The year 2020 paved the way for do-it-yourself crafts. In our blogs, we have talked about repairing, finishing, and restoring your door on your own. However, these jobs may take more skill than what is bargained for. If you’re still looking for an easy but productive way to give your door an additional aesthetic, painting your door may just be the task for you. Here are some ways to make your home paint job look like it was done by a professional.
You might also want to check out: How to restore your old wood door
Choosing the right paint
One of the most important components of a professional home paint job is using the appropriate paint for your door. This will ensure that the paint will not only look and feel good but will also last long. The two critical points in choosing your paint would be (1) quality and (2) base.
- Quality. It goes without saying that quality paint can produce the best results. When choosing paint, people often choose ones with high coverage, however, even cheap paint can have the same coverage as high-quality ones. What we actually want to look for is the resin content. In cheaper paint, they often use chalk to compensate for coverage. This makes the necessary paint application thinner but still having a lot more coverage. Resin gives paint its durability and so it is better to choose paints with high-resin and low-chalk content for the right balance.
- Base. There are mainly two types of paint: oil-based and water-based. Oil-based paints have the typical strong smell of paint. Although oil-based is more durable than water-based paints, it is bound to yellow over time. Water-based paints dry much faster without the odour, and will not discolour over time.
It is also important to warm up the paint before applying. Cooler paints tend to have a more gelatinous feel and may be difficult to apply. Warmer paint can be silky and give you a smoother finish. Paint shops usually have a spinner that will warm the paint up for you, but if it is not available for you, you can just submerge the whole container in a hot water bath, stirring the paint afterwards to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed.
Choosing the right brush
Another important component to consider is your paintbrush. Some firmer brushes can leave trails of brush marks over the paint job and will not give you a good finish. Avoid using black bristle paintbrushes as these are inferior and may leave marks on your paint job. Instead, choose high-quality synthetic brushes for your task to make sure that it levels out.
Other important considerations
You should also consider the surface you are painting on. If you are dealing with unfinished wood or slippery surfaces, you may want to use a primer to make sure the paint sticks well. If your surface is in another colour, you may consider applying an undercoat to make sure that the best and even colour is achieved throughout the surface.
You might also be interested in: Full restoration of old sash windows you can do in your own home
Pieter Boyce
Wooden Window and Door Specialist
This article was written on behalf of The Wooden Door Company by Pieter Boyce. Pieter has an intense passion for English Architectural history and has been specialising in the conservation of original wooden windows and doors for decades. His exceptional knowledge of timber windows and doors, both listed or non-listed, is attributed to his hands-on approach to learning all aspects of the complete restoration of original features as well as having personally surveyed thousands of items throughout his long tenure as a head surveyor for one of the largest window and door restoration companies in the UK. He now runs a boutique wooden window and door consultancy and fervently champions the retention of original windows and doors. To learn more of Pieter’s services, visit his website at www.boultonboyce.co.uk.