Hanging/painting an internal door

[pinksunsets]

I'm planning on getting someone to fit the door for me but is it easy enough to paint it myself or should I get them to do that too? Most doors don't seem to come finished/painted. I've done a lot of painting around my flat but usually flat surfaces!

It's easy enough to do yourself.

I think it is easier to paint doors with brushes rather than rollers but you can use either. The most important thing is to put the paint on very thinly or it will run down the door into all the trim bits. I tend to check over the bits I have painted 5 mins after I have done them so I can sort any drips out before they dry.

If it is bare wood you will need to get some knot sealer and a primer too before you start painting the top colour.

Thank you! Will definitely be paining them myself after getting quotes up to £950 just for painting 2 doors!

£950 for two doors?!!! I'm up North (proper north not midlands!) and a handyman would probably charge about £120 max to do a job like that! Granted if you are London based it will be more - but that's daylight robbery!

It is outrageous! Cheapest I've been quoted is £300 to paint them and yes I'm in London. It's ridiculous!

Those quotes are high as they don't want to do the job. Different if they were painting walls as well as it's easier to do a coat and do other work whilst it's drying.

I’ve just painted my internal doors as I couldn’t afford to replace them. They look great. I took them off the hinges and put them flat on blocks. As PP said you are better with a very thin coat and more coats or they may drip. It wasn’t hard and each coat on each side didn’t take long but then I had to leave it to dry before turning over. Mine were incredibly dark and took 5 coats but they look great now they are done. It wasn’t hard

I agree. It would be a pain as a trades man as you need to do a coat then wait a few hours before can turn over over and repeat.

This looks amazing! Great job. I was thinking it would be better to paint them after they've been fitted or should I do them before? Just worried they might get damaged being fitted to size....?

Definitely do it before. I kept the hinges on as wasn’t getting a professional to rehabs so didn’t want to mess with them. I took all the handles etc off so it’s a really smooth finish. I’m not expert and I managed it so sure you can! Mine were really dark before and it’s made a real change with a £20 tin of paint and some elbow grease

Think the op is having new doors fitted , not removing current ones to paint.

Paint them after they have been hung. Planning them to fit will just remove the new paint you put on.

Thanks! Will do that!

Decent undercoat, and decent top coat, and you'll be fine. Oil based will give you a longer working time. Put paper under the door to catch runs, and lay off with a brush.

This channel has good information:
https://youtube.com/@paintinganddecorating?si=sCujRPgwtNxVPA_e

Amazing! Thank you!

Just resurrecting this thread to ask do I just need to buy the doors (do they need to be the exact measurements? are they all a standard size? or can whoever I hire to fit them cut them down to size?), hinges and handles? I'm not forgetting anything am I?

Choose door but don't order them without checking with the fitter because some older houses are wonky and might need weird shaped doors. There are a few standard sizes but every frame will need measuring and then you order slightly larger so they can be planned to fit. The issue it if they aren't square, i.e. the corners aren't all right angles. Then you can need a much bigger door so there is enough to plane off.

Thank you! I am totally clueless. Will check with the fitter first. They did offer to buy the doors etc themselves but it seems like I can get them much cheaper myself.