The main door is a place for guests and residents to enter and exit, while the window functions as a path for sunlight entering from outside the house into the room. Doors and window sills are parts of the house that are often exposed to hot sun and rain or other weather changes. This weather change causes the doors and wooden frames on the windows in the house to look dull, and can even get damaged.

Paint Damage

There are two levels of damage that you must understand before making repairs to doors, namely minor damage and heavy damage. Minor damage is damage that usually only affects the top layer of wood paint, namely the top coat. We can see light damage from the slightly faded color, the presence of mold on the surface of the door. Meanwhile, serious damage can be said if 70% of the coating layer is no longer functioning. The characteristics are the color of the door is very faded, a lot of paint on the wooden door is peeled off and there can even be a lot of damage to the wood that occurs because there is no protection from the coating layer.

You can easily repair minor damage to doors, for example by repainting the surface of the door with a top coat with anti-fungal medication to prevent mold on the surface. Meanwhile, severe damage requires you to do the repainting process. You don’t need to worry, you can paint it yourself. Besides being able to take advantage of the free time you have, you can also save costs.

Paint stripper

Safety first. Be sure to wear protective gloves and goggles and then apply the paint stripper using an old paint brush. Work it into the mouldings and corners, brushing evenly over the flat areas, and leave it for the recommended length of time.

You’ll soon notice the chemical start to react with the paint when the surface begins to bubble.

Choosing the gloss level

When deciding on what paint to use, we recommend Dulux Aquanamel®. Not only does it have a smooth flow technology for a smooth finish, it also is a water-based paint for an easier clean up versus oil-based enamel paints. When you are choosing this paint it is important to consider the type of finish you want:

Gloss: Achieves a highly reflective finish that gives a much more intense look. It is recommended for high traffic areas as it is very durable and easy to wash. Typically a more traditional finish.

Paint scraping

 On a test patch, try scraping back the paint with a flat-bladed scraper. If the paint is several layers thick, you may need to stipple some more stripper and leave it a little longer.

Once the stripper has done its job, you can scrape back the paint to reveal the bare wood.

Use a shave hook to scrape any paint from the mouldings. Draw the hook back towards you, removing paint from any crevices.

Keep going until you’ve removed all the paint.

Neutralising the surface

Neutralise the surface using either white spirit or water – this will depend on the product so check the instructions.

Work it into the surface with a cloth or brush to remove all traces of the stripping solution. You’re now ready to sand and finish your door.

Panel sanding

Wear a dust mask and sand the flat panels with medium-grade abrasive paper. Wrap the paper around a piece of wood or use a sanding block and work in the direction of the grain, taking care not to round off any sharp corners or mouldings.

Go over the area a second time using a fine-grade abrasive paper.

Step 6: After you’ve done any necessary stripping, sanding or filling and your door is fully prepared for painting, detach the handles and wedge the door open. We recommend keeping the handle and spindle in your pocket in case the door accidentally closes!

Time to paint

Window

start by cutting in at the top and bottom of the edges of the trim, then finish off the middle.

Apply paint to the trim using short, horizontal brush strokes. Repeat the motion for about a metre.

Smooth over the painted section with long brush strokes. Ensure not to add more paint to the brush when you do this. Don’t brush it too much – a few strokes should be enough to smooth the surface.

Repeat this process until complete. Allow to dry, then give the surface a light sand and repeat for a second coat.

Note: With windows it is recommended to paint the inner window sections first then move to the outer trim. And remember, always keep windows open as they dry and ensure to move them constantly to prevent them from sticking together.

Doors

Begin by cutting in the edges with an even finish. Apply the paint in short strokes, then even the finish out with a few long strokes. Roll or brush on the inside of the door, with smooth vertical strokes.

Once a section is applied, using a 75mm brush, lightly stroke down the door to create a smoothed finish. Don’t brush it too much – a few strokes should be enough to smooth the surface.

Allow to dry, and lightly sand any imperfections, then apply a second coat.