How to Paint a Door: Easy DIY

I’m not sure why, but somewhere along the way painting doors has gotten a bad rap. If you hate painting in general I can see why this project wouldn’t be fun, but in my opinion it’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to update your home. Take a look at our dining room, just last week…

A little blank over on the left, don’t you think? I was tired of the sea of beige over there and how unbalanced it looked next to the art ledge so I decided to paint!

Two of our interior doors are already painted Loft Gray by Magnolia Home Paint so of course, I painted to match. I love this paint line because the colors are beautiful and I only ever have to paint one coat!

Now, I didn’t even take any photos of this process because it was so fast (it only takes me a few hours), but if you’d like to see videos find the Door Painting highlight on my Instagram profile.

Also, it should be noted I paint my doors on hinge because I find it to be much easier for my lifestyle. I can’t get the door off & on by myself and with two little ones and a husband at work most days lugging a door around isn’t in the cards. If you want an even faster process and less prep take that door off!

So, how do you paint an interior door on the fly? These are my easy steps:

1. Clean the door (and trim if you need to paint that too) with water and mild soap.
2. Tape off the door (and trim) so that you don’t swipe your wall or floor. I only use Frog Tape.
3. Start painting the door first and trim second if you need to update that as well. Remember to always paint in the direction of the wood grain (yes, even on doors) and if you have a paneled door start with the interior panels first, large flat sections next and edges last.

4. Re-coat or touch up the door if need be and get started painting the trim. if you have baseboards or crown that connect to the trim you need to match that color exactly so that the line is continuous. I start with the outer edge between the wall and the trim and work my way inside with a 2 inch brush. This is the only paintbrush I use and I swear by it.

5. Remove tape and you’re done!

Tips and Tricks:

-Don’t forget to tape off your doorknob…don’t ever paint a door knob!

-Don’t forget to tape off or remove the doorknob latch plate. That shouldn’t be painted either.

-If your hinges are outward facing paint them the same color as your trim.

-Paint the inside of the hinges with the corresponding side, i.e. paint the side that’s attached to the door the color of the door and the side that’s attached to the trim the color of the trim.

Easy as pie, right? And this simple DIY makes such a huge difference transforming a space. If you want to see the painting in action head to my Instagram highlights. Thanks for stopping by, lovelies!

xoxo,

Hayley