# Painting pre-primed doors



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I would remove the hardware, and lay them out flat to paint.
I like to use a 6" hotdog style foam roller and a 2-1/2 sash brush for any details or tip off.
Should come out silky smooth.

I use these saw horses with 12' 2 X 4's set in the notches.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...1ABEDBD05DBBBF518FA711D79EBA&selectedIndex=17


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## cdaniels (Dec 27, 2012)

Use a good quality brush and go with the "imitation" grain. No need to take the doors down.Paint your panels and edges first.Lay it off smooth and you're right, no need to prime.Make sure you sand the edges they will be rough.Two coats of paint and you will be good to go.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

In my opion not a great plan.
I'm dealing with this right now.
Customer insist I'll do all the painting.
There's now paint all over the brand new floor, all over the hindges, door knobs, strike plates, runs everywhere.
Now I want to park my truck down the road and walk in so no one knows I was there.


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## cdaniels (Dec 27, 2012)

Well common sense should come into play....dropcloths, tape if needed and a screwdriver to remove the strike plates would be a given.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

joecaption said:


> In my opion not a great plan.
> I'm dealing with this right now.
> Customer insist I'll do all the painting.
> There's now paint all over the brand new floor, all over the hindges, door knobs, strike plates, runs everywhere.
> Now I want to park my truck down the road and walk in so no one knows I was there.


Joe, you have time to work? With your consulting duties here at DIY, how do you find the time?


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

joecaption said:


> In my opion not a great plan.
> I'm dealing with this right now.
> Customer insist I'll do all the painting.
> There's now paint all over the brand new floor, all over the hindges, door knobs, strike plates, runs everywhere.
> Now I want to park my truck down the road and walk in so no one knows I was there.


Joecaption, what you have is not the absence of a plan, it's the hiring of a hack.


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## Mr. Paint (Nov 10, 2011)

Factory primers are generally applied very thinly to keep wood from drawing moisture in shipping and handling, but they don't provide much build as an undercoat. You will have to visually asses the need to apply a primer as a good enamel undercoat before you paint.

Hybrid enamels need a quality synthetic-fiber brush with a little stiffer bristle to apply them properly. Chinex bristles are sold through many brush manufacturers and do a good job.


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## Bob... (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks Joe and Charlie. I think both methods have their merit. I will say this...I painted my (factory primed) mfd baseboard with this paint and a 3" AllPro brush (from the BM distributor) and it came out beautifully. Nice and smooth finish. I'm thinking I'd like the same for the doors. Today, I did brush one side of one door. It seemed to take a lot of paint and the finish is a bit rough. Maybe my efforts to brush it all out smooth were too slow, allowing the paint to get a bit dry, or maybe I just didn't use enough paint (although it seemed like a lot). I noticed the same thing happened with a sealed varnished door jamb that I scuff-sanded, primed with 123 and followed with 2 coats of the above mentioned Alkyd. After the 2nd coat, the wood grain seemed to have raised. I wouldn't have expected this with this door. Are these issues due to trying to brush it out beyond what is advisable?


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## Bob... (Jan 29, 2013)

Mr. Paint said:


> Factory primers are generally applied very thinly to keep wood from drawing moisture in shipping and handling, but they don't provide much build as an undercoat. You will have to visually asses the need to apply a primer as a good enamel undercoat before you paint.
> 
> Hybrid enamels need a quality synthetic-fiber brush with a little stiffer bristle to apply them properly. Chinex bristles are sold through many brush manufacturers and do a good job.


I'm using the AllPro brush mentioned above (from BM store). It's a polyester/Nylon blend.


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## Mr. Paint (Nov 10, 2011)

Bob... said:


> I'm using the AllPro brush mentioned above (from BM store). It's a polyester/Nylon blend.


That will be fine!


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## Bob... (Jan 29, 2013)

Just posting back with the results. I actually used a combination of the techniques mentioned by Charlie and Joe. I took the doors off, removed the hardware and painted it with a roller in one hand and a brush in the other. Using just the foam roller made it look too much like a metal door (at least these doors with this paint...). I used a shed resistant 6" wooster pro roller to apply the paint (easier than brushing it on) and immediately followed with the 3" brush previously mentioned. This paint is really hard to work with (gets tacky fast!), but produces beautiful results.

Thanks to all for your remarks and advice!

Bob


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