The common type of exterior doors used in most homes across the country is the wooden type. Many use wood because it can easily be turned into a decorative piece in the house. However, steel doors are also becoming popular since these types can offer superior security and function as well.
Unfortunately, many people think that a steel door does not look very attractive and there are limited things that you can do with it in terms of design. To add spice to this type of door, the easiest thing to do is to paint it. Painting a steel door is different from painting a wooden one mainly because of the material and how it reacts with the paint. Here are some tips on how to successfully do the painting.
- Prepare your steel door for the painting process. Remove all accessories like the knobs and clean them separately. With the use of rags, wipe the door using soapy water. Make sure all large debris and dirt will be removed. Let the steel door dry before moving on to the next step.
- If your steel door has windows or some portions that you do not want to be painted, you can line them with masking tape and place a covering like pieces of newspapers to prevent the paint from getting there. You can also lay a big piece of cloth to the surface where you will be painting the door to protect the floor. Also line the door frame with masking tape if you plan to paint the door without unhinging it.
- With the use of sandpaper, sand the door carefully to have a smooth surface. The sanding has to be done evenly. A metal primer must be painted over the newly sanded surface using a paintbrush.
- Once the metal primer has dried, you may now begin painting the door with latex paint, which works best in metal and steel doors. To have an even coat, you can use a roller paintbrush.
- Use a smaller brush to those hard to reach areas.
- Allow the latex to dry and add another coat to the entry doors. Let it dry again before putting back the door knobs and accessories. Remove all masking tapes to see if the paint hasn’t penetrated those areas.
