Painting a six panel door can be easy when you know how. This simple guide put together by our team of professionals will walk you through a step by step process of how to get the best finish whilst avoiding those dreaded runs.
Should I Sand My Doors Before Painting Them ?
A commonly asked question and the simple answer is yes. Sanding takes a short while but is a vital part of preparation, not only does sanding slightly roughen the surface creating a key for the paint to adhere to, sanding will also create a finer finish. We recommend a 180 grit sandpaper and always sand with the direction of the grain, remove the dust created with a vacuum cleaner and finally wipe over the whole of the door with a damp cloth to remove any remaining fine dust particles.
The Correct Order To Paint A Six Panel Door
The diagram above shows the best order in which to paint six panel doors. We always advise painting the panels first, this we do with a combination of a brush and 4" fine roller. One of the biggest tips we can give at this stage is "less is more", and by this we mean you will do an undercoat and then two top coats for the best finish. For each coat do not overload the brush or roller, don't worry that the first two coats still don't have the final opacity you want, trust the process and the final coat will always deliver the a professional end result to be proud of. By using less paint on each coat you avoid those dreaded runs off of the corners of the panels. If you find you're getting runs as you paint, simply brush them out and use less paint for each coat, remember, less is more for six panel doors.
What tools will I need to paint a six panel door
A simple list of essential tools to paint a six panel door
Floor covering, we like to use cardboard, this way you can brush or roll, even against the card without fear of damaging carpets or hard floorings
Sandpaper, we like to use a 180 grit or finer
Vacuum cleaner and a damp cloth to remove sanding dust completely
A quality brush, we recommend a 1.5" brush from either Arroworthy or Purdy brands, talk to your local decorators centre to see what they have in stock
A 4" short pile or foam roller and paint tray, we particularly like the Pro Dec Ice Fusion rollers as they are lint free and give a fabulous flat finish
How to paint a varnished door
If you want to paint over varnished wood or your six panel door is varnished then you'll need to seal (prime) with a specific primer, please see our guide for painting over varnished wood first by clicking here.
More Pro Tips for decorating
If you enjoyed this article and found it useful, please feel free to browse our blog by clicking here for more hints and tips to make home DIY and decorating that little bit easier.