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How to paint new solid doors?

Hi everyone

my new internal doors have arrived. I wanted solid doors for better soundproofing but now I’m worried. They are soooo heavy. 2 men struggled to bring them up to my flat. My carpenter had said that he would take them off hinges after he installs them so that I can paint them. But 1- I will never be able to put them back on the hinges or even turn them around , 2- I’m even worried they’re going to be too heavy for my carpenter to manage during install. They are sooooo heavy.
So my question is about painting the doors. How will I paint the underneath of the door if I don’t have the door taken off hinges after install. What about painting the areas under the hinges? Those areas need to be sealed properly too don’t they? I was thinking of painting before install but I think carpenter might trim the bottom of doors during install, so maybe waste of time?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thank you

(omg the doors are so heavy!)

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Comments

EricL

Hello @maro

Once your door has been installed by the carpenter and he then takes it off for you to paint, I suggest sourcing some help from friends and family to help lift the door back into position. The goal is to be able to get some help with the re-installation of the door. In regards to painting the door, the general steps are fairly straightforward. Sand the surface of the door in order to get a good finish, I suggest using 240grit sandpaper to get a smooth surface. I recommend using a UNi-PRO Cork Sanding Block to get a level surface.

Clean the surface of sanding dust by wiping it with a clean cloth or using a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush head attachment. Mask off any glass sections of the door (if any) to prevent overpainting. Once the door is prepared you can then paint it with the primer and top coat. My best advice is to make sure to give each coat enough time to cure properly before painting on the next layer.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to Paint a Front Door: The perfect tutorial for beginners

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

maro

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/60492#Comment_60492

Hi Eric

thanks so much for your reply and the advice

are there no workarounds for painting while à door is hung? It’s going to be tricky for me to source help when I need it as this will be done over the Xmas period. Even with help I think it will be tricky as the doors are at least 50kg each,
thank you

maria

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/92723#Comment_92723

Hello @maro (maria)

If no help is available, the door can be left hanging and painted in place. The only drawback of course is that the bottom of the door will not get painted. However, should the opportunity present itself sometime in the future and you happen to have friends over that can lift the door then you can ask them for help, and you can paint the bottom of the door. No doubt it will be tricky to lift the door as it is very heavy.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

maro

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/112506#Comment_112506

Thank you for your suggestions.
it’s important that the bottom is painted because it’s a raw solid mdf and wood door. Especially the one in the bathroom is likely to absorb moisture.

im thinking of priming the bottom edge of each door before they get fitted and hung so they’re already primed and sealed. And hopefully the fitters can just trim the top edge if trimming is necessary (and hopefully my floors aren’t too crooked).
which primer is best for sealing raw bathroom doors? Is zinsser bin good for this purpise?
do you think my solution makes sense?

maro

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/123791#Comment_123791

Just an update - the door fitter has offered to paint the bottom edge of the Door for me, after trimming and before hanging. Thanks!

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/131239#Comment_131239

Hello @maro

Thank you for the update, that is great news. You can now be confident that the door can be painted even if it is not removed from the frame.

Eric

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