peeling paint on front door. what do i do?

[superalienstitch]

dd started reception today. and i have, for the first time in five years, or ist it six? looked at the front of my house. i always noted it looked sad compared to the neighbours pristine front gardens, but with three kids, i had other things to think about.......
today i saw that the doors on the porch hve paint peeling off them near the bottom, and i couldnt get the dirt off the paint around the key hole. then i noticed the garage doors. they are quite old, wooden ones, and are just one great big huge load of peeing paint. ll in need of some tlc.
so, i know i cannot just paint them with leftover indoor paint. just what do i have to do? i am a complete novice when it comes to anything at all diyish. please help.

Sounds like you need to strip the paint off before repainting. It's easy with a hot air gun and will give a much better finish. If you can't be bothered with that, then you at least need to sand it all down really well. Then a couple of coats of primer and a couple of coats of gloss paint and it'll look fab. (The gloss takes ages to dry so you have to pick a day when you can stay at home with the door open all day!)

i didnt know any of that.
what is a hot air gun? is it legal? and where do i get hold of one?
any particular primer? or do i just get the cheapest?
also, i need a day when it doesnt rain. so i spose i need to do it sooner rather than later?

Sod it, i'd take it off and swap it with a neighbours

except that everyone else on my road has pristine front gardens and driveways. doors and garages look new, even though i know they are not, as have been living on the road now for over six years. so every one would know was me.

Cheapest paint is fine - Homebase own or equivalent. Make sure that for the top coat you're using a paint that's specifically for exterior paintwork.

thanks pjq, i shall pay a visit to homebase.

Don't know if you've thought of this - but a roll of masking tape might be a good thing to get. If the door has glass panels it's a good idea to tape round the edges so you don't paint on the glass.

And don't overload the brush - several thin coats are better than one thick one, and you don't want drips. Good luck!

hi again.
i emailed dh to tell him i was thinking of doing this, and wonderful mumsnetters have told me how to. he is arranging for someone to come in and do it.
i dont know whether to be pleased or insulted

Well, I would be insulted, but pleased too! Hope it looks good.