How-To Paint Interior and Exterior Doors by Hand

Don’t have an airless sprayer? No problem.

Interior and exterior doors get used and abused. The paint gets marked and dinged and shows wear-and-tear. How many times have you come across a door that was repainted, but with brush strokes galore?

Here’s a quick guide to getting a sprayed look, by hand. (see picture above)
All you need is:
1) 4″ or 6″ condensed foam roller (the best I have found are white in color at Home Depot for ultra-smooth surfaces)

2) An angled brush in a size you are comfortable using. A 2.5″ or 3″ brush is good.

3) A high-quality coating such as Benjamin Moore’s, Satin Impervo.

4) Tape (if not removing all hardware)

(Always make sure your surface is smooth and free from any peeling/chipping paint and any drips or debris that will stand out. Sand with 220 sandpaper and clean with tack cloth or damp cloth to remove dust)

Step 1: Using foam roller, roll all flat surfaces of door getting as close to reliefs (insets) as possible. Be careful to use even pressure as roller can unload ‘lines’ of excess paint. If this happens just roll over until excess is spread evenly. If using the paints suggested above, check for drips on edges periodically.

Step 2: Once rolled, let surface dry for suggested time on label.

Step 3: Once rolled areas have dried, use your brush and brush the reliefs (insets) with paint using minimal pressure for least amount of brush strokes. Use very light strokes on to blend with the rolled areas. Let dry.

Step 4: When completely dry, hand your door and admire your work! Freshly painted doors make a big statement for not much effort.

Enjoy!