Many people do not know how to properly prep an exterior door before they start painting it. As a result, the paint doesn’t look very good, and on top of that, it starts flaking and fading away very quickly. Within a few months, you will start noticing cracks on the exterior surface of the door, and smaller flakes will begin to fall off. Prepping an exterior door for painting is the most important stage. Anyone can paint the door, but very few people know how to actually prepare it before starting the painting process. Here are a few tips on how you can prep the exterior door for painting.

Take Off the Hinges

Painting a door that’s fixed on its hinges is a bad idea. There’s a big risk that some of the paint will splatter on to the door frames as well. Get a helper to hold the door as you unscrew the hinges carefully. You have to work patiently to remove all of the hinges and then take the door and place it in an open area. Next, you need to cover the handle (or remove it altogether if you know how). Make sure that you cover any additional hardware on the door with a two-inch blue painter’s tape, at least, to ensure that there’s no splattering on it later on.

You need to lay the door flat on the floor, support it with chairs, or lay it on a sawhorse. It’s important that you use drop cloths to protect the floor and the chairs. Do not use your dining chairs or lounge chairs, as the risk of splattering is pretty high. A drop cloth is also important as removing paint from carpet and other materials can cause damage.

Removing the Doorknobs

Even though most people prefer covering the hardware on the door with painter’s tape, it’s better if you remove the doorknobs and any other hardware altogether. To do this, you should take a small screwdriver and carefully unscrew the locks. Make sure that the door is unlocked before gently removing the door lock from its frame. Do not apply a great deal of force, as there’s a high risk of scraping the indentations and causing damage.

Removing Dirt and Grease

The exterior door is exposed to environmental elements throughout the year and becomes quite dirty over time. In order to get a smooth paint finish, you have to make sure that you remove the oils, dirt, and grease that has become lodged on the surface of the door. To do this, you first need to mix a mild TSP solution. You might need to purchase a degreaser as well if you notice a lot of grease on the door. Before you start working, it’s important that you put on gloves and goggles. Taking such safety measures is important when working with chemical solutions. Chipped paint or bumps on the door surface need to be smooth before you paint; you can achieve this by using a 180 grit sandpaper.