painting new solid doors

[maro]

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!)  

[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]

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]

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