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How To Paint External Wooden Doors

Michael is one of our professional decorators and in this article, he will provide some tips on how to paint external wooden doors.

Taking Care Of Your Front Door

To many people (including myself) a large wooden door has got a majestic appearance. They can be absolutely gorgeous, but as with all wooden products, it has got a lot to endure. Not only do the natural elements (sun, rain, or cold) have an impact on the wood, but it’s also vulnerable to scratches and dents. When you notice that the current coat of paint is starting to show cracks or the door has suffered one too many scratches from your keys or bumped your bike too many times against the paint, it is time to take action and protect it once again by applying a new layer of paint.
You can either paint it in the colour of your choice or if you prefer, keep the natural wood look, and make sure it stays like this for the next 7 or 8 years.

Let me explain what you need to do in order to paint your wooden door. 

Michael

Michael

Professional painter based in Manchester

paint wooden doors

Step 1 : Preparation

For this article, I assume that you have checked with your local city council or homeowner association if you are allowed to paint your door to your taste.
If you own a farm or a house in the countryside, you probably are free to do whatever you like (to a certain extent).
However, if you live in a city or your house is a listed building you would need to seek approval before you start painting. 

With this out of the way, let’s get started! 

Since we are going to paint an external wooden door we need to keep a close eye on the current weather conditions. The ideal circumstances for this job are a day without rain and a temperature between 10 and 20 Celcius. So here in the UK, that’s mainly in the summer 🙂 
Joking aside. Springtime and summer are the best seasons for this type of job. 

Step 2: Check the state of the wood

Before we even lift a brush we need to check the state of the wood. Wood rot is a problem that we need to deal with before we can start painting.
Wood rot is not always clearly visible but it normally starts at the top of the door or at the bottom. 

It can be caused by rising dampness, so take a rag and clean the bottom surface of the door. If you have dried it properly, but the wood still feels damp you probably have wood rot. At the top of the door, wood rot can be caused by a poor drainage installation, If the water keeps dripping long enough on the door, it will soak into the wood, causing wood rot.

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repair wood rot on a external wooden door

Step 3: remove the old layer of paint and sand the door

Once we are sure the doors don’t suffer from wood rot we can start preparing them.

There are two types of exterior wooden doors.

  1. Doors that have an existing layer of paint
  2. Doors that have been varnished. 

Let’s start with the doors that currently have an existing layer of paint. After removing the hardware (doorknob, lock, etc.) 
we need to remove the paint completely before we can apply the new paint. If you don’t do this you risk cracks will appear and you want to avoid that.

In order to remove the old paint, use a heat gun and a scraper. Be careful when you are going to use a heat gun. It gets really hot and the paint will start to bubble, so point it at the paint for just a couple of seconds and always work under a 45-degree angle.  Once the paint heats up you can easily remove it with the scraper. Once that’s done we can go to the next phase which is sanding the door.

If you have a varnished door, there is no need for a heat gun or a scraper. We can skip that part and dive straight into the sanding bit. 

First, we will use an orbital sander and start sanding with 80-grid sandpaper against the direction of the wood grain. This will remove the old varnish and any flakes of wood that appear on the surface. 

Next, we sand the door with 100-grid paper, followed up by 120 grid. If we use any finer sandpaper we would only block the pores in the wood, which will prevent the finish from adhering to the surface.

Finally, we need to clean the surface. Take a soft brush and clean the door from any dust. Take a sponge and a bucket with water mixed with some white spirit to clean the surface thoroughly. Once the entire surface is dry we can start painting.

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orbital sander for wooden doors

Step 4: Applying the varnish or paint

Using the right type of paint is crucial. Remember we are treating an exterior wooden door, so indoor paint won’t be suitable.

Start by applying a layer of primer.  Use a brush to apply the primer to the corners and edges with a brush.

For large surfaces, you can use a roller. Make sure there are no hairs on the roller. 

When applying the primer always do this crosswise. Start by putting a few vertical stripes and then roll them out horizontally. Gently roll out one last time from bottom to top for an even result.

Once the primer is dry, lightly sand it with a very fine grain. A 240 grain would be suitable and preferably sand it by hand, no need for the orbital sander. Once done, use a soft brush to remove all the dust.

Now it’s time to apply the paint. Make sure you give it a good stir to get a homogeneous colour result.
Start by applying the paint in the corners and along the edges with a brush. 

For the larger surfaces, you can use the roller, preferably a short-haired lacquer roller.
Again, apply the paint first by drawing some vertical lines and spreading the paint horizontally.  

Now the paint needs to dry. Give it a couple of hours and once the paint has dried up, sand it once again lightly with the 240-grain paper.
The second layer of paint needs to be applied in the exact same way. 

Tip: When painting wooden doors, always roll out in the same direction to avoid differences in gloss.
Michael
Michael Professional Painter

Step 5: Remove the masking tape and cleanup

Remove the masking tape while the paint is still wet. If you wait for the paint to dry you risk tearing off the paint itself, you do not want that.
If you see any splashes of paint, remove them with a wet cloth.
Wrap the used paint rollers and brushes separately in tin foil or plastic bags. This way you can keep them for a week and use them to paint your wooden windows.

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