How to paint interior doors

Miscellaneous

The decorative covering of a door deteriorates over time and loses its attractiveness. If the old paint is cracked and peeling in places, it is recommended to remove the old coating before applying a new coat. But it also happens that the surface has only lost its shine, has become dull, or spots have appeared on it, but the layer itself lies smoothly and has retained its integrity. In such cases, there is no point in carrying out work to remove the old coating. It will not be possible to qualitatively remove the old layer of paint that has retained its strength. It is difficult to remove. As a result, you can only damage the doors or get a surface whose quality is much lower than the original version.

Features of painting over an old layer

At first glance, painting a wooden door over an old layer seems like a trivial matter: just go ahead and paint it.

Painting the door

But in fact, in order to paint a wooden door and get a surface that will be no worse in quality than factory painting, learn a few rules:

The surface of the door, regardless of its condition, must be carefully prepared. Against the background of the old paint, cracks and potholes are invisible, but after applying a new layer they will appear and ruin all your efforts.
The right choice of material for painting an interior door. It’s not just a matter of proper selection of color, surface texture or the strength of the film formed. It is important to consider the compatibility of materials. Many paints are not compatible with each other, and if chosen incorrectly, the old coating may curl or bulge when it comes into contact with the new material.
Decide on the correct paint application technique. For doors with a complex structure, it is possible to obtain a smooth and neat surface with proper selection and combination of painting techniques and painting tools.

The last rule, common to all cases of working with paint, is to strictly follow the instructions for applying the selected paint material.

Updating the input structure

The simplest and most affordable way to update a door is to cover it with fresh paint, since the old layer spoils the aesthetic appearance and changes color over the years. Initially, you need to decide what the structure will be covered with:

stain, tinting varnish;
thick enamel, acrylic, polyurethane oil paint.

When choosing a coating, we base it on individual preferences, but it is worth listening to the advice of experienced craftsmen - finishers.

Which paint to choose

First, decide what paints are used to apply to the door:

Alkyd enamels. This is the most affordable option. Film strength is average. The advantages include a large range of colors and compatibility with MDF, fiberboard and wood. The main disadvantage is the long drying time and the characteristic pungent odor. Among materials of this type there are a large number of glossy coatings.

Acrylic enamels. This type of paint is a water dispersion of acrylates. The main advantage over other compositions is the absence of odor and quick drying. In addition, the color palette, represented by hundreds of colors, allows you to create unique shades yourself. To protect the surface, it is additionally coated with parquet transparent varnish.
Oil-based tinting paints are great for transforming interior and entrance doors. Absorbing into the wood texture they give it a unique shade. The only condition for their use is wood, without any coating.

Variety of paints and varnishes

Nitro enamels. They dry quickly, but at the same time the volatile, caustic solvent evaporates, which can cause poor health and even poisoning. If you take precautions and use personal protective equipment when working, then this option deserves attention. After the solvent has completely evaporated, the coating becomes safe. It is considered a high-quality and fast method of painting.
Colored varnishes, glazes. These materials are used for painting varnished door panels. Used in cases where there are no significant cracks or chips on the base. To fully restore the varnished surface, the old varnish must be removed, or you can refuse to re-varnish and paint over the interior doors after puttying.

Exclusive decor

Painted canvases can be given an original and unique design using exclusive decor. For this you can use:

Wallpaper. Various types of wallpaper are used for decoration: fabric, vinyl, photo wallpaper and others. With their help, you can highlight individual areas.
Fabrics: silk, velvet, cambric, voile, etc. Using drapery you can create original designs on the doors.
Painting horizontal or vertical stripes and lines with paint.
Baguettes and moldings made of wood, foam. With their help, you can highlight zones on the door, highlight its color and the design of the room.
Glass and metal inserts.
Application of original patterns and designs using stencils, which can be purchased in the store or come up with your own individual design.

You can decorate the door together with the children. To fix colorful patterns, apply a layer of varnish. The original decor is well suited for a children's room.

Material Compatibility

It is not so easy to understand the modern variety of materials. Chemical compositions for the uninitiated person are a secret behind seven locks, and when buying a material to apply to old paint, many rely on luck, hoping that the old layer will not react in any way to contact with the new chemical. There are some recommendations according to which you should select the material depending on what the door is painted with.

Variety of colors

Therefore, before you go for paint, you need to clarify what the canvas is painted with.

Epoxy and polyurethane compounds contain aggressive solvents. Cyclohexanone or xylene are capable of destroying materials that are reversible polymers obtained by natural curing (nitrocellulose, vinyl, copolymer-vinyl chloride compounds). Simply put, epoxy or polyurethane paint will destroy the coating made with nitro paints.
Epoxy and polyurethane materials are applied only over the same compositions or primers, maintaining drying intervals for each layer.
Silicate compounds are generally not applied over any other types of paints.
Alkyd paints are not aggressive and can be safely applied over any material.
Copolymer-vinyl chloride compounds and compounds based on chlorine rubber are applied only over acrylic, epoxy, and silicate materials.

Important! To update the door, it is better to use paint of the same type as the previous layer.

Compatibility table
Despite the recommendations of the material compatibility table, it is better to use an experimental test: apply the new material to a small area of the canvas and see the reaction.

Features of working with different surfaces

If the old door looks good, but the coating has only faded and worn out, then it can be quickly updated by such an event as painting the door without removing the previous layer. The tactics of work will depend on the type of coating available:

Painted doors

This option will cause the least amount of trouble with preparation and has every chance of getting a high-quality surface. To paint interior doors with your own hands, just thoroughly wash the surface of the door to remove dirt and grease stains, and fill all cracks and gaps with putty. It is better to take automotive epoxy paints with a hardener. Such putties do not shrink when dry, and all defects can be repaired in one go.

After the putty has dried, the surface is sanded with fine (120 grit) sandpaper. It is better to use a vibrating sander on large flat surfaces (counters, panels). The main task when working with a painted door is high-quality painting, which is achieved by applying several uniform layers of material. The duration of the work will directly depend on the time it takes for the next painted layer of the door to completely dry.

Old painted door

Lacquered doors

If you decide to renew the varnish surface by applying a new layer, it should be taken into account that all defects will remain visible.

Important! Secondary varnishing rarely gives the expected results. As a rule, the surface should be close to ideal. If you don’t want to tinker with the old coating, then it’s better to paint varnished interior doors that have lost their appearance or coat them with a tinted glaze.

The main difficulty in this situation is selecting putty to match the base material. But the wooden surface is not monochromatic in nature. Even if you spend a lot of time and use several shades of putty, you will still end up with stains on the canvas.

Color selection

When choosing a color for painting doors, you need to focus on the color scheme in the room. The shade should be combined with furniture, walls and floors.

Recommendations for choosing colors:

for a strict classic interior, the colors of dark and light wood species are suitable;
for a minimalist style - cool light shades;
Doors painted with glossy paints of different colors combine with modern style;
in the high-tech style, doors can be painted in any bright or metallic color;
The white color of the door will be combined with different interior styles. A light canvas helps to visually enlarge the room;
the shade of the door should be average between the color of the interior and the floor covering;
dark furniture is combined with a door several shades lighter;
each side of the door can be painted in different shades if the color scheme in the rooms is very different;
It is better to paint solid wood doors with clear varnish. It will emphasize the natural beauty of the wood pattern;
in a children's room, the canvas can be painted in bright shades or combined several colors;
Soft light colored doors are suitable for the bedroom.

Interior doors will look beautiful if they are painted cream, pale pink, or light green. Their shade can be emphasized with the help of accessories: curtains, sofa cushions, curtains.

Door painting technologies

The quality of the door coating depends on the tool, application method and professional skills of the craftsman.

Tools

Door painting is done using the following tools:

Brushes. It is not recommended to paint the entire canvas with just one brush. If you lack experience, the surface will end up with streaks. It will not be possible to apply a thin, even layer of paint with a brush. But without this tool it will not be possible to paint hard-to-reach places, corners, layout patterns or panel margins. Therefore, when painting canvases with a complex configuration, first work with a brush, painting over problem areas.
Roller. Repainting panel interior doors is done with just a roller. The roller bobbin must be fur, polyamide or polyacrylic. These materials are resistant to most aggressive solvents.

Important! For painting work on door restoration, foam rollers are not used.

Working with a brush

Compressor (spray gun). A spray bottle will allow you to get an even, thin layer. The result is a perfectly smooth coating. The process of applying paint is much faster than manually.

Related tools you can’t do without:

gloves;
paint tray;
rags;
masking tape;
sandpaper;
putty knife;
and what you have at your disposal: stools on which you will place the canvas, or sawhorses.

In addition to paint and varnish, prepare putty, primer and solvent.

Required Tools

Before you begin painting the door, you should prepare the necessary tools and materials. The list is like this:

supports for laying the canvas (trunks, stools, etc.);
painting tray and roller (spray gun);
moderately sharp spatula;
rags, sponge or rags;
a set of sandpaper of different grain sizes;
masking tape;
set of brushes;
vacuum cleaner;
screwdriver or set of screwdrivers;
primer;
solvent;
paint and varnish products (paint, varnish, impregnation, etc.);
putty;
protective gloves.

It is best to carry out painting work outside, rather than in a residential apartment, to ensure the safety of its residents.

Painting schemes

First, a little theory. The interior door can be panel or panel. Depending on this, the execution scheme and the order of staining will depend.

If it is a panel-type canvas, then painting is carried out in 3 stages:

Coloring begins from the upper corner in the transverse direction. The movement of the brush goes from left to right.
the second layer of paint is applied in the longitudinal direction.
the third layer is similar to the first.

Please note that three layers cannot be applied at once; after each coating, time must pass for the composition to dry.

For work, it is better to use a roller, as the brush may leave streaks.

If it is a paneled door, then first all the recesses are painted with a brush, and then the rest of the panel, but with a roller.

Stages of work

All work can be written in the form of the following algorithm:

It is better to remove the door and twist the fittings. If there is no such possibility (or desire), then handles, hinges, locks and glass are sealed with film and masking tape. It will be difficult to remove the paint. The tape must be removed before the paint dries.
Washing and drying the door surface.
Removing peeling areas, filling defects, sanding. Each layer is sanded after complete drying.
Selecting the type of paint material.
Applying a primer (paint diluted with the same type of solvent). This will improve adhesion and reduce the likelihood of bleed through putty areas.
Applying the required number of layers of paint or varnish.

How to create imitation wood

To do this you need:

The canvas is painted with light beige, gray or yellow paint and then dried.
Using a brush, apply liquid soap to the surface.
Everything is covered with dark paint, and the soap is washed off.
If you have a veneered door, you can take note of another method. For this we use a special brush. We walk it through the soft fibers with movements that would resemble combing. The surface is painted with dyes of different colors. The texture will be changed so that the surface will have swirls that resemble wood grain. Sand the surface after it dries.
If everything is done according to the rules, then even beginners in this business will be able to paint. But first, it’s better to practice a little so that the front side comes out perfectly.

You now know how to touch up a chip on a door and how to paint varnished doors; here it will be important to take your time and properly prepare the surface. And after applying the dye, you won’t have to think about repairing the door for a long time.

Useful tips for beginners

For ease of work and control over dipping the tool into paint, use a paint tray.

After purchasing the brushes, it is recommended to comb them out a little and soak them in water for a while. Firstly, this will prevent fallen hairs from reaching the surface, and secondly, it will soften the stubble before work.

It is more convenient to paint the canvas if it is located in a horizontal position. This way you won’t get unsightly streaks if there is too much paint in the corners and sides of the door leaf. Many people use specially prepared sawhorses for convenience, or take the easier route and place the door on 4 stools.

Protection of fittings from smudging. This is not a whim, but a reasonable step. It is advisable to twist it and put it aside for the duration of the work, but an option to protect it is also suitable, for which it is recommended to use masking tape.

Drips resulting from painting can be easily removed if you use a sponge, and then hide its traces by going over the area with a roller.

While the painted canvas is drying, make sure that no accidental dust gets on it or that a stray midge does not stick to it. To do this, it is better to do coloring in a special workshop.

Video on how to properly paint entrance blocks in a house or apartment:

You can update interior or entrance doors in different ways. Painting without removing the old layer is the easiest and fastest method, which home craftsmen most often resort to. The result of the work: a beautiful door without much effort!

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Ira 01/30/202015:56 It’s better not to paint interior doors. the paint will stink for a long time

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