How hard is it to paint an interior door myself?

[pinksunsets]

I'm getting new doors. I have a joiner coming tomorrow to fit them. The plan was to paint them myself after they're hung but now I'm reading it's better to do it before. Should I just get him to paint them or save myself some money and do it myself if it's not that hard? I've been quote £300 to paint 2 doors (just painting not fitting) which seems quite steep although maybe worth it if it's a faff? And what type of paint should I use if do DIY it? Do I need to seal it after painting?

Wood paint, paint brush, something to protect the floor like a dust sheet. Do it yourself. Easy peasy and if it’s not quite perfect then it’ll have a loved look 😉

Have a look on youtube, lots of professional decorators talking you through the steps. Do not skip the prep work it is what makes the door look good. The same with a quality brush and roller.

I have been decorating my own houses for 30 years, this is a pro decorator I follow on Insta but here is her youtube video of part 1 door decorating advice. Start with the back of the door first to get a feel for it all before moving onto the side that most people will see.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NEE7tREapDg

Are they already primed ( some doors are.) If they are raw wood : primer, undercoat, top coat, probably two. Get wood paint not emulsion; if you have never painted, use a water based too coat as it goes on more easily and it is much less smelly and difficult to clean up. You will also need a dust sheet or plastic sheet to protect your floor.

If they are MDF you will need MDF primer as it is very absorbent.

Thanks @Allthegoodnamesarechosen. They are already primed - do I still need to prime them again?

Thanks, I'll take a look!

I paint my walls all the time but I'm slightly worried about painting a panelled door! If it really is easy, I'd rather keep that £300 myself!

It’s easy to do them after they are hung. You just tell him to leave off the door knobs and come back and do them another day.

It’s pretty easy but make sure you use very thin coats to avoid tracks of paint drips once it’s dried. Use a very small roller if you aren’t confident. And don’t go back over where you’ve already been if it looks patchy (you risk messing up the finish), just trust it will all even out once all the coats are on and it’s dried.

Ahh, interesting. That had never occurred to me! Thank you!

It’s not hard, just watch youtube and have a go!

Painting doors is really easy and I find rather satisfying. What are you thinking might be difficult?

It’s no harder than a skirting board and probably easier than a radiator.

I think it's because it's a panelled door and already looks so pretty primed - I'm worried I'll mess it up!

Generally I don't mind painting stuff around my flat at all.

I've done skirting boards!

I mask handles and hinges and paint with a brush and mini roller. I use emulsion paint too! It doesn't drip like gloss, doesn't smell and dries much faster. Our doors are white and they haven't yellowed over time either and they are very easy to touch up. I'm about to repaint our bathroom door and I'm going to be using a 'kitchen and bathroom' paint as it's moisture resistant but I'll still get the finish I like on the door.

Thanks! I am now deep in a rabbit hole of what type of paint to use! I'm thinking satinwood although I prefer a more matt finish generally so maybe eggshell?

Don’t stress about leaving the doorknob off. It is literally a few screws to remove for painting - really easy to put on and off. Or, you can mask it as above, but it’s so easy to just unscrew them that it’ll be quicker to take them off and put them back on again. I’d go Matt personally for door.

Are they the white ready primed doors? They are easy to do. Just do thin coats and plenty of time to dry. when drying check regularly for drips. Make sure you stir your paint well beforehand.

I like to use a 3 or 3 inch angled brush. Do the moulding of each panel first, then the centre of each panel. Then do the horizontal middle, top and bottom stiles, smoothing out any drips from the panels as you go. Finally do the 2 vertical stiles so that it smooths out the edges of the horizontal ones, if that makes sense.

I would use acrylic eggshell.

Ideally seal the bottom of the door with paint before it is hung to prevent swelling.

Check for drips on back of door before cleaning up. There are always drips!
I would use a Matt finish too ( question of style) but satin is much sturdier and will not need as frequent repainting.

Yes, white primed doors although now grubby with marks after they've been fitted!

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I'm going to attempt to take the handles off and paint them myself. I've also watched a YouTube video where the guy shows you how to paint the bottom of the door with a paint pad (nifty).

Now I just need to decide what paint to go for (any opinions on Little Greene or Farrow & Ball or Zinsser??). Although I need to get a move on as one of the doors is for my bathroom so I'm a bit worried about it getting moisture on it with only a primer to protect it!

Also for everyone mentioning drips, would you just use a light swipe with a brush to get rid of them?

It's really easy, I did ours. Be frugal with the paint, if you slip it on it'll get messy and you'll get loads of drips

would it be better to paint them before they are hung so you can do the top and underneath more easily?

It definitely would have if I didn't realise last night that I needed to do this and had a carpenter come round today to fit them. But I think it should be relatively easy to paint the tops and bottoms using the hack in this YouTube video I watched.

Does anyone know how long I have until I absolutely need to paint the bathroom door? I'm still dithering about which paint to get but I don't want the door to get messed up as it's only got a primer on it. It's a solid door rather than one of those cheap hollow ones if it makes a difference?