Painting different doors around your home

Doors are essential parts of our homes and they experience plenty of daily wear and tear as they’re touched so often. You’ll be shocked at how much of an instant difference a simple repaint of your doors will make to the overall look of your space. Luckily, painting doors is a very straightforward job you can do yourself over the weekend, armed with the correct Resene paint products.

Resene paint is formulated and manufactured in New Zealand and has been developed to handle our harsh conditions, in particular our very high UV levels – ultraviolet light destroys paint in the same way it attacks your skin! – so it’s the perfect option for both interior and exterior doors.

Any time is a good time for home maintenance, but repainting your doors is an ideal spring cleaning job, especially if you entertain a lot over summer – your place will be looking shipshape for all your visitors.

Read on to find out how to paint exterior, interior and French doors at your place.

Exterior doors

For exterior doors, waterborne enamels such as Resene Enamacryl gloss and Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss are recommended due to their durability, fast drying time and enhanced mould resistance – plus they’re very easy to wipe clean once painted. For a more dramatic finish, a traditional solventborne enamel like Resene Super Gloss could be used, especially if choosing a strong colour for a profile door. It will require more effort, but a mirror-like finish can be achieved.

Sand, fill any holes, wipe away dust and then prime with Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat. Once that’s dry, it’s time to paint your door in your chosen Resene paint formulation and colour. Apply two coats and wait the appropriate drying time between each coat. If your door has glass panels, use a cutting-in brush to cut in around the glass, or mask off the glass with painter’s tape.

See our step-by-step guide how to paint exterior doors for more detailed instructions, or check out our video below with professional painter Johnny Warwick.

Interior doors

To refresh your interior doors, first, remove hardware like handles and hooks – if you can’t remove them, mask them with painter’s tape so they don’t get any paint splatters on them. Clean the door with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner, leave to dry, then degloss by sanding and be sure to wipe away all the sanding dust. Fill any gaps with PAL Zero Gaps Then prime with Resene Quick Dry and follow by topcoating with two coats of your chosen Resene paint and colour.

If you don’t have time for a full repaint, a good wash with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner will make a major difference to the look of your door.

See our step-by-step guide on how to paint interior doors for more detailed instructions, or watch Resene Paint Expert Murdo Shaw in action above.

French doors

These doors are common in homes in our part of the world, and as they’re often made of timber, they require regular maintenance to look their best. Kill any mould with Resene Moss & Mould Killer and leave on for a minimum of 2-4 hours, Then wash with Resene Paint Prep and Housewash to prepare the surface. Remove any flaking paint and sand smooth, wiping away the sanding dust, then prime with Resene Quick Dry. Finish with two coats of your chosen Resene paint and colour, Resene Lustacryl and Resene Enamacryl are also good choices here.

Top tips for painting or staining doors

Give old discoloured varnished timber doors a fresh new look with paint. Simply sand, dust off and seal with Resene Waterborne Sureseal, then paint. If you choose a light colour this will add more light into your room making it feel more spacious.
If you prefer a more natural look on your doors, interior timber doors can be stained with Resene Colorwood to revive or enhance their colour.
For a neutral colour palette, try using different tones of the same neutral to avoid it looking too plain. You might try half strength on the walls, full or double strength on the doors and quarter strength on the ceiling.
For busy households with pets and children and lots of wear and tear on surfaces, choose a slightly darker neutral as it will help to hide marks better than a white finish.
If you’re painting your front door, don’t forget to freshen up the doorstep as well to complete the look. Check out our video above to see how to repair and repaint a timber doorstep.
If you need more advice on the right prep and painting for your doors, visit your local Resene ColorShop team for all the help you need or Ask a Resene Paint Expert free online.