How can I change the door colour ?

[mmd22]

Hi everyone 

Recently we have  changed our Floor colour so we need to change our main 2 door colour . We decided some thing  neutral colour.

But our present door is like Varnish colour .

Could I please have some advice how to do that easily ?    

Thank you in advance 

Present door colourwould like to do similar colour

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @mmd22 

Well your door looks like it is in good  condition  all you need to do is sand the  varnish  on the door  with 540 Grit sand paper this will clean any dirt off at the same time giving the new  paint of any type to bond too, take your door hardware off first for best results or mask up the door handles etc.as like what you must have done for the interior doors that look nice.

But if you want to  lighten the  front door color varnished appearance I think the fastest way is to sand the door back to bare  natural wood  this would be easiest done  taken off the hinges and put on another table or tressels.  Best to use machine sander  palm , or general orbital should  do start with 240 grit.  faster start 90 grit but beware this is agressive  paper.

[mmd22]

Hi @Jewelleryrescue 

Thank  you so much for your advice .

Should I Prime the door first before painting ?

I have a Orbital circular hand sander , I am planning to use that but I do not want to take the  door off from hinges as it is very heavy .

Do you have any suggestion for water based or oil based ? I think my other doors are Dulux water based( as previous owner left some old paint ) .

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @mmd22 

To answer your question quickly use Acrylic under coat  and also acrylic top coats x 2 or 3 min. Any good paint brand is fine if your door is exposed to sun and or weather blowing in try use a brush to paint under the door edge  to seal that area also  use  outdoor arcylic paints UV safe

Now the history of paint  I when  over board  with some detail so just read the bits you  didnt know.

Modern acrylic  paints are the better way to go as they have low odour and they dry faster and wear quite well and  come in matt semi and full gloss some acrylic paints  say they dont need an under coat.

But I might guide you to using an arcylic water based sealer/undercoat for several reasons (any   major brand.)

1 the door is a dark color and may alter your color selection shading slightly darker.

2 the sealer will help hide minor defects hidden to the eye

3 the door  varnish even sanded may resist new  paint from sticking.

for one door you would use less than 500Ml  but I think they only come in 1 litre  .well good  for next project start left over under coat. You should be able to  buy top coat in 500ml and save some money as paint very expensive  these days,

As its your front door you will need to try do it in sensible stages so you can close  your door at nights.

First stage sand the door  while on it hinges I hear you as to is heavy weight. Only start painting in the  morning 10 am as a guide as this will give acrylic time to touch dry approximatly 1 hours.  Some paints will allow you to  recoat in 2 hours so you can do 2 coats one day.  Close door when  touch dry  at night between coats at need.  A quick  touch with your hand will tell you paint is dry. Summer months may speed up drying time.   Sand door very lightly and sparingly with wet and dry sand paper 1200 grit use the sand paper wet. Feel  the door with you hand until  the micro (sand/dirt?)   comes off.

I would  use a small artist  paint brush  10 mm wide to paint neatly around the hinges a small paint brush around the edges  near the floor etc and a  small foam  roller for the larger door surface.

Soak  your brushes and roller  in a  old  container over night  filled with water to cover bristles only most of the paint will fall out of brush  tip water /paint  into bin so small paint balls not in ocean.  Dry  brush and roller with paper towel so most of  the water in the  brush roller is out other wise paint will run out of brush.

Have ready a drop sheet under the  door and area  but if any small paint drops flick some where have a wet cloth on immediate stand by to mop up  acrylic  paint splashes ASAP So much easier than scraping them later.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @mmd22,

It's wonderful to see that @Jewelleryrescue has been assisting. You might also like to take a look at Dulux 1L PRECISION Maximum Strength Adhesion Primer White, as it's perfect for not having to fully sand back difficult-to-paint surfaces. I'd recommend two coats of the primer before two coats of your topcoat if you're going for a lighter colour finish. Varnishing can tend to bleed through single layers of primer with lighter topcoats.

As @Jewelleryrescue mentioned, water-based enamel paints are the way to go. They offer all the same protection as oil-based paint but without the yellowing, fumes and difficult cleanup. Typically I like to go with Dulux Aquanamel. 

Here's a helpful step-by-step guide on How to paint a front door.

Please let us know if you have further questions.

Mitchell

[mmd22]

Hello @Jewelleryrescue 

Thank you so much for you detail  advice . I really appreciate your advice .

These information will help me a lot .

I actually have 2 door to paint ( front and back entrance  ) so 1 L Primer would be be enough I hope . I saw you recommended foam roller but just wondering is Microfibre roller going to ok as I have few small size microfibre roller from last project .   

Thank you 

[mmd22]

@MitchellMc Thank you so much for your input .

You helped me a lot on my last project . I am going to use water based paint so will go ahead with Dulux aquanamel. How much sanding should I do If i use 2 coats of Primer ? should i do too much sanding at all ?  What would your recommendation for sandpaper grit to get the job done  easily ?

Thank you 

[KatieC]

Hi @mmd22,

These are really great questions, @MitchellMc will be back online on Friday to further assist. In the meantime, let me tag @homeinmelbourne, @Renowayoflife, and @Nham to see if they are able to lend some advice and check out this great article do you need to sand before painting. 

Katie

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @mmd22 

I actually I think microfiber roller sounds like a great for a fine  smooth high gloss finish and washable at the end of the project. I suggested foam  roller as it is short and easy to use on a door without loading up paint on a full roller size plus the shorter roller a little easier to handle close to  floor edge and around door edges.  Usually the foam  or miro fiber roller comes with a cute little paint loading tray of its own as to make paint loading easier and less wasteful.  

Roller vs brush on a door ultimatly all about the finished texture your door will look like and the ease of painting the edges and around door knob  and fine details a roller cant do. I dont  mind  the brush strokes in my paint work made by a brush it makes me happy you pick you favorite finish probably matching your other paint work. Full size rollers cover more area faster for a wall and a roof this is a must. ( also full house  invest in an electric spray painter) The rollers will give you typically a finer finish if this is what you desire, But you can go 10mm wool nap (typically used for rough surfaces)on a roller and that will give you a textured finish like little clouds kissing your door not really  visually apparent but its there.  You can even use a sea sponge for other effects especially two tone  features.  

Any thing can be used to paint with is all about the final finish and the ease and efficancy of applying paint in a Small tight  or bigger area.

Dentists  use toothbrushes  ( Xmas Furphy)

Sanding  @KatieC  has  kindly added a few  references to sanding advice  one of them is  do you need to sand before painting. 

Oh I should mention hand sand lightly between coats as  machines to agressive.

@mmd22  You asked  about sanding and is it necessary vs just undercoat which is a great question by the way.   

It is always good to sand a surface you are about to paint as it provides micro scratches for new paint to bond  to while  removing older paint micro layer and loose bits like fine dust. You have a sander a quick 10 min sand per door will help keep your new paint from being rubbed off by people brushing by,  Point A The sander takes of the high points the under coat (and  paint) fills the micro valleys As mentioned sand between all coats once they are touch dry basically repeating point A. Dont forget to wipe the door down with a damp cloth to take your sanding dust off and your surrounding walls and skirting boards

Another way too look at it is if you miss a  10 min step ,  This may take  years of life off your project life and you maybe concerned a step was missed when ever you look at a project  We here all know the satisfaction of a job well done we  only want the same for you.

I bought a pair of draws in a grey finish and put a custom made set of under desk draws between them with the outer panel made with melamine laminate on top. The melamine coating is very slick  even after a sanding and undercoating and painting the following  photos shows the paint was  pretty easy to cause it to be worn off.  In hind sight I should have used  plain timber but  the draw front is just a face plate and can be easialy replaced but extra time and  materials and having to re match paint is a drag.  Moral of my story is a simple 5  minute choice timber vs melamine  could have made my project last longer. Your sanding could stop  paint chipping for extra years

Sanding matters

[Nham]

Thanks for the msg @KatieC , 

We had a similar situation to you @mmd22 , we were using solid wood recycled doors that were already stained. I did a very light sand with the orbital sander then painted the doors with two coats of British Paints White 4 In 1 Prep, after drying we applied two coats of Dulux Aqua Enamel, gloss in vivid white (waterbase). After painting I hand sanded down the surface with 240 grit. I would also take off the door if you can manage it and we used a brush not a roller. 

Good luck with your doors:-)

Nham