painting a front door

[Umbrelladilemma]

Has anyone done this themselves?

I'd like to have a go at painting our front door. The current paint is very faded but not too chipped so was hoping to just sand it down well then paint on a couple of new coats.

My main question is - how long will this take me? I'll obviously have to have door open for the whole time while the paint dries etc so just trying to get a feel for whether I can achieve this on a weekday and how I can fit this around school pickups etc.

I painted our front door last summer, I left it open for about 4/5 hours after I'd painted each coat
Took a lot longer than I'd first expected to be honest

I'd leave it for the weekend or when you know you're going to be in all day. Also don't pick a windy day! (learnt the hard way when the weather changed)

When I've done this, I put a small piece of wood or a cork in the side to stop the door closing, then put the chain on, until it dried.

You will be taking off the door furniture before you start. Take off the lock keep and take the mortice lock out (there will be a lot of dirt in the holes which you need to remove with a small paintbrush and hoover). For the first night after gloss painting, fit the lock but not the keep. This will enable it to stay open a fraction. Put half a matchstick in the rebate of the frame near the top, middle and bottom to prevent the door closing tightly and sticking.

For the second night, refit the lock and keep, and rub a smear of Vaseline on the touching surfaces - not gobbets of grease, but a trace like you might rub onto dry lips. It will prevent the new paint sticking.

You can refit the lock and keep each night during your rubbing down and undercoating days. Many mortice locks have a decorative brass or stainless cover plate which can be removed for painting. You will find this when you take the screws out. Polish it up with a green pan scourer and WUL.

Pay extra attention to preparing and painting the top and bottom of the door, which are usually neglected, and are where water usually penetrates.

Well.
Brilliant advice, thanks so much everyone. It's confirmed what I had half-guessed already - this is not a job for me!!

a dry wind free weekend

to sand down and then sit there guarding the entrance whilst it goes off, literally watching paint dry

Maybe practice on some interior doors first. External doors need excellent protection because they are exposed to the weather, especially the top and bottom.

BTW it is easier to prepare and paint doors if you can unhang them, and lay them flat over trestles, preferably outside. And it is very much easier to do that (and replace them) if they are on lift-off hinges. Bear that in mind if you ever have a new door fitted.

External doors are usually too heavy for even quite a sturdy woman to lift on her own, but easy between two.

Oh go on umbrella ,bet you can .

FWIW I'm doing an internal door with locks .I took some of the door furniture off but was too nervous about taking the lock off .I tried masking tape but it was too difficult .A friend advised me to scrape any paint off afterwards with a razor blade .