How To Paint Your Doors White - The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need
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White doors are the ideal ‘all-rounder’. Their clean and simple appearance suits all doors from contemporary to classic and will fit in with just about any home. The versatile and welcoming white colour can make a room feel light and airy, even more so when paired with a glazed door option.
Whether you have brand new doors or existing doors and are looking to update your home and give it a refresh, we’ve got all you need to know about why and how to paint your doors white.
The Strange History of Painted Doors
Over the centuries, doors have evolved from cloth and metal to the now popular laminated and wooden designs. Even the ancient Egyptians were at it - inventing some of the first doors over 4000 years ago.
Springing forward several millennia, in Georgian times home owners began painting their wooden front doors in dark and bold colours to contrast with their external brickwork. This evolved further in the Victorian era when doors were waxed or painted in a wider range of dark colours such as olive green or deep red. Edwardians introduced muted shades of beige, grey and cream. Throughout these eras the internal doors remained wooden or painted in a lighter tone of cream or white.
Brightly coloured doors also have an interesting past. For example, red doors in Scotland are said to be painted that colour once a mortgage is paid off to represent that the owners are ‘out of the red’. When Queen Victoria’s reign ended, the Irish were told to paint their doors black as a sign of mourning and respect. As Queen Victoria was also known to them as the ‘famine queen’, they rebelled and painted their front doors bright colours, a tradition that can still be seen in parts of Ireland today.
Looking for period doors? Why not browse our extensive collection of Georgian, Victorian and 1920’s & 1930’s style doors - perfect to enhance or introduce period features in your home.
Why Painting Your Internal Doors White Will Do Your Interior Design Wonders
Interior designers will opt for white doors to ground bold and vibrant colours within the room. Bright colours and patterns in your interior design can keep centre stage with a peaceful and neutral white door.
Alternatively, if you have white walls or neutral decor, white doors can open up a room and give it the illusion of being even bigger and brighter.
Occasionally, you’ll notice some white doors have yellowed over time. This is easily avoided with regular cleaning and, more importantly, a good quality white paint. It’s amazing what a difference a fresh coat of white paint on your doors can make to the look of a room!
If you’ve just bought unfinished doors or are looking to freshen up your existing doors, here is a handy guide on how to paint your internal doors white:
What Type of Paint Is Best For a Professional Finish?
As we mentioned before, a good quality paint prevents premature yellowing and will better endure knocks and scratches. You’ll find retail paint is much cheaper but you pay for what you get, so we’d always recommend getting trade paint. Over time this will work out cheaper as you won’t need to repaint as often, also saving you precious time.
There are three main types of paint to choose from for internal doors: eggshell, satin and gloss.
Eggshell
Out of the three paints, eggshell will give you a beautifully modern, flat finish with only a slightly higher sheen than matt.
Satin
A mid-sheen option and a good compromise between eggshell and gloss, satin paint is a very popular choice.
Gloss
The highest sheen of paint and also the most durable against knocks and scratches. Once you have chosen your paint finish, there are a further two choices of paint form: oil or water based:
Oil Based
Great for durability and a professional finish, oil based paints tend to have a higher sheen and harden quicker than water based paints.
However, they can have a strong odour, occasionally yellow over time and paint brushes need to be cleaned with white spirit.
Water Based
Unlike oil based paints, water based paints won’t yellow, don’t smell strongly and your paint brushes can be washed in water. Water based paint is the more common choice of DIYers.
Unfortunately, there are also the cons of taking longer to fully harden, can be prone to chipping and has a less impressive sheen.
Tools You’ll Need Before You Start Painting
- Wood filler and a putty knife (if you’re touching up nicks in an old door, not needed if you have a new, unfinished door)
- Sandpaper
- Plastic cloth to protect your floor
- Painter’s tape
- Utility knife
- Paintbrush (for the detailed parts)
- 4” rollers and tray
How To Prepare An Old Door for Revamp
If you’re painting an old door, you can either leave it in place in the door frame or remove it from its hinges and lay it flat on the floor or on a sawhorse. This is entirely personal preference and can depend on how big and heavy the door is. Use painter’s tape to protect the door handles and hinges or use a utility knife to remove the parts you don’t want to paint.
Fill in any holes or imperfections with wood filler and sand over until smooth. Then sand the entire door using a fine grit sandpaper. You will need to use a cloth to wipe the door down to remove any sanding dust.
5 Important Steps to Prime Your Door
If your door is new and pre-primed or you’re using latex paint on a previously latex painted door you can skip this step.
If you’re unsure, to test if your door has latex or oil paint you can use a small amount of rubbing alcohol to rub on a small area of the door. If the paint comes off, it will be latex. If the paint stays on, it will likely be oil.
Using a high quality white paint:
- Paint the edges of the door with a brush or roller. A roller gives better coverage and an even finish.
- Paint the door panels using a brush for the detailed, recessed parts and a roller for the flat parts.
- Paint the rest of the flat surfaces of the door using a roller. For a professional finish, paint the long vertical sections following the grain, up and down, vertically, and horizontal sections side to side, horizontally.
- Allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours
- Very lightly sand over bumps and blemishes and wipe away any sanding residue.
It’s Time To Paint Your Door With its Final Coat
You’re now ready for the final coat of paint - repeat steps one to three. Once this has dried you can attach the door accessories and hang in the door frame.
If you’d rather skip the above steps, you could simply opt for a primed white door ready to hang. A double coat of factory applied primer gives the very best start to a decorated door. A finished door is pre-sealed to give protection, ready to hang or paint again.
Whichever option you go for, enjoy those beautiful clean, white doors.
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