# Masking door hinges



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

OK guy's, When I'm going to spray the doors-with them in place, I usually mask the flat part of the hinge and use a utility knife to trim around the plate. I add masking to the barrel on the inside and outside of the door.
My only problem with masking this part is, sometimes with repeated openings the tape on the barrel part get loose.
How do you guy's tape these? Have you found a way to keep tape on them?


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## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

I use differnt hinges, and paint right over them, and when Im finished I put the originals back on.


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

No mater what you do, it SUCKS, there is no easy way. Just go to suck it up. it's ether mask and clean, or remove and replace. I don't care which way and let my guys do what they would prefer. Do you want to play with tape or this COOL expensive drill.


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## tedrin (Oct 22, 2008)

Some painters like those hinge magnets....I've never tried them...I rarely take out the sprayer indoors on repaints...Most of my jobs have furniture in the house,so you'd have to spend all day covering everything up...


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

the way I do it is fine, but you have to be care witht the tape. To bad they don't make something that will slide over the barrel part and be flexable.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

I'm wondering about some kind of rubber you could just slip over the barrel part


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## tedrin (Oct 22, 2008)

johnpaint said:


> the way I do it is fine, but you have to be care witht the tape. To bad they don't make something that will slide over the barrel part and be flexable.


 
They do.....Like I said above,try out the 'hinge magnets"

http://www.hingemag.com/


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Was that a old guy deal John? Is that what I have to look forward to? Ha Ha JK my friend


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

I swap them out for some spray hinges.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

ewingpainting.net said:


> Was that a old guy deal John? Is that what I have to look forward to? Ha Ha JK my friend


That's one of those; that's what she said things.Right Mist?


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## aaron61 (Apr 29, 2007)

We just tell the HO that we wont be charging extra for finally getting those hinges painted for em!


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

We use the hingemags all the time, they work great.


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

I have all ways looked at those and thought gimic. Now I will try


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## KLaw (May 8, 2009)

Post a pic. Thanks.


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

They are the same ones from the site listed earlier, I think some Sherwin Williams stores carry them.
Here are some of them, we have about 300. 
The next project we will use them on.


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## SDpaint (Aug 5, 2009)

I put regular masking tape on the flat parts, then use duct tape on the barrels, those magnets look pretty cool might have to try some out


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## jack pauhl (Nov 10, 2008)

John. I'll be doing that in the morning. I'll take pics for you.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

johnpaint said:


> I'm wondering about some kind of rubber you could just slip over the barrel part


 
One of these?


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## paintslinger (Jul 29, 2008)

rub oil on the inside and outside of the barrel before taping this will prevent the tape from binding up in the barrel Also you can turn a piece of tape backwards on the inside of the barrel


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Aaaah, just coat em with vaseline prior to spraying. And wipe 'em clean after. 


Think I'm kidding?


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## Mantis (Aug 4, 2008)

the only time i spray doors on the hinge is if they are 8' solid core 200lbs slabs of OMFG THIS IS HEAVY. 

we almost always remove the door. How else are you going to coat the bottoms? Mini roller? you know you arent going to do that, who are you kidding? We swap hinges with those big mamas. At any rate, I hate them.... a lot.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

Mantis said:


> the only time i spray doors on the hinge is if they are 8' solid core 200lbs slabs of OMFG THIS IS HEAVY.
> 
> we almost always remove the door. How else are you going to coat the bottoms? Mini roller? you know you arent going to do that, who are you kidding? We swap hinges with those big mamas. At any rate, I hate them.... a lot.


Same here. The only doors that we seal the top and bottom by hand on are exterior entry doors (if there is not a temp. door available) or if the interior doors are stained, since spraying the top and bottom will mess up the stain application on the rest of the door. I do the doors with the door cleats/brackets on the top corners and seal the top and bottom for paint doors before they get set up with the cleats.


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## michfan (Jul 6, 2008)

We used to always tape hinges years ago. Now almost without exception, we remove the doors and spray them in one room in the house. It makes it easier for painting the rest of the house too. Caulking, puttying, priming, and painting those casings is easier and faster with no doors to mess with. Not that this is the "proper" way or "right" way. Just our way. :whistling2:


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## Capt-sheetrock (Feb 10, 2008)

daArch said:


> Aaaah, just coat em with vaseline prior to spraying. And wipe 'em clean after.
> 
> 
> Think I'm kidding?


Arch, these guys are still young enough that they keep their vasoline on the bedstand, they haven't replaced it with poly-grip yet,,, give em time


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

I know one thing the guys complained about when they used to take off the hinges was stripping out screws. Rob sprays the tops of doors and uses a weenie roller to get the bottom. They pop the hinges to take door off and move to the garage to spray walls.
Like Michfan said
"Not that this is the "proper" way or "right" way. Just our way. :whistling2:"


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## Capt-sheetrock (Feb 10, 2008)

RCP said:


> I know one thing the guys complained about when they used to take off the hinges was stripping out screws. Rob sprays the tops of doors and uses a weenie roller to get the bottom. They pop the hinges to take door off and move to the garage to spray walls.
> Like Michfan said
> "Not that this is the "proper" way or "right" way. Just our way. :whistling2:"


If you keep some cheap door shims, you can pick a splinter off em real easy (or even the big round toothpicks, in your spare hinge bucket) you can fix them stripped screw holes real easy, just shove em in and start screwing,, (gee sounds like another Arch comment, huh)


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

just shove em in and start screwing,, 

and I thought this was a G rated site


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## zx-6 (Aug 18, 2008)

Would some kind person show me a close up of the finished doors using the hinge magnet? Sounds like a great product, i havent seen it in Australia maybe right up my alley.Thanks


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## sickytwisted (Jul 21, 2009)

daArch said:


> Aaaah, just coat em with vaseline prior to spraying. And wipe 'em clean after.
> 
> 
> Think I'm kidding?


Weren't you?


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

zx-6 said:


> Would some kind person show me a close up of the finished doors using the hinge magnet? Sounds like a great product, i havent seen it in Australia maybe right up my alley.Thanks


This is the best I have. It is just a way to keep the paint off the hinges.


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## upnorthmn (Jun 14, 2009)

We are lucky up here, none of our doors get painted. Wipe the stain off the hinges and shoot clear lacquer over everything:thumbup:


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## michfan (Jul 6, 2008)

Ditto on that process. If its stain, no need to remove those hinges at all!


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

Rob has seen Alder doors that warped where not sealed, he takes hinges off and stains/seals every part of the door, even knob hole.
A GC told him the not doing it will void warranty.


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## jack pauhl (Nov 10, 2008)

Ill make a blog post for details but here are the photos to give you a general idea how i do it.




























Here is after opening and closing










and the otherside is done the same. Sort of a pocket type closure.










Just use a breakaway blade and clean it up. I only do this on entry doors. Any more than 3 doors I take them off.


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

RCP said:


> Rob has seen Alder doors that warped where not sealed, he takes hinges off and stains/seals every part of the door, even knob hole.
> A GC told him the not doing it will void warranty.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Capt-sheetrock said:


> If you keep some cheap door shims, you can pick a splinter off em real easy (or even the big round toothpicks, in your spare hinge bucket) you can fix them stripped screw holes real easy, just shove em in and start screwing,, (gee sounds like another Arch comment, huh)


What??????????????


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

johnpaint said:


> What??????????????


 Sometimes you can strip the screw hole out. By placing a tooth pic in will give your screw something to grab on to.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

JP that is the best thing I have seen post ever. I'm going to try that.


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## jack pauhl (Nov 10, 2008)

johnpaint said:


> JP that is the best thing I have seen post ever. I'm going to try that.


John, try it. Might need to experiment but you get the idea. Not all hinges are the same. I use 2" tape for entry doors with built in spring closers because they are so fat, otherwise I use 1 1/2" high tack like a 3M 2020 or similar. The idea is to keep the hinge free to rotate. Simple and effective. 

Most likely will take longer to do this the first few times but I can do a door in no time really after doing it this way so often.

Closer up pics:


















In this last pic I like to keep the tape long and in blade-like form so the tape does not interfere with shooting the doors in the hinge area. Also the extra length makes tape removal easy.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

paintslinger said:


> rub oil on the inside and outside of the barrel before taping this will prevent the tape from binding up in the barrel Also you can turn a piece of tape backwards on the inside of the barrel





daArch said:


> Aaaah, just coat em with vaseline prior to spraying. And wipe 'em clean after.


These things will work, but having anything greasy near the trim is a potential liability.

it would have to be brushed on surgically, then, it would be hard to remove it cleanly without smudging it onto the finished surface. 

I don't even like to eat smoked salmon when I am prepping or painting trim.

Sometimes even pulling the hinge pins out you get grease on your hands that can transfer to doors when moving them around and make the paint fish eye where you touch them.

All of the methods mentioned in this thread for masking / removal and replacement will work well, and some will work better than others depending on the situation.


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

We were at one of the jobsites today and I made a quick vid with my phone. Stupid me held the phone the wrong way, I need to edit this.
This house has 37 eight foot tall doors!


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Thnaks Rob and Rcp


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## zx-6 (Aug 18, 2008)

Thanks RCP and Jack Pauhl very kind of you to go to all the trouble.


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

It's okay Chris...I just laid the monitor on its side:blink:. (Think I'll ask the wife for a flat panel lcd monitor for christmas....this old 21" tube one is heavy.)


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## premierpainter (Apr 17, 2007)

Tape the edges of the door over the hinges quickly. Spray the door as you would normally and then brush and roll the edges. When we spray the edges of the door, we find the coverage to be far thinner anyway. We have tried the plastic hinge covers from SW and they work well too


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## JNLP (Dec 13, 2007)

RCP said:


> We were at one of the jobsites today and I made a quick vid with my phone. Stupid me held the phone the wrong way, I need to edit this.
> This house has 37 eight foot tall doors!


Been going back & forth if I want to purchace these for a while now. SOLD! :thumbup:


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Yeah, sounds good but it looks like there is a chance for paint to work it's way under. Is that a problem?


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## Rob (Aug 9, 2009)

Once in a while if you didnt get the hinge mag lined up, easy to clean.
I spray 2 coats primer, 2 coats finish on each door, all sides so having it hang helps.


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## Rob (Aug 9, 2009)

let em dry before you remove, stack them flat and put them in a plastic box. my helper cleans them while he is tending my pot when I spray, the paint peels right off.


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## MonPeintre.ca (Feb 17, 2011)

Anyone found hinge magnet in Canada? Are they available at SW???


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## Xmark (Apr 15, 2012)

MonPeintre.ca said:


> Anyone found hinge magnet in Canada? Are they available at SW???


be careful,they have different size hinges in the US. those hingemags don't fit most of our canadian hinges.


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## woodcoyote (Dec 30, 2012)

nah nah, we don't play around with the hinges and tape stuff. If you have to spray in place that's one issue, the butterfly cover/magnet thing is good, but take the door off and use the type we get all the time. I buy 30, 40 at a time to do all the doors in the house in 1 shot. 

I'll post pics of them tomorrow morning, cold outside and I don't feel like digging in the truck in the dark. Pics to come tomorrow, these things are lifesavers, save you all some time and money.


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## MonPeintre.ca (Feb 17, 2011)

Xmark said:


> be careful,they have different size hinges in the US. those hingemags don't fit most of our canadian hinges.


Didn't find any today at SW


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## jimmyoverspray (Feb 3, 2012)

Took over a job once where another painter(bonehead) got canned for rubbing Vaseline on expensive hinges and tried whipping them after spraying. What a complete doorknob.


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## propainterJ (Jan 31, 2011)

I just tape them up with 2" tape

When they move the tape does get boogerd up,some paint gets on the hinge,then I use goof off.

Thats if I have to leave the door hung

I will bend over backwards to take the door off and either tape the hinges that way,or remove/replace.

Screws dont get stripped when you use the proper bit.


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## oz_painter (Aug 18, 2012)

jimmyoverspray said:


> Took over a job once where another painter(bonehead) got canned for rubbing Vaseline on expensive hinges and tried whipping them after spraying. What a complete doorknob.


we just vaseline the whole hinge, barrel and replace the screws after we've cleaned them. easiest way i have found, taping up is a waste of time as far as im concerned


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

I picked up a bunch of plastic hinge covers at SW, thought it wasn't going to work but they worked great, 1 piece locks on the hinge and bolt , I was impressed, I bought 75 more, I used to change the hinges but these little things save so much time, they cost around a buck each, I will take a picture and post them this afternoon.


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## Xmark (Apr 15, 2012)

cdpainting said:


> I picked up a bunch of plastic hinge covers at SW, thought it wasn't going to work but they worked great, 1 piece locks on the hinge and bolt , I was impressed, I bought 75 more, I used to change the hinges but these little things save so much time, they cost around a buck each, I will take a picture and post them this afternoon.


i saw them the other day and thought they were just cheap knockoffs of the magnet type. i thought it was a dyi tool. my bad,i'll have to try them out.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Xmark said:


> i saw them the other day and thought they were just cheap knockoffs of the magnet type. i thought it was a dyi tool. my bad,i'll have to try them out.



That's what I thought as well, my SW store gve me 12 to try and I was impressed so I bought a bunch more. I tried to upload a picture but for some reason I am still having issues uploading. I will try my phone see if that will upload.


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## lebeaupainting (Apr 23, 2012)

cdpainting said:


> That's what I thought as well, my SW store gve me 12 to try and I was impressed so I bought a bunch more. I tried to upload a picture but for some reason I am still having issues uploading. I will try my phone see if that will upload.


We've been using hinge mask for about 10 years now and it really does work, saves us hours each home. They're a well kept secret it seems.


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## ExcelPaintingCo (Apr 16, 2011)

So does everyone who uses these leave open gaps in your caulk lines behind the hinges on the door casings?

Seems like some good old hackery to me.


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## lebeaupainting (Apr 23, 2012)

ExcelPaintingCo said:


> So does everyone who uses these leave open gaps in your caulk lines behind the hinges on the door casings?
> 
> Seems like some good old hackery to me.


We leave the gap un-caulked, it can be a tight fit sometimes on the door frame, not on the door hinges though. For us we mostly spray the doors and brush the frames, when the job is right we spray the frames too though.


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## ExcelPaintingCo (Apr 16, 2011)

Here is how I do it:


1. Set up saw horses.
2. Carefully remove hinge pins from hinges and place door flat on saw horses without letting the bottom touch the floor and blow out an edge.
3. Cut two small shoes and attach to bottom edge of door.
4. Remove all remaining hinges and hardware from door and jamb.
5. Prep and paint door/jamb/casing.
6. Reattach hinges and hardware.
7. Remove shoes and rehang door with hinge pins.
8. Bask in the satisfaction of knowing I did the job to the best of my abilities.

Edit: I was going to go a lot more in depth into all of steps, but lost interest at #5.


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## lebeaupainting (Apr 23, 2012)

ExcelPaintingCo said:


> Here is how I do it:
> 
> 
> 1. Set up saw horses.
> ...


Just curious, are you spraying your doors or brushing, couldn't quite tell from your post. Are you mostly repaint?


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## lebeaupainting (Apr 23, 2012)

woodcoyote said:


> nah nah, we don't play around with the hinges and tape stuff. If you have to spray in place that's one issue, the butterfly cover/magnet thing is good, but take the door off and use the type we get all the time. I buy 30, 40 at a time to do all the doors in the house in 1 shot.
> 
> I'll post pics of them tomorrow morning, cold outside and I don't feel like digging in the truck in the dark. Pics to come tomorrow, these things are lifesavers, save you all some time and money.


Just looking through the thread and was wondering what the product you are using? I guess you never got around to uploading the picture.


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## ExcelPaintingCo (Apr 16, 2011)

lebeaupainting said:


> Just curious, are you spraying your doors or brushing, couldn't quite tell from your post. Are you mostly repaint?


Mostly spray, some repaint or New construction/remodels, for demanding, high-maintenance HOs and GCs.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

I've expiremented with covering/taping hinges. I prefer to take the hinges completely off in most cases. Certainly with hollow core doors. Heavy wood doors, I might consider leaving them up, probably not even then. 

Same with strike plates on casings. New or repaint I take them off and paint inside the holes. 

A lot of people like to pull the pins instead of taking the screws out for ease of take down/hanging....(carpet layers :jester: ) but then you still have half a hinge in your way on the door and the casing. You can take these off individually but that's just another step, and more pieces of hardware to deal with. 

Even with 24 screws on a average door, its still faster for me to just take the hinges out of the equation right off the bat, to get the results I'm looking for. 

Hanging by screwing the hinge to the casing isn't so bad once you get the hang of it. I can do hollow cores by myself easy, with a shim or the tip of my shoe.


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## johnthepainter (Apr 1, 2008)

its a miracle some of you get anything done.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

high fibre said:


> its a miracle some of you get anything done.


 
I bet it would be a lot easier just to have the homeowner and some of there buddies take the doors off for you. Then you could just come in and paint

JK


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## johnthepainter (Apr 1, 2008)

nah,,,,thats just some b.s. to get around those stupid lead laws.


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## lebeaupainting (Apr 23, 2012)

Jmayspaint said:


> I've expiremented with covering/taping hinges. I prefer to take the hinges completely off in most cases. Certainly with hollow core doors. Heavy wood doors, I might consider leaving them up, probably not even then.
> 
> Same with strike plates on casings. New or repaint I take them off and paint inside the holes.
> 
> ...


We take the doors off too. But instead of removing the hinges we use Hinge Mask, it saves time and you don't have to worry about the door hinge being damaged or the door not being set right.


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## ejs (Nov 4, 2011)

Circumstances alter the case of course, sometimes for a few doors or on a repaint especially, I take off one hinge, paint, replace hinge. Gives you a chance to clean up the hinge from previous paint efforts if necessary.


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## wanttopaint (Nov 5, 2011)

We painted a condo and never had much of a problem with just masking them. 

Place 2" tape on each side of the hinge.
Put smaller tape on the front of the barrel of hinge. Go to other side of door, pull down the left over small tape so it sticks to back of hinge barrel.
Place small tape on the left and right side of hinge barrel, make both of them meet so both sticky sides are touching eachother. Done.


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