How to paint 80s aluminium doors?

[KingStreetReno]

We recently completed phase 1 of our renovation and had most of our house professionally painted.

The rooms look completely new apart from the ugly aluminium doors that will not be replaced until phase 2 of the renovation in 18mths - 2yrs.

Does anyone have experience painting these?

[Darren · Accepted solution]

We had a similar problem in our back room - delightful mission brown aluminium doors but no budget to replace them. Our solution was to spray them with a metal spray paint (we used Dulux Metalshield epoxy enamel satin black). The process was super simple, just make sure you're careful with your taping and cover the entire window with newspaper to avoid overspray (lesson learned there). The only oversight was that I didn't use a primer, so if I was doing it again I would. Otherwise, we've been really happy with our 'new' doors, check out the before/after. 

[Kermit]

This should help - https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/paint/how-to-paint/how-to-paint-window-frames

It shows how to use spray paint to paint an aluminium window frame - the same as your doors. It recommends to use an etch primer first and be careful with the prep.

[Andy_Mann]

@KingStreetReno, I painted our bathroom (amongst other things) while Tania was visiting her sister interstate, & was running out of time. I rushed it & got the ordinary ol' interior paint on our chocolate brown aluminium window surround, so decided to paint them too, rather than mess around. It actually looked great, so figured that if it lifted later on, I'd strip it back & work on a fix, but it still looks great, 20ish years later. Mind you, I only painted the window frame surround that the windows fit into, not the window frames themselves.

@Darren, from my experience, I wouldn't lose any sleep over not prime/etch coating first, just sit back, relax, & enjoy your new windows for years to come.

For those thinking of painting aluminium windows, by all means use the recommended prep coat for peace of mind.

My go to YouTube guy for painting, he knows his stuff, doesn't over complicate things & explains everything really well.

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdanPL9bamg"

[Jason]

Hi @KingStreetReno,

Just wondering if you've made any progress with this paint job?

Jason

[camking77]

I have the same problem! I've just painted the interior walls and wood frames but the window and door frames are brown . How did you stop the spray paint from getting everywhere when doing inside? Yours look amazing btw

[Jason]

Hi @camking77,

Thanks for joining in the discussion on Workshop. We're pleased to have you join us.

This is always a popular topic. You might find the resources on the Bunnings website useful, such as the D.I.Y. Advice guide How to paint window frames and the article Transform your aluminium window frames from the Bunnings magazine. The techniques shown are obviously the same for doors. I will also attach some videos below.

I would certainly encourage you to use some high quality painter's tape and take the time to cover an area as wide as possible with drop sheets. Hopefully other community members might have further tips for you about ensuring a great result while protecting your home. 

Hope that's helpful to get you started.

Jason

[ElaineP]

@Jason 

Just wondering after the paint drys, are there usually any issues with opening and closing the windows?

Will the paint in the tracks scratch easily?

Guess these all depend on how good of job I do... 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @ElaineP.

I would remove/open the windows prior to painting as if you paint over them closed there is potential for them to stick shut. With proper preparation, the paint should adhere well in the track area. If the window is particularly tight in the track and you then add more paint (thickness) it might wear off eventually. Generally, there is enough tolerance for you to be able to paint and have them continue to function as normal. You might wish to consider aerosol paint as it will be a significantly thinner coating than brushable products.

If you need further assistance or have other questions, please let me know.

Mitchell

[Shnoony]

In the past I've had issues with paint peeling when I lift the tape, or bleeding under the tape. A painter told me the tip is to only paint right to the tape on your final coat, then peel before it is dry.

That's fine for brush painting, but if I use spray for my window renovation the spray will always go over the tape. I'm planning to paint white over mission brown so I'm going to need three coats. Am I likely to have issues peeling the tape? Or, should I be pulling the tape off each time and retaping?