Ever thought that your External Doors needs a fresh look, why not paint an old boring front door and give it that fresh new look which will brighten the whole house up. The job can be completed within a weekend and shouldn’t cost that much.
Things you will need to complete the job.
Screwdriver
Scraper & Filler
Cloth and sugar soap
Medium and fine sandpaper
Paint, good gloss paint will be the most suitable and very hard wearing, you can also look to use a semi gloss or egg shell if you prefer
Paintbrush the better the quality of brush the better finish you will achieve.
A good weather forecast, a good paint will be touch dry in 6-8 hours but you are best to wait 16-24 hours before applying a second coat, so make sure the weather is on your side for a couple of days.
Use a screwdriver to remove the door handles, plates and lock, depending on the age you may wish to have new furniture see http://www.doors-more.co.uk/store/4-door-handle-sets/ for designs.
Scrape any flaking paint and apply filler to any holes.
When the filler has dried, clean the door well with sugar soap.
Use the sandpaper to smooth the surface. If your door is already painted with gloss paint use medium grade sandpaper to flatten of the sheen.
Always paint in the direction of the grain and paint the side closet to the handle last, this will enable you to open and close the door while you work.
Start with the panels, and then paint the rails and stiles, i.e. the parts that are around the panels holding them in place. Paint slowly and take care not to apply to much paint, which is liable to run.
When the first coat is dry, rub down with the fine sandpaper and apply a second coat in the same way.
