Painting wooden doors: surface preparation and painting technology

Thanks to modern technologies, today wooden doors not only look beautiful, but are also of high quality, which is difficult not to pay attention to.

But not everyone can afford to decorate their premises with high-quality doors, because such a product made from natural wood species costs a lot of money. But, as a budget option, you can purchase a “semi-finished product” - a door made of solid wood, for example oak, wengue or pine (usually sold in standard sizes), without decorative elements, and give the door leaf an original design with your own hands, painting the wood in the most suitable way LMB.

Unfortunately, buying a new interior door block is more problematic for owners of apartments with an old layout, because the “original” doors have non-standard sizes. In this case, you will have to make doors to order, which will cost a pretty penny. Therefore, it makes sense to restore old doors, thereby saving the family budget and making the apartment unique and unique.

Next, we will tell you how to properly prepare the surface, in what sequence the painting work should be carried out and what paint to paint a wooden door so that the final result looks not only good, but also unusual, if the style of the room requires it.

How can you paint wooden doors?

How to paint a wooden door
Today the question is “How to paint a wooden door in an apartment?” is not very relevant, because the market for paints and varnishes is quite diverse. But before you paint an interior wooden door in your house, you need to think about whether you need to preserve the structure of the natural material, or whether you need to completely mask the grain of the wood by painting the canvas with an opaque layer. Taking your own wishes as a basis, pay attention to the following paintwork materials:

• Enamels with an opaque base.
• Oil based paints.
• Transparent or tinted varnish.
• Oil based impregnations.
• Stain.
• Other paints and varnishes that can refresh the color of wood or give it a beautiful, correct shade.

The table below shows the classification of coatings.

Of course, how to paint an old wooden door is up to you, but it’s worth listening to the opinions of experienced craftsmen. Many finishers recommend:

• Water-based acrylic material (substances containing acrylic have the most optimal consistency, which is important when working with brushes, and also spread well over the surface);
• Alkyd material (has a good ability to repel moisture, is not afraid of the sun, frost and sudden changes in temperature, dries quickly).

A wooden door painted with acrylic paint.
If you need to treat the door to a bathhouse, it is better to use alkyd paint for outdoor work, which is less susceptible to adverse factors. Using such material, it will be possible to cover the doors to the house, as well as interior blocks.

Important! Please note that doors can only be painted with alkyd-containing paints on dry surfaces. If the base of the door is wet, the paint will quickly peel and peel. And if you need to varnish the door, do not use drying oil, only stain will help you!

If you are wondering “how to paint a wooden door in a country house or in an apartment?”, you should already understand that applying paint is not carried out in one stage. Sometimes, to get the desired effect, you have to use different formulations. Initially, specialists use impregnation, which can give a certain tone to the door, after which they apply a decorative layer.

Painting wooden doors (video)

Features of the composition for painting

Whether you need to repair old doors or give new ones a different look, choosing the right paint product is very important. The quality and service life of a wooden door depends on it. Let's look at the most common means.

Varnishes - colored, glossy or matte. Their main property is that the structure of the wood will definitely be visible under the layer of substance. If you have completely restored the door, then varnishing is unlikely to be suitable, since all the defects and subtleties of processing will be visible. There are several varnish options:

• oil based;
• alcohol varnish;
• polyurethane;
• solvent-based nitrovarnish.

The latter type is not suitable for use on wood: the composition of this varnish has a bad effect on wood. But polyurethane varnish is durable and resistant to mechanical damage, so it is perfect for our task, although it is quite expensive.

The choice of varnish or paint depends on the type of door and its location in the room

If painting with varnish is not suitable for you, turn to paints. Their choice on the modern market is huge both in color and composition, and it will not be difficult for you to give the door any look. Paints can be matte, glossy or emphasizing the wood structure. The main thing is to pay attention to what base the product is made of - oil or alcohol. Nitro paint is also suitable.

There are also oils containing wax intended for painting wooden surfaces. This product can be transparent or colored; it will give the wood a soft silky feel. The disadvantage of this material is its high cost.

Compositions for different types of doors

When choosing a paint product, pay attention to the condition of the door leaf. As already mentioned, for an old door that had to be restored, a varnish coating under which the entire surface is visible is absolutely not suitable. In this case, it is better to use paint. The varnish will look good on the new door.

The modern market offers a large selection of paints and varnishes for wooden doors

There are 2 types of paints and varnishes most often used in such work.

1. Acrylic compositions on a water-dispersion basis. They are easy to apply and adhere well, as if covering the surface with a thin layer of plastic. There is no pungent odor when drying.
2. Alkyd paints and solvent-based varnishes. When painting, they penetrate deep into the wood structure and dry quickly. They withstand temperature fluctuations and have a water-repellent effect. The disadvantages include a strong odor when drying.

Taking these points into account, we can conclude that acrylic compositions are well suited for interior doors and dry rooms. Alkyd paints are best used on entrance doors or in damp rooms.

If you plan to paint the door one color, then the choice of painting material will be based on the above criteria. But if you have a door leaf with a design, take into account the following:

• matching the color of the floor, wall cladding, furniture;
• antique decor or a certain style - high-tech, country, etc.;
• contrast of individual parts (relevant for paneled models);
• wood structure;
• applied drawing.

  This diagram will help you choose the type of wood by color

Please note: paints must be applied to a completely dry surface. Otherwise, the paint layer on damp wood will begin to peel and flake off.

Sequence of work

The door structure is not only the door itself, so it is very important to carefully carry out the preparatory process. Of course, you can repaint only the canvas, but this way the jambs will fall out of the overall picture. And so, the process of painting the door should be carried out in the following sequence:

• The door structure is removed and placed on a stable surface (optionally, a pair of stools). If alkyd paint is used for work, it is better to move the work to the open air, because such paints and varnishes have a pungent odor.

Preparing a wooden door for painting

• Then, without removing the canvas itself, it is fixed with wedges so that the paneled brush has access to all hard-to-reach places. It is also necessary to block the doors so that during the drying process the doors do not slam shut and damage the new layer of paint.

Whatever route you take, you will still have to dismantle the fittings. If there are permanent parts, they can be hidden under paper or foil.

Material Compatibility

It is not so easy to understand the modern variety of materials. Chemical compositions for the uninitiated person are a secret behind seven locks, and when buying a material to apply to old paint, many rely on luck, hoping that the old layer will not react in any way to contact with the new chemical. There are some recommendations according to which you should select the material depending on what the door is painted with.

Variety of colors

Therefore, before you go for paint, you need to clarify what the canvas is painted with.

• Epoxy and polyurethane compounds contain aggressive solvents. Cyclohexanone or xylene are capable of destroying materials that are reversible polymers obtained by natural curing (nitrocellulose, vinyl, copolymer-vinyl chloride compounds). Simply put, epoxy or polyurethane paint will destroy the coating made with nitro paints.
• Epoxy and polyurethane materials are applied only over the same compositions or primers, maintaining drying intervals for each layer.
• Silicate compounds are generally not applied over any other types of paints.
• Alkyd paints are not aggressive and can be safely applied over any material.
• Copolymer-vinyl chloride compounds and compounds based on chlorine rubber are applied only over acrylic, epoxy, and silicate materials.

Compatibility table

Despite the recommendations of the material compatibility table, it is better to use an experimental test: apply the new material to a small area of ​​the canvas and see the reaction.

Preparing the door covering

Well, let's figure it out further, how to paint a door correctly? Preparatory work is carried out according to the following scheme:

• Remove all old coating, even primer and putty, until the wood itself remains. For this work, you can use a grinder, a hair dryer, or special cleaning compounds.
• Then you need to sand the surface, remove any defects, sand off small paint residues, and degrease. This work cannot be done without a sander, which is best connected to a vacuum cleaner. If you don’t have such a device, you can get by with medium-grain sandpaper.

Plastering a door

• When you have completely managed to sand the canvas and prime it, you can move on to puttying large flaws. If you plan to use varnish as a finishing coat, it is better to use a special composition for wood. If the decorative dye is not transparent, you don’t have to worry about the color of the putty. Don't forget about the gaps at the walls and baseboards!
• After puttying, after waiting the time specified by the manufacturer of the mixture, you need to sand again, masking the abrasions. You can immediately use a medium-grained cloth, and then finish with a fine-abrasive one.

Please note that if there are large dents on the surface and you plan to use an opaque or dark material for the finishing layer, use auto putty. This mixture does not contain glass fibers.

If the doors under the old finishing materials have darkened, and you would like to simply open them with varnish, preserving the structure and pattern of the wood, problem areas can be lightened. To do this, you can prepare a simple bleach with your own hands: mix bleach with water in a ratio of 1:3. When the surface is completely processed, wiped with a rag and dried (so that the paint does not begin to swell), you can begin directly painting the door.

Necessary for the dyeing process

There are a few things you need to prepare before painting the door. To work you will need the following devices and tools:

• roller;
• putty knife;
• industrial dryer;
• a set of brushes;
• spray gun;
• grinding belt apparatus;
• sandpaper to remove old coating.

Materials you will need:

• old paint remover;
• putty;
• antiseptic;
• stain;
• paint product.

It is not necessary to use all this to restore interior doors. The list of materials, devices, tools depends on the condition of the door leaf, paint application technology, and type of door structure. Panel doors should be painted with a brush, and panel doors with a roller.

How is a typical door painted?

Painting a wooden door
We told you how to paint a wooden entrance door or an interior door, now it’s time to talk about how to do simple painting to avoid smudges and other problems. If you need to update the outside canvas or paint only the doors, there is no point in buying a spray bottle.

To do this, it will be enough to buy a narrow brush (for hard-to-reach places) and a roller that will suit any canvas (natural wood, fiberboard, MDF, Canadian, etc.). The only drawback of brushes is that they often lose hair, so before work you need to fluff it up so that everything unnecessary and poorly fixed falls out, so as not to spoil the finish.

For panel doors, it is better to use a roller so that the paint applies evenly. Work begins from the end, moving to the right. You will have to paint the canvas in 3 passes, so each subsequent layer should be applied in opposite movements. If painting is done on any other surface, do not allow an excess of paint to prevent smudges from forming.

Door varnishing

Sometimes it happens like this: you cleaned the door, looked at its clean wood texture and you don’t want to paint it. Therefore, when choosing a way to paint an old door, you can consider this option - cover the door leaf with stain and varnish. The color can be any - you can lighten the texture of the wood, or, on the contrary, darken it, give it any shade - from mahogany to ebony. The stain penetrates deeply into the structure of the wood and clearly reveals the characteristic pattern of wood fibers. After the stain has dried, you can varnish the door. To achieve special smoothness and gloss, you can make several layers of varnish with intermediate sanding - with care and the use of properly selected sanding material of minimal grain size, you can achieve almost mirror smoothness. Such a door can become the highlight of the interior, the center of attraction.

How to use stain correctly?

Painting a door with stain
To prevent the wood from absorbing excess moisture and for the paint to apply evenly, the prepared canvas needs to be slightly moistened. All horizontal surfaces are treated with stain along the grain and then across it. The finishing layer is also applied in the longitudinal direction.

The jambs and parts that have not been dismantled begin to be covered from below so that the drops do not touch the still untouched areas. This sequence of actions is followed if the finishing layer is an opaque material. When the surface treated with stain absorbs moisture, the wood fibers straighten, which is why you will need to sand the canvas with zero sandpaper and repeat the procedure.

It is also worth noting that after staining (when the dye dries) the wood becomes lighter. Therefore, you need to coat it as many times as necessary to achieve the desired color. If you want to speed up the process, you can use an alcohol-based stain. The surface treated with this composition will not require re-grinding. But, water-soluble materials are considered safer, will not smell bad and are more popular.

Preparation for painting

Regardless of whether you are painting a new door (window) or an old one, its surface is rarely perfect. If you immediately cover everything with paint or varnish, you will not achieve a good appearance. If you want to give the product an attractive appearance, its preparation is necessary.

How to repair dents and cracks

During use, wooden products may develop large chips, cracks and dents. They can be completely sealed and nothing (or almost nothing) will be visible.

For small flaws, wood putty is suitable; for larger ones, furniture wax will be needed. They differ in consistency: wax is denser, sold in the form of bars, putty is paste-like, packaged in jars. Both compositions are tinted: they are given a color that is closest to the main shade of a particular wood. For example, wax and putty for pine have a slightly creamy tint, for alder it is slightly pinkish, for bog oak it is brownish, etc. Choose the one you need.

We cover all cracks and dents with putty.

The prices are something like this: a block of wax is $9-12, a can of putty - depending on the manufacturer and packaging, from $8 to $15.

Before starting work, you need to clean the surface. Wipe first with a dry soft cloth, then moistened with solvent. You can begin restoring the door (window).

It’s not difficult to work with wood putty: take a little of the compound, cover a gap or small depression, and smooth it out. This can be done with a small metal spatula, but there are rubber ones in stores - they are much more convenient for such purposes and cost very little.

When working with furniture wax, you will need a soldering iron with a thick tip. Heat up part of the material with it, take the softened mass with a spatula and apply. You should try to give the area being treated the required shape, but don’t try to make it level: the patch should be slightly higher than the rest of the material. After drying with fine-grained sandpaper, everything is compared.

Furniture wax is softened with a soldering iron

If a large surface has been sealed, it, even if the color is close to the main one, stands out due to the fact that it does not have the texture inherent in wood. If the doors or windows are supposed to be painted with opaque paint, then this does not matter. But if the product is to be varnished, the appearance needs to be adjusted. There are special furniture markers for this. They are available in different colors. You will need to match the main color of the wood species and darker/lighter to apply dashes that imitate wood fibers. A furniture marker costs between $1 and $4.

Patches can be tinted with furniture markers

But you need to tint the “patches” only after the entire door has been sanded - before applying stain or varnish.

Grinding

Even a new door to be painted has a far from ideal surface: there are small scuffs, chips, etc. There are always minor surface defects. Unless you bought very expensive doors. Then the surface is most likely ideal, and it is already coated with varnish. So we start polishing. This can be done manually - with sandpaper or a sanding machine.

To make it more convenient to work with sandpaper, take a wooden block, wrap it in sandpaper and secure it (you can use nails, but so that the caps do not stick out).

If you have grinding machines in your arsenal (you can rent them), you will need two types of them: circular for rough processing and belt for finishing. But when using machines, some places will still have to be processed manually: protrusions, recesses, etc.

An ideal surface can only be achieved by sanding wood.

First, sand the surface with coarse grain, then medium, and finally fine. Pay special attention to the ends. There is usually the most uneven surface - cross cuts have a very rough surface, but they need to be processed carefully, otherwise a lot of paint goes there, and they spoil the look pretty much.

There are no tricks here. Gradually remove the unsightly layer, leveling the surface. When you are satisfied with everything, clean everything with a dry soft cloth. You can start painting.

How to imitate wood?

Advice! Today, the design of premises in the Provence style, the laconicism of which few people previously knew, is very popular. Furniture and doors for rooms made in this style are usually chosen in light pastel colors; imitation of antiquity is in great demand.

Adhering to this style when decorating doors with your own hands, a water-based emulsion or other bleached matte coloring composition can help. At the same time, many people wonder whether it is possible to paint wooden doors with water-based paint? Of course you can, why such doubts?

For such substances, you can use both a spray gun and rollers or brushes. However, on the Internet you can find many videos and photos of instructions on how to paint a wooden door white with emulsion, read in more detail, such skills for artificial aging will not hurt you!

How to imitate a tree pattern

And so, to imitate a tree pattern on any base (including metal) you need:

• Paint the canvas yellowish, grayish, beige or white and dry.
• Get some liquid soap and a brush, and lubricate the desired area.
• Take a dark dye and apply it to the surface.
• Remove liquid soap.

Also, to create a retro door, purchase a special brush, which is sold at any hardware store. The brush is used to make movements, as if combing hair, over the entire surface in order to touch the soft fibers of the rock. The surface can then be pigmented in different shades.

Thanks to such manipulations, the structure of the surface into which paint of different shades penetrates is disrupted. This will create the effect of aged wood with the necessary curls. When the surface dries, it is sanded and finished. As you can see, it’s not difficult to give even old doors a new lease of life on your own; the main thing is to follow the rules and be consistent in your work.

Features of color selection

When choosing paint for a wooden door, keep in mind that the color should be in harmony with the interior and color scheme of the room.

Also, when choosing, remember that:

• the room must contain furniture elements of the same shade as the door;
• oil impregnation is optimal for processing interior elements made of solid wood;
• if the furniture is varnished, then painting the door in a dark color is preferable;
• The use of the aging effect of a door is applicable for interiors with antique decor and furniture.

Photo gallery of finished works

Determine previous paint type

Before applying a fresh coat, find out what type of paint is currently on the door. Dampen a rag with alcohol and wipe down her door. If the paint transfers to the fabric, it has been painted with latex paint and no primer will be necessary. If there is nothing left on the rag, you are dealing with oil paint. If you are hoping to use a newer latex one, you will need to sand and then prime the surface.

Another reason to identify the old paint type is health concerns. Until recently, when painting, paints that contain lead were often used, which can be absorbed by the body, which negatively affects internal organs and the brain. This type of paint must be removed from the surface of the door.

Updating the input structure

The simplest and most affordable way to update a door is to cover it with fresh paint, since the old layer spoils the aesthetic appearance and changes color over the years. Initially, you need to decide what the structure will be covered with:

• stain, tinting varnish;
• thick enamel, acrylic, polyurethane oil paint.

When choosing a coating, we base it on individual preferences, but it is worth listening to the advice of experienced craftsmen - finishers.

How to remove old stubborn paint from a wooden surface?

To properly paint old wooden doors, first remove the worn-out coating. Clean carefully so as not to disturb the surface of the door leaf. Particular care will be required if you need to repaint a veneered wooden door. The veneer is very thin and is susceptible to mechanical stress. There are four common methods for removing old paint from wooden surfaces.

Mechanical

The most labor-intensive and aggressive mechanical method is used when other methods of removing paint from a wooden surface have not brought a positive result. Veneered doors are not subjected to such cleaning. Mechanically, durable nitro paints and alkyd enamels are usually removed. Peeled areas are cleaned with a scraper or spatula. The stubborn paint is removed with a grinder, grinder or drill with grinding attachments. It is difficult to rub with sandpaper. It is usually used if there is no power tool.

Sandblasting Applications

The mechanical cleaning method includes the use of sandblasting. Air supplied under high pressure from the compressor mixes with dry sand particles and breaks the old paint with a strong jet pressure. Sandblasting can easily remove varnish or enamel from a wooden door in a few minutes, but it is important not to overdo it. The impact of grains of sand crushes the wood along with the paint. If you stay in one place for a long time, the surface will be damaged. To remove a thin layer of paint, use a fine abrasive: river sand or soda.

Heat treatment

The panel and panel doors are subjected to heat treatment. For a safe method of removing paint, use a heat gun or a hair dryer powered by electricity. When heated, the old coating acquires a soft structure that can be easily scraped off with a scraper. Professionals use gas torches, but work with such tools carefully. An open source of fire along with paint can burn the wood.

Chemical method

To remove paint from doors chemically, use solutions that soften most types of enamels and varnishes. The work is performed in a well-ventilated area using personal protective equipment. The method is suitable for veneered door panels, but first you need to check the instructions to see if the solution is safe for veneer.

To remove old paint from a wooden door, just lubricate it with a chemical. After 5–10 minutes, the coating will rise in bubbles that can be easily removed with a scraper.

What color should I paint it?

Choosing the right color scheme largely depends on the existing furniture, the color of the walls and floors. Doors should fit harmoniously into the design of the room. Most often, white, brown, or wenge are chosen as the main colors for the panel, since they are considered universal. However, this is not always the case. For example, white doors are not appropriate in a dark interior. In addition, a door painted in a light shade in the kitchen or hallway will quickly get dirty - this is not practical.

Modern designers define three main groups of shades:

• Pastels - light blue, beige, peach, pale pink, lavender.
• Rich dark ones - brown, wenge, cherry, dark blue, chocolate.
• Bright colors - yellow, lemon, red, orange, emerald.

Painting an interior door in the desired color is determined by the installation location of the door leaf and the purpose of the room. Here are some guidelines for choosing paint colors:

• In a wooden house or apartment with partially finished walls made of wood, interior doors made of the same material are installed. In this case, you should choose a transparent varnish or impregnation with weak tinting properties.

• The interior of the bedroom is most often dominated by pastel colors. Therefore, to paint doors you should choose white, beige, gray, lavender - any calm and neutral shades.

• Dark colors (cherry, wenge, chocolate) will be more appropriate in the living room. Such shades will add more luxury and sophistication to the interior.

• Doors in bright colors will look great in a children's room. If the canvas is installed in the play area, then more than one color can be used for painting.

Note! Interior doors, regardless of the purpose of the room, should be slightly darker or lighter than the walls.