How to paint a door in under an hour {The Harried Mom’s Guide to Paint a Front Door!}

This post was most recently updated on January 1st, 2020

There are lots of great tutorials out there in the blogosphere on how to paint a door.  I’ve read a bunch of them, and I’m gonna be honest, what follows here is probably not one of them, lol. But it’s likely one of the fastest!  In fact, my method is so fast that it should probably be called The Lazy Man’s Guide to Paint a Front Door.  Or, more realistically, How to Paint a Door: The Harried Mom’s Guide. 

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If you’re truly anal about doing things ‘the right way’, then you might want to turn away before being horrified ;-).  The experts – which btw, I am not, as will become strikingly obvious – will tell you that to paint a front door you need to wait for a stretch of perfect weather, to take your door off its hinges, to sand it, to prime it, to remove the lock and handle…and to wait weeks for the paint to season before hanging anything that might damage the finish.

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I’m sure these quality-enhancing (and can I just mention, time-consuming?) tricks all work perfectly well.  But let’s be real.  With 3 kids on my coat-tails, where am I gonna find the time to do ANY of that?  At most, I have about an hour to complete any task.  I used to strive for perfection (silly me) but these days my motto is simply: done is better than not done.

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And, really, with all the abuse my front door gets from wreathes and dirty little hands, it’s gonna need new paint every year.

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So why worry?

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Here’s my “paint a front door really fast” method. (Attempt at your own risk!)

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Step One:

Start with a clean door, and use a high quality, fast-drying paint, exterior paint – with a primer built in.

I used Behr’s, which btw, was mixed at Home Depot using a Martha Stewart color at my request.

In case you’re wondering, my front door color is Martha Stewart Artesian Well, MSL117.

(P.S. My front door had a latex undercoat, so I used a latex paint again.  If your door has an oil-based paint, please consult an expert at a paint store on the best product for your door.)

Step Two:

Tape off the handle and lock with good quality painter’s tape.  I used Frog Tape.

Step Three:

Paint the recessed areas first with a good quality brush.

Step Four:

Paint first coat with a foam roller, working from the inside out.  Let dry. Repeat.

Step Five:

The next day, be a rebel and go ahead, hang your door decor.    Don’t worry about the handprints.  You can paint over them again next year!

Disclaimer:  

If you have the time and inclination, its always best to follow the advice of an expert when painting anything – especially when you paint a front door. 😉

 

Post-script:  

May 2013: A year later, and my door still looks great!

You might also like my before-and-after post, “Green House, Blue Door: Part 2 (Before & After!)”

or, if you’re look for great front door colors, try the post 10 Fab Front Door Colors – and their paint names!

 

Until next time,

P.S, As usual, I’m sharing this ‘Tip’ post at Beth’s Tips & Tutorials Tuesday!