Painting a front door: how to do it properly

Why a front door needs extra attention

The front door is the most used and most looked-at piece of woodwork on your house. It is handled every day, takes rain and sun, and sits where your house draws the most attention from the street. A small knock at the bottom of the door or around the letterbox soon grows into a spot where moisture gets into the wood. That is why a front door deserves a more careful approach than a quick freshen-up.

How to paint a front door professionally

• Ironmongery off: handle, letterbox, house number and knob are removed rather than masked.
• Clean and sand: degrease, key the old gloss and remove loose material down to a sound surface.
• Repair and prime: bare patches and repairs are primed, as are the bottom edge and end grain.
• Topcoat: two coats of gloss with a light sand in between, for a smooth and strong finish.

On a door with panels or glass, it all comes down to detail: the edges of the panels, the glazing beads and the bottom of the door. That is exactly where wood rot often starts. If you can already feel soft spots, first read how to recognise wood rot.

High gloss, satin and choosing a colour

A front door in high gloss gives a smart, mirror-like look and is easy to keep clean, but it shows every imperfection. That calls for extra preparation. Satin is more forgiving. For a modern grey front door, Oranje Kwast chose a high-gloss finish, while the green door of a listed entrance was given a classic look instead.

Choose a colour that suits the frames and the streetscape. For a listed building or in a protected townscape, the municipality may have rules about colours on the street side. If in doubt, read how to choose a window frame colour.

When should you have the front door painted?

Gloss paint needs dry weather and a reasonable temperature to cure properly. So plan the work in the outdoor season and not on a day when rain is forecast for the afternoon. A door cannot be closed properly while it dries, so the work is planned in such a way that you can simply lock your door again in the evening. Combine it with the exterior painting of the window frames and windows if that is also due soon: it saves call-out time and ladder or scaffolding work.

An inside face of the front door that looks dull can be included in the same round. Then you have a door that looks right from both sides in one go.