Stripping and repainting exterior door

[Twofingertyper]

Hi all,

I have an exterior wooden door where the paint is peeling and I'd like to strip off what remains and repaint - is there an idiots guide as to the steps I should take?


Cheers,
TFT

 

[ckl139]

Hi all, appreciate it's been a few weeks that this thread does not have a reply, but i have the same question. Specifically... Solid wood exterior door + frames are currently painted white.

Paint is old and needs re doing. The door is rear entrance to a garage.

Advice on steps to be taken to re paint. I ask as i assuming sanding etc is required?

 

[JohnD]

Remove all door furniture.

hot air gun and scraper; then sandpaper. For mouldings, with your fingers. For flat sections, an orbital sander. No coarser than you need. It may be easier if you can lift the door off its hinges first.

Then examine the damaged or rotted parts and decide what to do about them before you prime, undercoat and finish. Pay special attention to the bottom and top edges which are usually neglected.

if it is a glazed door you may like to take the glass out first.

 

[Twofingertyper]

Hi all, appreciate it's been a few weeks that this thread does not have a reply, but i have the same question. Specifically... Solid wood exterior door + frames are currently painted white.

Paint is old and needs re doing. The door is rear entrance to a garage.

Advice on steps to be taken to re paint. I ask as i assuming sanding etc is required?

Just to see how you got on with this? It was one of the many summer tasks that I failed to get around to this year, I'm hoping it'll last one more year and I'll get to it as soon as I can!

 

[opps]

If most of the paint is sound why strip it at all?

If the loose paint can be removed and then filled with two-pack filler you may end up with a better finish.

Striping often results in grain swell (when using chemical strpers) and accidental gouges (especially on mouldings).

I treat the old coats of paint as a filler that can be sanded flat.

 

[Twofingertyper]

To bump a very old thread as this was not done last year - the paint is flaking off quite considerably now, so is there a guide on what I should do - is it a case taking the door down, sanding, and using the two pack-filler, then re-painting?

As it's a garage door, one side is exposed to the elements, and the other is fine - I assume that it's fine to just treat the one side (and edges if needed)?

 

[opps]

Taking the door off and putting it on trestles makes it easier to sand but isn't absolutely necessary.

Can you post images of the door? I seldom burn off paint work for the reasons that I listed previously, that said, yes, if need be, I do get the heatgun out.

Is, for example the paint flaking back to the woodwork or not?

Photos will definitely help.

 

[Twofingertyper]

I'll try to take one tonight, not at home currently - yes, it's flaking off and revealing wood underneath in patches, it has been like this for a few years (since before I moved in) and has just been something that I've not got around to looking at properly.

 

[dishman]

You can either do an in-situ paint job with the door attached....

Or the longer, more perfectionist route, which involves a bit more work and trouble, by taking it off it's hinges, lying it flat somewhere (on two trestle/saw horse stands) and being able to prep and paint it and leave it to dry in a dust/dirt free environment i.e not outside.

It depends on your time and effort.

It also depends on the finish you want. Do you want to see the wood? Or do you want a gloss finish?

Before you start you need to need to strip it (heat gun or dip or chemical (the latter is not too effective these days)).

Then sand it back to bare wood, repair any damaged with brown filler and apply a few coats of varnish in your preferred stain.

If hard wearing oil based gloss, you want to sand it back, repair damage with a filler, apply a primer, a few layers of undercoat (with a quick sand between each layer) and then a top layer of gloss paint. Don't go too thick on the gloss too quickly. You could even do two thin coats with a light sand after the first layer. ensure you leave enough drying time between coats.

If you do not want to use an oil based gloss, there are water based alternatives.

Barn Paint and Sadolin Superdec spring to mind. You can only get a gloss in black and white with Sadolin. They do have a Satin in a variety of colours.

https://www.sadolin.co.uk/product-category/professionals/opaque-timber-protection/

Bdec Barn Paint has a variety of colours in a semi -gloss.

https://bedec.co.uk/bedec_products/barn-paint/

They may be not as traditionally hard wearing as an oil based gloss, but I have seen posts of pro decorators painting beach huts with this stuff (both of them).

A water-based gloss may not have the pop of an oil gloss. But, it will be a lot easier to deal with. You may have to do a few more coats to get the depth of colour you want. If you prep to a good surface you may not need a primer with those two, but you can check the spec sheet. I know Superdec states it does not really need a primer, but they do have one.

 

[Twofingertyper]

Thanks for that - not particularly worried about the finish, just want an improvement over current flaking paint appearance! Some good links and things to consider; not worried about perfection - just improving on current shabby appearance!

I did mention I'd get some photos, but completely failed to come back on that - here's the current state (let me know if links don't work)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1D6wE9KBWBcEIldQ7ouMiTnoS3eDTtLWM
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sHQRseYjwXd1AElNQhy6QQ20PkSt5Fdy

TFT

 

[dishman]

It looks like a very plain door, nothing ornate. Is it a garage side door? Or a plain side door?

If it's the case of being something simple, and finish is not your primary concern, I certainly think a strip back to timber, either heat gun and scraper, or if the paint is thin, you can try a modern chemical stripper from Wilco or Wickes. They are not as effective as they used to be, but if it is thin old paint it may work. A heat gun should be faster.

Then, a good sand all over with 80grit, then again with 120, and maybe a final quick sand at 180. You should see it rejuvenate the gray weathered surface.

At that point the two easiest options are a stain/varnish which will keep the wood-grain showing, or stain it a different wood colour.

Or a quality water based gloss/semi gloss (Superdec or Barnpaint) if you want a solid colour of your choice.The water based nature is a lot easier to deal with. It also has the benefit of not peeling like a traditional gloss or even varnish.

Do a few coats of either option. A primer may be considered with the latter option, but not always required.

I would not bother with the oil based gloss route if looks are not your primary concern. Although oilbased is technically more hardwearing, it takes a lot more prep and skill to do properly.

 

[Twofingertyper]

Sorry - maybe I should have opened my first post with that, yes, it's a garage side door essentially - nothing fancy, just looking a bit tired.

Thanks again for all the advice, greatly appreciated.

 

[dishman]

Yeh, in that case, keep it simple....

But....good preparation is key.....taking it off it's hinges to fully strip it may ensure a proper job no matter what route you choose.

Maybe some new hinges while you are there as they look a bit rusty.

The water-based exterior paint (superdec or barnpaint) will have the added benefit of not peeling like oil paint. It will just fade. This should make future re-coats much easier after a light sand.

I would certainly lean towards those an an option. Just get that surface well prepared and sanded back, clean and then paint.

 

[JohnD]

if you change over to lift-off hinges, it will be very much easier to take it off, spend a day on it, put it back for the night, take it off another day, and so on. I like stainless hinges, you can sometimes get PVD brass on stainless but they are not common.

You won't get it stripped, sanded, undercoated and topcoated in a single day.

BTW. when the final coat is on and you re-hang it, wipe vaseline down the closing edges with a small greasy rag or finger to prevent the new paint sticking to the frame. Another method is to remove the staple (keep) from the frame, which makes the lock a looser fit and you can space the door off with a few matchsticks.

Note however that until the lock and staple are firmly fitted and screwed in, it will not be as strong. I once had someone try to kick in a door where I'd done that, overnight after painting, and although they didn't manage it, it cracked the timber and I had to repair and add a steel lockguard the next day. I suppose they must have seen me working and guessed it was not yet fully secured.

 

[Twofingertyper]

Thanks both - all good advice that I will take into account when I do this.

Would you do the whole door (the other side is in a much better state), given that the recommendation is to change the kind of paint used? Or do the external as a priority and just do the other side when time permits?