Learn How to Paint Your Windows and Doors

When you think about painting your room you should not forget to paint doors and windows. Since they are generally a different color than your room they accent your room. But you can not paint windows or doors the same way that you would a wall. They have their own special needs.

How to Paint Doors

The first thing to do is take the door off its hinges. Remove the pin that goes through the barrel of the hinge and just slide it out. You can paint the door while it's hung, but it is more difficult. Lean the door against a wall with some 2×4 underath so you can paint all the way to the floor or lay it across 2 sawhorses.
Remove all hardware. Take the doorknobs and hinges off the door as well as any hooks or numbers.

Clean the door. You want to get all the dirt off the door before you sand or scrape it because it can damage your door.

Scrape and sand your door. It may sound like a lot more work than you want to do, but doing it the right way makes for a better finished product. Use a putty knife and scrape off any loose or blistering paint. Once you have all the loose paint off it's time to sand. Use fine grit sandpaper. Sanding gets rid of scratches and nicks.

Apply primer. When you paint doors you want to apply primer after you have scraped them because you may have gotten down to bare wood and you want to protect the wood. It also gives the paint a better surface to adhere to.

Start painting. Paint around the edges first and around the hole for the knob. Then paint in long strokes from top to bottom. Sweep the floor first so you do not carry any grit into your paint. Once that side is good and dry you can do it to the other side.

How to Paint Windows

Clean your windows. You want to make sure that there is not any dirt and dust that can get into your paint, so get all the corners.

Scrape and sand. Loose paint does not hold new paint. If you do not get rid of the loose paint all your work is for nothing. Make sure to clean the area again.

Tape off everything. Get the blue painter's tape. You want the inch or 1 1/2 inch wide tape. Remove all the hardware you can. If you can not remove it add tape. If your windows are the kind that have bars separated panes of glass carefully tape the glass around them. You do not want to leave those unpainted.

Use primer. Again, when you paint windows you want to use the primer to give the paint something to grip and protect the wood underneath.

Start at the top and work down. Use an angled brush, it's made for jobs like this. Do not get an overly large brush.

Cleanup. Scrape any drips off the glass and peel off the tape.

Following these steps will make it easier for you to paint windows and doors and help you do a great job.