Doors & Frames

Remove door handles and accessories and wedge the door open so that it does not move around when you are working on it.

Essential tools and preparation advice

Rub down to remove any sheen and scrape off any loose flaking paint. If it is a glazed door, then treat the glazed section as if painting a window, then the rest of the door.

Prepare the frame and architrave at the same time. Any open joints, splits in the grain or general surface imperfections will need to be repaired with the appropriate filler.

Painting advice

Always paint in the direction of the grain to prevent streaks and finish each vertical panel with an upward stroke to prevent visible brush marks.

When painting panel doors always paint the mouldings first, then the inner panels. Next, paint the central vertical panel (mutin) and then the horizontal panels (cross rails) top, middle and bottom. Now paint the outer vertical panels (stiles) and lastly paint the edges of the door. Paint the edge nearest the door handle last, this will allow you to open and close it while working. Open the door and wedge on the non-painted side until dry.

Flush doors are painted in sections making sure you keep a wet edge, in other words don't let one section dry before it is joined to the next. The best way to paint flush doors is to divide it up into ten imaginary squares, start at the top of the door nearest the hinge, then move onto the next square at the top of the door. Blend the two areas together using horizontal strokes and then light vertical strokes, continue down the door square by square blending in the wet edges, make sure you complete the whole door in one go, otherwise a join between squares will be seen. If both sides of the door are going to be different colours, paint the edge of the door the same colour as the outside of the door. When you have finished painting the window/door, then carry on and paint the frame/architrave. You should have prepared the frame/architrave (sanded down etc.) at the same time as preparing the window/door.

Please note: The important thing to remember when applying solvent-based paints such as undercoat, gloss, and eggshell to larger areas like doors is to apply the paint evenly in small workable areas at a time, working systematically. Brush the paint in all directions first to ensure that it is even, then brush from left to right, called "cross brushing"; this ensures that all the brush marks are going the same way. Next, gently pull the brush through the paint from the bottom to the top (don't add any more paint to the brush for these 2 stages). This is called "Laying off" and it just softens out the brush marks giving a really professional looking finish that will not run because you have ensured that the paint has been evenly applied.