How To Paint A Metal French Door To Look Like It Is Rusted

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Painting or repainting a steel door won't only make information technology expect much better, but can also help prevent future rust or impairment to the surface! You can find the bones cleaning and painting tools that y'all'll need for the chore at a local hardware shop. By knowing how to clean and prepare your door for painting and which products to use, y'all tin have your steel door looking make new for years to come.

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Loosen the hinge pins holding the door in place. Open up your door every bit wide as possible to reveal the hinges property it to the doorframe. Printing a nail to the base of the hinge pin, which will be right on the signal where the door pivots open and closed.^[1] Striking the nail with a hammer until the swivel pin loosens and the top is pushed away from the hinge panels. Echo with any other hinges on the door.
- While taking the door off its hinges will make the painting process much easier, it isn't admittedly necessary. If you alive in a colder climate where it may have longer for the paint to dry, yous should pigment the door in its frame. Taking an external door out of its frame for several days is unsafe if you cannot control who or what could come inside your business firm.
- It might be safer to paint the door in its frame rather than leaving information technology off its hinges for several days while information technology dries fully.^[2]
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Pull the door out of the frame. Holding the door in place with i hand, use a flathead screwdriver to pry the hinge pins fully out of the door hinges. Carefully pull the door out of the doorframe and lay it on a apartment surface or beyond ii saw horses.
- Make sure y'all continue the hinge pins somewhere safe while yous work on the door, although at that place should exist replacements at your local hardware shop if you lose them.
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Wipe down the surface with a degreasing cleaner. In social club to requite the paint a smooth and clean surface to attach to, give the door a thorough clean with a degreasing cleaner and a rag. Be sure to remove any dirt, grease or grime from the surface of the door that could ruin your paint job or dirty your tools and brushes.^[3]
- Any multi-surface spray cleaner should piece of work well on your door. Automotive degreasing cleaners are some other great culling if that's easier for you lot to find.
- Always follow the manufacturer'southward guidelines for the specific cleaner that yous are using. Some may crave y'all to wear gloves or centre protection for your ain safety.^[four]
- Wipe down the door with a dry cloth or go out it in the sun for an hour or 2 before moving on.
4
Remove all the hardware from the steel door. Using the appropriate screwdriver for each plumbing fixtures, unscrew any hardware in the door that you don't want to pigment over. This might include the doorknob, strike plate, or a door knocker.^[5]
- Always use a screwdriver rather than an electrical drill when removing hardware. It might take longer, only information technology volition be much easier than having to supersede whatsoever hardware you could damage with an electric drill.^[6]
- If there is any hardware y'all don't desire to or cannot remove, encompass information technology with painter'due south record to forestall information technology from being painted.
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Record off any areas that y'all don't desire to paint. Using a roll of painter's tape, slowly work around the sides of the door and cover each edge.^[7] This will help keep the paint but on the confront of the door and make the lines around each border as make clean as possible. Trimming the door with tape might exist hard around long or uneven edges, but it will make the painting procedure much easier in the long run.
- If in that location are whatever parts of the door you tin't remove, such every bit windows, you can comprehend these with painter'south record to go on them make clean.
2
Ready any dents in the door'south surface. Before painting the door, accept the opportunity to gear up any dents on the door's surface. Use 80-dust sandpaper on whatsoever dented areas before smoothly roofing the dent with a pocket-size amount of patching compound or auto body filler. Leave it to dry for around forty minutes then sand it with 150-grit sandpaper to make the area level with the remainder of the door.
- Sand the door until the dent is no longer obvious or non hands visible. Painting over it will assist obscure any minor dents or dings, so don't worry too much nigh using a bubble level
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Sand the entire door with 400-grit sandpaper. To allow the primer and paint to adhere to the surface of the door, yous should sand it downward lightly first. Utilize fine grit sandpaper effectually 400 over the unabridged surface of the door.^[8]
- You don't need to sand the whole surface of the door thoroughly, only enough to give the primer something to stick to. Applying too much force per unit area or using a rougher sandpaper tin can risk damaging the door too much.^[9]
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Wipe down the surface with a damp cloth. Sanding can create a lot of dust that can get defenseless in the pigment and affect the look of your finished door. Slightly dampen a clean cloth and wipe downwards the surface of the door to remove whatever dust left over from sanding it down.^[x]
- If there is a lot of grit, or if the old paint has come up loose in the sanding process, employ a vacuum cleaner to remove the majority of the dust before wiping it down.
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Prime the door with an oil-based primer. Priming the door with a product designed specifically for metallic will keep your paint looking better for longer. Utilise a pocket-sized paint roller to cover the door with ii coats of primer, giving plenty of fourth dimension for the primer to dry between coats.^[11]
- Make certain the primer yous are using is compatible with your called pigment. Each production should say which others they are compatible with, merely you lot tin can ask for help when purchasing them if you lot're unsure.
- Different primers will accept different amounts of time to dry out in different climates. It tin can take between 1 and 3 hours for each coat to fully dry out. Give the door a light impact every hour until yous are certain the door is dry.
- If painting both sides of the door, you'll need to piece of work 1 side at a time. Apply both coats of primer to the door and let fully dry before turning over to prime the other side.
- If you use a Direct-To-Metallic paint, you can begin applying it without applying primer to the door outset.^[12] E'er follow the manufacturer'southward instructions when painting with a specific product.
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Use a roller to apply one coat of paint. Make sure that y'all are using a paint that is designed for outside employ, such as an exterior satin or semi-gloss pigment.^[13] Use a brush to carefully paint any grooves or panels on the door, before painting the rest with a small roller.^[fourteen] This volition minimize the brush stroke marks on your door when it is finished.
- Exist careful to fix any drips or uneven roller strokes earlier the paint dries. It might exist easier to paint in the morning, early evening or in the shade, so the paint doesn't dry besides apace and stays wet while you're still painting.^[15]
- Give the door plenty of fourth dimension to dry between coats, normally between 6 to 12 hours but sometimes up to 18. Bank check the data on your chosen paint for more information on the expected drying times.
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Sam Adams is the owner of Carmine Pattern + Build, a residential design and construction house, which has been operating in the Greater Seattle Area for over xiii years. A former architect, Sam is now a full-service contractor, specializing in residential remodels and additions.

Sam Adams
Professional Contractor

Use a sprayer or rollers for uniform texture. Sam Adams, a full-service contractor, says: "The best style to paint a steel door is with a professional sprayer, not a rattle tin. The 2d best fashion is to employ foam rollers because both requite your steel door a uniform texture. If you paint the door with a brush, you get all kinds of brush strokes in the finished production."
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Give each side plenty of time to dry fully if y'all want to pigment both sides of the door. Work one side at a time, as even slightly moisture coats of paint can exist damaged if they come in contact with another surface too apace.
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Apply a 2d glaze of paint. Each coat of paint volition meliorate the overall expect of your door, equally well as increasing its resistance to the elements. Give the first coat at least half-dozen hours to dry and and then utilize at least 1 more than glaze. ^[xvi]
- Follow the manufacturer'south instructions when applying paints. They will probable tell yous how many coats yous'll need, as well equally how long you should leave each coat to dry.
- If you're unhappy with the look of the 2d glaze of pigment once it is dry, yous tin can always add another one.
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Let the paint dry out completely. Requite your concluding coat of paint enough of time to dry earlier putting information technology back in identify. If the paint is still a trivial moisture, it may rub off on the doorframe and need repainting.^[17] Go out it for every bit long as possible, merely commonly at least 12 hours.
- Estrus guns and like tools might help the pigment dry faster, only won't dry it evenly and could fifty-fifty damage the paint if it is likewise intense. If you use something to accelerate the drying, do so carefully.
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Reassemble the door and reattach information technology to the frame. Remove whatsoever painter'due south tape y'all applied to the door when you began painting. Using a screwdriver, reattach any hardware you removed exactly as it was initially. Finally, put the door back on its hinges and reinsert the hinge pins with a hammer.^[18]
- You might want to remove the weather stripping around the edge of the doorframe for a day or two afterward reattaching the door. This will give the paint much longer to dry fully before the edges are pressed tightly against the stripping.
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Question

How do you lot pigment a steel door without streaks?

Sam Adams is the owner of Cherry Design + Build, a residential design and construction firm, which has been operating in the Greater Seattle Area for over 13 years. A former architect, Sam is at present a full-service contractor, specializing in residential remodels and additions.

Professional Contractor

Expert Answer

Apply a sprayer or rollers for compatible texture. The best way to pigment a steel door is with a professional sprayer, not a rattle tin can. The second best way is to use foam rollers because both give your steel door a uniform texture. If you paint the door with a brush, you go all kinds of castor strokes in the finished production.

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Keep the weather forecast in listen when planning on painting your door. Information technology volition exist much easier to paint when it is sunny and warm than it is painting in the pelting.
Choose a lighter color for your steel door if it is exposed to sunlight. Dark colors fade and demand repainting more frequently.^[19]

If you are repainting an quondam door, be wary that it might have originally been painted with a pb-based paint. Have the paint tested for lead if you lot are unsure, and always follow your local guidelines near dealing with lead pigment.^[20]

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Things You'll Need

Drill or screwdriver
Record
Rubbing booze
Rag
Auto body filler
Sandpaper
Primer
Pigment
Rollers or brushes

About This Article

Article Summary X

To paint a steel door, you'll demand exterior paint and an oil-based primer designed specifically for metallic. Before y'all employ the primer and paint, lightly sand the door with 400-grit sandpaper and then the primer and paint will stick to information technology better. Then, apply 2 coats of the primer, letting information technology dry after each glaze. Once the 2d coat of primer is dry, use a roller to apply 2 coats of pigment, letting the outset coat dry for 6 hours and the 2d coat dry for 12 hours. To learn how to disassemble a steel door before painting it, proceed reading!

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