sought

TimR · 2021-09-25T23:21:07+00:00

Next project on the to-do list is paint the front door.Any advice on what paint that will last and not chip easily? It is a north exposure so it doesn't get direct sun. The current one has badly chipped over the 12 years we've been here. A test with alcohol shows it's latex paint, but I wonder if it was painted over oil based, because it hasn't adhered. Do I prime and go back with latex, or am I better off with oil based? See the image:

Sep 25, 2021 Last reply: 4 years ago 23 Replies

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Marilyn Manson 4 years ago

Have you tested for lead paint yet? Kits are available at home centers, paint stores, etc.

Follow the instructions carefully, including the instructions that explain how to test the kit itself. A negative result of a paint test isn't a valid result unless you know for sure that the tester itself is working. The kit provides a method for checking the kit itself.

Using a heat gun will results in fumes, probably more (and worse) fumes than stripping. Even outdoors, a fan to quickly move the fumes away couldn't hurt.

A heat gun can also damage (scorch) the wood. Since you are painting, that may not be an issue, but if staining is in the door's future, just keep that in mind.

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trader_4 4 years ago

I've yet to see such a paint. If it's on gables, you might get away with it because it can't be seen from the ground. But this is a front door. If it's so thin that it won't be seen, then it's too thin to scrape.

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TimR 4 years ago

The door is complete.

It looks great. I used oil based primer and four coats of Hunter Green from the Sherwin Williams store. Yes, it took four coats to cover.

That might be operator error, I dunno, I haven't painted enough to claim to be good enough, and I NEVER want to paint enough to be good enough.

I took off most of the red with the heat gun, finished up with the palm sander. Which does just as well and is 4 times as fast. Getting in the angles between the panels was a pain in the butt no matter how I did it and I didn't get them perfect, but they covered nicely.

The first two coats were outside on sawhorses, last two while hanging. that door weighs about 170 and I was tired of lifting it on and off.

I'll post a photo when i get to it.

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Thomas 4 years ago

Congrats! Nothing like a good looking door no matter the path to get there.

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