# Exterior door repaint



## atlas (Jun 14, 2011)

I get a lot of request from home owners to repair and repaint weather damaged front doors. I want to start doing this, but I want to do it right. My question is 
is it really necessary to strip off all the old paint? Should I put a protective coating over the finished job? If a customer wants flat finish is the a way to make it last longer? How about a temporary door? 
Thanks


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

Painting or Stain?


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

OK. Im going to try and answer you phucked up post. 
considering the substrate, the more gloss you have, the more protection it has. meaning flat finishes will fall off faster. it is not necessary to strip off all the old paint, as long as it has a tight adhesion. of course you would want to sand it. howecer as far as painting is conserned, stripping is not necessary. And I have no idea what your talking about a temporary door as it is best to refinish the door where it hangs


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

ewingpainting.net said:


> OK. Im going to try and answer you phucked up post.
> considering the substrate, the more gloss you have, the more protection it has. meaning flat finishes will fall off faster. it is not necessary to strip off all the old paint, as long as it has a tight adhesion. of course you would want to sand it. howecer as far as painting is conserned, stripping is not necessary. And I have no idea what your talking about a temporary door as it is best to refinish the door where it hangs


All good stuff.

I would add try not to use oil paints. Ask Bill about that one.


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## 4ThGeneration (Apr 17, 2007)

atlas said:


> I get a lot of request from home owners to repair and repaint weather damaged front doors. I want to start doing this, but I want to do it right. My question is
> is it really necessary to strip off all the old paint? Should I put a protective coating over the finished job? If a customer wants flat finish is the a way to make it last longer? How about a temporary door?
> Thanks


All I can say is...wow and not shamwow! 

I get a lot of request from home owners to repair and repaint weather damaged front doors. You say you get alot of request from home owners, but what type of work do you do?

 I want to start doing this, but I want to do it right.
You have never performed this task before, but you think getting info from this board will give you enough knowledge to take on this task and you will just learn off the cuff at the expense of the Home Owners?

is it really necessary to strip off all the old paint?
Not unless it is peeling or bubbling off.

Should I put a protective coating over the finished job?
What would be the purpose of applying a protective coating over the finished product? This is not a stained door is it? You said repaint indicating it is painted already, but a finished paint product on a door does not need a protective coating applied to it.

If a customer wants flat finish is the a way to make it last longer?
Not on this side of Gods Heaven. Your are the "Painter" so its your job to educate the home owner. Never apply a flat finish to any trim work. You actually had to ask this?


How about a temporary door?
So now your a door hanger also? Why would a homeowner install a "Temporary" door in the first place? On new construction I have seen this, but it is only until their ordered doors come in.

Thanks
At least you are polite if not upfront with who you are. I have no problem with home owners coming on over for advise even though they have a DIY forum for them, but your coming off as if you are a painter, but the questions you presented to us seems something that a helper on the job for a few weeks would know the answer to. If you do not want to pay a professional to do the work, thats fine. I hope some of these answers helped you some Mr.Home owner.

No disrespect meant in advance if you think this is a smack against you.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

I can't help but think the OP meant stain.


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## billy the kid (Jan 22, 2011)

:no::blink::notworthy:


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## atlas (Jun 14, 2011)

*Door repaint.*

Well I did not expect so much grumpy attitude from people who are supposed to be professionals. Well, first off what I meant by a temporary door is I work alone and it is much easier for me to take door off. Also it is easier to work on. So I sometimes have to cover the area with plastic. About the coating, the customer I am working for now (A builder )suggested that might increase the durability. 
Sounded plausible to me. I work in a very affluent area, I don't know what housing projects some of you work on but my customers are very anal and they tend to be older which makes them set in there ways. I am not sure why I am even wasting my time to explain. Any way thanks for your phucked up support it meant so much.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

atlas said:


> Well I did not expect so much grumpy attitude from people who are supposed to be professionals. Well, first off what I meant by a temporary door is I work alone and it is much easier for me to take door off. Also it is easier to work on. So I sometimes have to cover the area with plastic. About the coating, the customer I am working for now (A builder )suggested that might increase the durability.
> Sounded plausible to me. I work in a very affluent area, I don't know what housing projects some of you work on but my customers are very anal and they tend to be older which makes them set in there ways. I am not sure why I am even wasting my time to explain. Any way thanks for your phucked up support it meant so much.


Before you write us off, lets sit back in that chair and breath nice long breathes. ........Ok?, good. Now, please listen. Your response is very much like many that post on here with very general and vague questions. Stick around, you will notice too! Do you realize that you are asking very basic questions concerning door refinishing? Of course you do. 
Things you said in your OP shed light on your experience and background, or lack of them. The whole "flat" paint thing. 

If I may be so bold, I would guess you have minimal painting experience. This is not bad, unless of course you paint unsupervised. Its like leaving a child around a shop with dangerous saws and such by itself. Not a good idea. 

Before you jet off or stew about the aholes here all day (please don't ruin your day about something you saw on the internet, although I saw a video about turdburgers last night and was hard to get a goodnight sleep) could you please explain what your background is and what you were hoping to gain from this post? 

I want to learn more about you and your business. How do you get these jobs from these rich old people? Do you charge by the hour?

Anyways, please don't judge us too harshly. I ask for your patience and understanding. We don't always deliver for new people. Please stick around if you didn't already delete your account. 

Read the forums. Learn how the pros do it!:thumbsup:


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

Atlas, no need to take offense, it's frustrating trying to answer questions like that without more detail, I think you got some pretty good answers.


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## Andyman (Feb 21, 2009)

I take pride in my front doors. 
Here is my quick process for a painted door. Take the door off the hinges. Plastic off the opening if there is not a storm door. Put door on sawhorses, remove hardware, scuff sand, dust off, mask off. ProShot 2 coats of All Surface Enamel H20. Hang door. I have also been selling painting the storm door to match the front door. It's been a big hit.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

Andyman said:


> I take pride in my front doors.
> Here is my quick process for a painted door. Take the door off the hinges. Plastic off the opening if there is not a storm door. Put door on sawhorses, remove hardware, scuff sand, dust off, mask off. ProShot 2 coats of All Surface Enamel H20. Hang door. I have also been selling painting the storm door to match the front door. It's been a big hit.


How longs this take, from taking the door off to rehanging the door? I'm assuming you have to let the coats dry before rehanging. Do you do both sides or just the outside?


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## Paradigmzz (May 5, 2010)

Andyman said:


> I take pride in my front doors.
> Here is my quick process for a painted door. Take the door off the hinges. Plastic off the opening if there is not a storm door. Put door on sawhorses, remove hardware, scuff sand, dust off, mask off. ProShot 2 coats of All Surface Enamel H20. Hang door. I have also been selling painting the storm door to match the front door. It's been a big hit.



I hate All Surface Enamel. Takes forever to get hard. The weatherstripping sticks to it. Try Solo. A bit harder and the same pricepoint. 

P.S. Its hard to use a proshot on flat surfaces.


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## billy the kid (Jan 22, 2011)

i see the benefits of taking a door off to prep and paint,no masking,easy to work with but i m a fan of taking the weather stripping out,hardware off and masking,i really dont like the idea of handling freshly painted mill work, this could be a whole new topic,but we all have are own ways from experience and the end results are what matters....


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Atlas coatings out of KC?
:whistling2:


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## Andyman (Feb 21, 2009)

TJ Paint said:


> How longs this take, from taking the door off to rehanging the door? I'm assuming you have to let the coats dry before rehanging. Do you do both sides or just the outside?


Just did one today.
About half a day. I let the first coat dry fully to the touch then recoat (yes- I know it say 4 hrs recoat time). After the second coat, I let it dry as long as I have other work to do before I'm ready to leave (2hrs min). Sometimes after the second coat dries to the touch I set it in the sun to 'bake'. I only do the exterior side.


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## Andyman (Feb 21, 2009)

Paradigmzz said:


> I hate All Surface Enamel. Takes forever to get hard. The weatherstripping sticks to it. Try Solo. A bit harder and the same pricepoint.
> 
> P.S. Its hard to use a proshot on flat surfaces.


I tell the HO to leave the door cracked till they go to bed and then shut it fully. I haven't had any issues with it sticking but I know what your saying. My SW manager is wanting me to try Solo but haven't yet. Does it hold up to outside weathering if there is not a storm door? 
I've actually have been using the straight tube for my Shot and it has been working better than the angled forward one for horizontal shooting. I just always make sure it is full before I spray.


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## Andyman (Feb 21, 2009)

billy the kid said:


> i see the benefits of taking a door off to prep and paint,no masking,easy to work with but i m a fan of taking the weather stripping out,hardware off and masking,i really dont like the idea of handling freshly painted mill work, this could be a whole new topic,but we all have are own ways from experience and the end results are what matters....


I don't paint the lock side since it should be interior side color. I do spray the hinge side exterior color. After the door dries well to the touch, I carry it by the lock side and grip the hinge side right in the hinge slot so if I do mar it up, the actual hinge will cover it. It's a two man rehang operation for me.


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## Rob (Aug 9, 2009)

Doing 104 of these this week, in oil. fun
No way am i going to take each one off. Getting the jambs done first.


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## sagebrush123 (Mar 11, 2011)

...............I gotta a great laugh in with the question about what housing projects we work in..............

and Rob?

do you paint the doors shut or do you have to round up all the homeowners/renters and correlate the day for them to be home and you to be there to paint the doors? 

104 in oil...in a week..that is about twenty a day...:notworthy:


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## Paint and Hammer (Feb 26, 2008)

87 year old door. 

Duration. (not a good choice....still sticky to the threshold) Liquid Mask and Proshot

Not perfect, but much better than before. 


Time: 3 hours (total, not consecutively)


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## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

Sev used to just spray them in place with rattle cans. :thumbsup:


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## Paint and Hammer (Feb 26, 2008)

NEPS.US said:


> Sev used to just spray them in place with rattle cans. :thumbsup:



Ya, I don't know what the he11 I'm doing....what's his number??


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## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

Paint and Hammer said:


> Ya, I don't know what the he11 I'm doing....what's his number??


Severson Painting

Look for his threads. He had a sweet Martini Olive avatar and used have a wealth of knowledge. 

Severson
Klaw 
Mich11


Hall of Fame

Cant wait for the next one.


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## Paint and Hammer (Feb 26, 2008)

NEPS.US said:


> Severson Painting
> 
> Look for his threads. He had a sweet Martini Olive avatar and used have a wealth of knowledge.
> 
> ...



Ya...we're due.

Mods keep kicking all the knowledgable ones out of here.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

Rob said:


> Doing 104 of these this week, in oil. fun
> No way am i going to take each one off. Getting the jambs done first.


Why Oil?


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## Rob (Aug 9, 2009)

sagebrush123 said:


> ...............I gotta a great laugh in with the question about what housing projects we work in..............
> 
> and Rob?
> 
> ...


The guys got all the jambs last week, 2 days to get the bulk of the doors painted this week, have 2 4 hour windows scheduled on Friday and Saturday to have access to all, just to hit the edge. It is up to the HOA to make sure we have access. 



TJ Paint said:


> Why Oil?


It is what they wanted.


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## 4ThGeneration (Apr 17, 2007)

Once when we were on a repaint that had 75 doors in excess and before they had the liquid mask to spray on windows we shot all the doors with the BM impervex windows and all. When they dried we wet down the window paints, scored the edges and peeled off the paint on the windows in sheets. It worked fantastic. Got the idea from a house cleaning gal. She said we did excellent work, but the other spray jockeys were slop artists and she always said she wished they would spray the entire window instead of getting mist on them....gave me the idea...


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