How to Paint a Front Door (Timber Doors)

Pick a dry, mild day, remove or mask the ironmongery, then clean and sand the door and prime any bare wood. Follow with an undercoat and one or two topcoats of exterior gloss or satin, painting the panels first and the outer stiles last.

This guide from PDS Painting Birmingham covers timber front doors only. It sets out the preparation, the order of work that gives a professional finish, and how to time the coats so the door can be closed and locked the same day.

Before You Start: Is Your Door Timber?

This method is for wooden doors. uPVC, composite and metal doors need different products and their manufacturer’s guidance, and they aren’t covered here. We paint timber doors only. If you’re not sure, look at the top or bottom edge of the door, where bare or painted timber is usually easy to see.

What You Need

• A screwdriver to remove the letterbox, knocker and handles
• Sugar soap, a sponge and clean water
• A sanding block with medium and fine abrasive paper
• A scraper for flaking paint
• Exterior wood filler and a filling knife
• Knotting solution
• Exterior primer and undercoat
• Exterior paint - see our guide to gloss or satin for exterior woodwork
• A good 2-inch brush, plus a smaller brush for mouldings
• Masking tape for glass
• Door wedges and a dust sheet

Preparing a Wooden Front Door

Preparation is what makes a front door finish last through British winters, so give it the time.

1. Remove the ironmongery. Take off the letterbox, knocker, handles and any house numbers. If something won’t come off, mask it carefully. Bag the screws so nothing goes missing.
2. Wash it down. Clean the whole door with sugar soap to remove dirt and traffic grime, then rinse with clean water and let it dry.
3. Scrape loose paint. Scrape off anything flaking or blistered, back to a firm edge.
4. Sand to a key. Sand the whole door to dull the old paint, and feather the edges of any scraped areas so they don’t show through. Dust off thoroughly.
5. Fill dents and open joints. Use exterior wood filler, slightly proud, then sand flush once hard. Pay attention to the bottom rail and joints, where water gets in.
6. Treat knots. Apply knotting solution to any exposed knots so resin doesn’t bleed through the new paint.
7. Spot-prime bare wood with exterior primer.
8. Mask any glass with tape, leaving a hair’s width of glass showing so the paint seals onto it.

Old Doors and Lead Paint

Front doors on houses built before the 1960s may carry old lead paint under newer coats. Use a lead test kit before sanding. If it’s present, don’t dry-sand it or burn it off - follow the current guidance on old lead paint on GOV.UK and from the Health and Safety Executive, and keep children and pregnant people away from the work.

Painting a Panelled Door in the Right Order

Painting a panelled door in the right order keeps wet edges from drying where they’ll show, and leaves every brush stroke running with the grain. Work through the door like this:

1. Mouldings - the shaped edges around each panel.
2. Panels - fill each panel, brushing in the direction of its grain.
3. The muntin - the central vertical piece between the panels.
4. The rails - top, middle and bottom horizontal pieces, brushing across the full width of the door.
5. The stiles - the two outer verticals, brushing top to bottom along their full length.
6. The edges and frame - finish with the door edges, then the frame.

On each piece, brush the paint on, spread it evenly, then lay it off with light strokes along the grain using the tips of a nearly empty brush. Where a rail meets a stile, brush cleanly across the joint so the stroke direction changes at the joint line.

A brush gives the most traditional finish, but on a flush door or the flat faces of large panels you can apply the paint with a small foam or short-pile mini roller, then lay it off with a brush along the grain. That speeds things up and gives a thinner, more even coat. Mouldings and edges still need a brush.

Watch the corners of each panel - paint gathers in the mouldings and runs a few minutes later. Go back and check each panel after you’ve moved on, and brush out any sags while the paint is still wet.

For the edges, a common convention is to paint the lock edge in the outside colour, as that’s the edge seen from outside when an inward-opening door is open, and the hinge edge in the inside colour. Whichever approach you choose, keep it consistent with the other doors in the house.

Coats, Drying and Getting the Door Shut the Same Day

A front door can’t be left open overnight, so timing matters more here than anywhere else in the house.

Start early on a dry, mild day. Quick-drying water-based exterior paints can often be recoated within a few hours, so primer, undercoat and topcoat can be spread over one or two days with the door closed in between. Oil-based paints usually need leaving overnight between coats. Check our guide to how long paint takes to dry between coats, and follow your tin.

Plan the coats over two or more days if you need to. Paint the edges first so they have the longest to dry, and close the door between coats once it’s touch dry. If it sticks against the frame, close it gently rather than forcing it tight shut, and ease it open carefully the next morning.

Don’t refit draught excluders or tight seals until the paint has hardened.

Choosing a Front Door Colour

Victorian and Edwardian terraces and villas suit deep, traditional colours - dark green, navy, black, oxblood or deep red. Lighter and brighter colours work well on later houses, as long as they sit comfortably with the brick or render around them.

Dark colours absorb more heat, which matters on south-facing doors in full sun. Some paints aren’t designed for very dark shades on sunny elevations, so check the paint maker’s advice before committing.

Before committing, paint a sample onto a piece of card or lining paper and tape it to the door. Look at it in the morning and evening light for a couple of days - door colours often look darker and cooler outside than on a colour chart.

If the house is listed or in a conservation area, there may be rules or guidance on door colours and finishes. Check with the council before you change it.

Common Front Door Painting Mistakes

• Painting in damp or cold weather. The paint won’t dry properly and can bloom or blister.
• Painting over flaking paint. The new coat lifts with the old.
• Skipping knotting. Resin bleeds through as brown stains, sometimes months later.
• Thick coats on mouldings. They sag and run at panel corners.
• Painting the hinges and weatherstrip. It cracks and stops the door sealing.
• Closing the door too soon. It sticks to the frame and tears the new paint.

When to Get a Decorator to Paint Your Front Door

Our timber window and door painting in Birmingham service suits doors that are badly weathered, have lots of mouldings or glazing bars, or need matching to the frames and windows around them. It also helps when you can’t have the door out of action for long, because we plan coats and drying around keeping the house secure.

We paint timber front doors, frames and windows across Birmingham, and every quote is written after we’ve seen the door. Call 0121 752 9229 to arrange a visit.

Related Guides

• Paint finishes explained - gloss, satin and the other sheens compared.
• How to clean your brushes afterwards - looking after brushes after oil-based and water-based paint.
• Masonry and render painting - painting the walls around the door.

There are more painting and decorating guides for other parts of the house.