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Steel doors are wonderful at retain the current of air and weather out of our home , and they ’re unusually durable — they can last a life-time . The paint that plow them , however , will not last that long . So , if your star sign has a alloy doorway , at some spot you ’ll be faced with repainting it . As with any painting project , the final resultant role will be at once touch by your preparation , but it ’s not an especially difficult DIY .
Tools & Materials
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Before You Begin
Before you dig in , observe that doors painted prior to 1978 are potential to have confidential information - based paint on them . If your door does have conduce - based rouge , comply EPA guidelines for removal . If there ’s any question in your mind as to whether there ’s lead paint on the door , you ’ll desire totest for lead paintprior to beginning this task .
How to Paint a Metal Door
Step 1: Take the door off its hinges, if possible.
Before you get started , know that key drying times and environmental ingredient can turn this into a multi - day task . If you ca n’t secure your home without the door , you ’ll necessitate to paint it in place , which may take even longer . But if you’re able to remove the doorway without compromise your home security , place a screwdriver under the head of the flexible joint pin and lightly tap it with a hammer until you ’re able to pull up it out . Repeat with the other hinge , and remove the door .
Tried-and-True Advice
“ I bump that removing the doorway is necessary to the right way prep for picture . look on the shape , you will drop some time sand and even crunch to remove rust fungus , quondam pigment and grime . I discover the prep work is often more sentence consuming than expect on metal house painting projects and it make plenty of dust ! Do the preparation work outside to prevent pull in a mess in your shop or garage . ”
— Zach Lazzari , Contributing Writer
Step 2: Remove hardware and protect areas you do not wish to paint.
start by prepping the door for painting . Once you ’ve acquire the door off its hinge , position it across two sawhorses or on a prominent , bland surface . Take off any removable weatherstripping , and apply Felis concolor ’s tape over any flexible joint or hardware . Protect kickplates or windows that ca n’t be remove by rap newspaper over them .
Step 3: Clean the door thoroughly with a degreaser.
Wash the entire door exhaustively with a degreasing cleanser consort to the manufacturer ’s operating instructions , then dry the doorway with a towel .
Step 4: Lightly sand the door.
Put on your dust masque and safety glasses , and sandpaper the door lightly withfine - grit sandpaper(or a sanding auction block ) to rough up the surface and remove any loose rouge .
Step 5: Remove all sanding dust and lingering debris.
Wipe down the entire room access to bump off all the rubble from sand , and provide the doorway to completely air travel - dry .
Step 6: Apply primer.
If your door has a smooth surface , roll on your first coat of primer with a short - nap roller , and let it dry . If your door has recessed instrument panel , start by using a small thicket to prime the inside panels first , then roll fusee onto the mullion ( the vertical section between the panels ) , and finally onto the rails ( the horizontal piece between the control panel ) and external edges . Allow the fusee to dry out according to the manufacturer ’s instructions , and put on a second coat , if necessary , the same way of life you did the first .
Step 7: Add two coats of paint, letting each dry completely.
Paint the door with at least two coats of exterior satin or semi - gloss paint , following the same summons you did for the primer and being sure to go forth the advocate amount of drying time between coats .
take down : If you have to paint the door while it ’s on its hinges , plan to solve over a stretch of mean solar day when there is no rain in the prognosis . preparation the doorway one day , and then start your first coat of primer burnished and early the next aurora . If you start too soon enough , you should have fourth dimension for the paint to dry out before you shut the door for the dark . Get going on the 2d coating the first thing the next morning , with the goal of its being dry by nighttime . Continue in this way until you ’ve enforce as many coats as are necessary .
Step 8: Remove tape, replace hardware, and rehang door.
After the paint has dry completely , carefully remove the cougar ’s magnetic tape and exchange any ironware or weatherstrip you removed . in the end , rehang the doorway .
It ’s amazing how afresh coating of paint on a front doorcan really airlift the spirits of an full facade . If you grant prison term for heedful preparation and sufficient drying , your rejuvenated front room access will look great and welcome visitor for years to get .
This Is the Year for a Kitchen Renovation
Photo: Zillow Digs home in Seattle, WA
Whether you ’re selling or staying , everyone can get something out of a kitchen update . Learn why we consider this renovation the Most Valuable Project of 2025 and how to stay on budget .
