How To Strip and Repaint A Door

In my last video I showed you how to test the adhesion level of a painted finish . In this video I would like to discuss how to strip paint, what products and tools to use as well I will recommend a primer and finish coat. In this example I will use the exterior side of a front door. Let’s say you have tested the adhesion on the existing paint of your front door and determined that the paint should be stripped.

Now before we get started here is a list of the items you will need to remove the paint.

Blue tape, masking paper, drop cloths, saw horses, Chemical resistant gloves, safety glasses, Jasco Paint remover, large carbide blade scraper, push scraper, detail scraper for tight spots, throw away brush and a metal can for the paint remover. An optional tool is a heat gun in case the lower layers are not responding to the paint remover.

So lets get started

The 1^st step is to mask off any surface that you don’t want to harm. Using your throw away brush apply a thick coat of the paint remover onto two areas that are approximately 5 by 10 inches each. Let sit for several minutes until the paint has bubbled, then start scraping being careful to avoid gouging the wood. Let the paint remover do the work, depending on the number of layers you are trying to remove you may have to repeat these steps several times.

The next step is to prime, complete minor repairs and then apply 2 coats of finish.

Items needed are:

A paint sprayer, talk to your local paint dealer, most have a rental program. A gallon of primer, wood filler, 220 grit sand paper and a gallon of paint.

Because this is a wood door that gets a ton of direct sunlight I chose a primer that would bond well to raw wood and stay flexible enough to handle the movement that occurs in this situation. I went with Pittsburg Paints Water based Seal Grip bonding primer for the under coat. We elected to spray our primer coats which will yield a smooth finish without any risk of heavy spots or brush marks. Once the primer is dry then inspect to find any scratches or dents, fill with wood putty, then hand sand the entire door until smooth to the touch. Then apply 1 more coat of primer to make sure the patched spots don’t show through the final finish coats.

Now it’s time to paint. For this project we wanted a semi gloss finish that would be tough, flexible and would stand up to regular cleaning. Miller Paint’s Acrinamel in the semi gloss sheen is the perfect paint for this scenario. Again we elected to spray to avoid brush marks. As you can see the finished result is a smooth, beautiful paint job that will last for years.

Make sure to watch my next video where I will show you how to convert a lacquer finish on cabinetry over to paint. Thanks for watching!