Hi there! I’m hoping to get some tips on how to repaint this door. It’s been 26years and the door has had its day. It has wood grain grooves (is that what you call it?) and we’re afraid if we sand and paint that we’ll lose that detail. Truly novice here and know nothing about paint or anything but willing to learn and get all necessary tools and equipments. All our internal doors are the same make and need a new lick of paint and some TLC so if I’m successful, I can try and do all of them (here’s wishing).
Hi @Jills,
It looks like the door likely has an MDF face with timber-look groove detailing.
As long as the existing paint is still well adhered and isn’t peeling or flaking, which it seems to be, there’s no real need to strip it all off or for any excessive sanding. I’d start by cleaning the door with some sugar soap, then giving the surface a light sand with 180-grit sandpaper to remove the gloss and scuff the paint slightly, so the new coating has something to grip onto. As long as you keep the sand light, then you shouldn't remove that timber look.
Once it’s clean and dust-free, you can paint over it with a suitable enamel paint. Just take a little extra care around the grooves so you don’t get too much paint building up in them.
Check out https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/diy-skills/painting/how-to-paint-a-door for some further guidance on the process.
Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Jacob
Thanks Jacob. So with this section with some paint that chipped off along the sides, what’s best to do with that? Like, how much sanding do we need to do to make sure that part won’t flake off in the future? Also forgot to mention that the paint on the side of the door was polished off as it wasn’t closing properly. This and the paint chip is the biggest problem of this door.
That's a pretty simple one to fix thankfully. The paint would have chipped when the door was shaved back, so it should still be fine to paint over it as long as you prep those edges well.
I'd suggest you sand the edges of the paint to smooth the transition from the parts of the door with paint to those that are unpainted. Once you've dulled the edge of the paint, you can spot prime the exposed timber. The primer will help to level the new paint and the old, and is also essential for getting the new paint to stick.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks Jacob. You make it sound too easy 😄
That sounds great. Ok just to make sure, I’ll break it down to steps just so I know I’ve got it right. Please correct and add anything if I missed anything pls 1) Remove door and knobs (we are already changing that as the lock has broken)
2) Wipe clean with sugar soap
3) Lightly sand the entire door with 180grit sandpaper
4) Sand to smooth the edges where paint has chipped off then apply primer only on that surface where paint has chipped (I assume I need to prime the sides also???)
5) Paint with enamel paint (I assume only 1 coat?)
Question to make sure the we don’t overfill the grooves, do we use a brush vs roller? Please suggest product
Once you get stuck in, it is not too hard. You'll be confident in yourself after the first door, trust me.
Your process is perfect, I'd just add to give it a brush, then wipe it down with a lightly dampened cloth after sanding. This will remove any residual sanding dust.
You're correct that you need to prime the door's edge as well. Anywhere there is exposed timber will need some primer. It will also help to get the surface nice and even.
One coat is likely going to be fine on the already painted parts, but you will need a second for coverage on the doors edge. Just apply the one coat to the whole surface, then have a look if you can see any darker colours poking through and if you can, give it another coat like you will with the edge of the door.
I would recommend a combination of a brush and roller for this job. Use a 50mm sash cutter brush for the rebated bits on the face, then use a 4mm microfibre roller for the rest of the door. This https://www.bunnings.com.au/uni-pro-100mm-4mm-nap-little-ripper-microfibre-mini-roller-set_p0022470 is good for the door edges, and a wider version, such as these https://www.bunnings.com.au/uni-pro-trade-160mm-4mm-nap-pro-microfibre-roller-covers-2-pack_p0074103 with a suitable frame is good for the faces.
Let me know if you have any further questions.
