I hate painting.
I am trying to decide if I want to paint the 20 shaker doors and 5 drawer f ronts that I am building or to have the painting done professionally.
I hate painting.
I called the local paint store that I use and asked for some recommendation s for painters to get some estimates and find out what kind of prep they wo uld like before I dropped off the doors, etc. I figured it's early in the b uild process and there may be things that I should be aware which might mak e the painting process easier (and cheaper).
I just want to pass along his recommendations for others to consider/commen t on.
I hate painting.
The paint store recommended 2 local companies. I called the first one and t hey said that they are in the process of moving and referred me to the othe r company that the paint store had also recommended. I think that's a good sign.
I called the owner and had a lengthy conversation with him. When I told him I was building the doors with poplar frames and MDF panels, the first thin g he asked me was where I was in the build process. All I have done so far is cut the rails and stiles to width. No grooves, no joinery, no panels. He was glad to hear that. He then made the following build recommendations to get the doors ready to be painted:
1 - He is a big fan of Space Balls for any kind of frame and panel door, ev en when using MDF panels. (belt)2 - He recommended pre-priming the panels to ensure that no portion of the blank panel will ever show if something moves (suspenders). He said that if I chose to work with him, he will then recommend a primer which will work with whatever finish/color we decide on.
3 - He recommended block sanding the sharp edge of the grooves to create a slight chamfer. This will create space to accept the paint and prevent brid ging between the frame and panel for a sharper transition.4 - He recommended dry hanging the doors, drilling the holes for the handle s, etc. before bringing them to be painted. It would be a shame to find out that they needed to be altered after they were painted.
The next step is to send him a picture of my prototype door and a list of s izes in order to get an estimate.
I am pretty impressed so far. He shared a wealth of information and in a fr iendly yet professional manner.