Front Door Painting: Colour, Sheen and Sound Wood

A fresh colour on the front door does a lot for your house, and that is often where the question starts. But the lacquer is also the protection of the wood. If there is a crack in the coating, moisture is drawn in and the problem starts under the paint, where you cannot see it.

That is why we look at the door itself first and only then at the colour. We degrease, sand in progressively finer grits, prime bare spots, fill and seal the joints around the glazing beads. Then two top coats go on. That way a front door lasts years again, instead of one winter.

Around the lock there are fingers, keys and grease. At the bottom there is splashing water, and a bag or bike leaves marks too. How often it opens makes a difference, because the edges wear with every closing. If the door faces south or west, in Friesland it also gets the full wind, rain and sun.

A door under a canopy or in a porch lasts longer than a door flush in the facade. As a rule of thumb, opaque exterior paintwork lasts 6 to 8 years, but front doors and sills on the south-west come up sooner. You can read more about that at how often exterior painting is needed.

The bottom of the door and the sill are the weak spots. Peeling paint and open timber joints are a signal, and we probe suspect spots with a screwdriver to find soft wood. On a stable door in Langweer we worked the affected wood open back to sound wood, before the door went into Antique Green high gloss. For that kind of repair we work with Repair Care.

Sometimes inserting a piece is better or a part has to be replaced. We discuss that honestly, even if it is less work for us. How you can already see it yourself is covered at recognising wood rot. Painting over rotten wood is money thrown away.

With a front door people dare to choose a colour more often. Our red front door was green at first and got Sikkens Rubbol XD High Gloss. Going from a dark to a light colour or to red often costs an extra coat to cover evenly, because red in particular covers poorly on a dark substrate. We include that in the quote.

Anthracite RAL 7016 and black RAL 9005 are popular too. In high gloss they mirror beautifully, but every speck of dust and every flaw is visible, so the work is in the preparation. A black door in full sun also gets warmer, and the wood has to be able to cope with that.

Lock, letterbox, door handle and house number we remove where possible, otherwise we tape them off precisely. On a door with glass we tape the glazing beads with care, because that is where sloppy work goes wrong. Draught strips stay free, otherwise the door will stick to the frame later.

A front door has to close in the evening, and fresh lacquer and a closed door do not go together. That is why we plan the coats so that the door is dry enough to close in time. We also talk through security and a dog that wants to go outside beforehand, so you are not faced with surprises.

Outdoors we paint at a temperature of 5 to 30 degrees, humidity up to 85 percent and on a dry substrate. In practice the best season runs from spring into autumn, but a door is small enough to pick a good moment in between, especially in a sheltered spot. Cold and damp mainly slow the drying of the lacquer, and then dust sticks to it for longer. If in doubt, we postpone.

How it works in the cold months you can read at painting in winter. At the site visit we agree a period, and we tell you if the weather throws a spanner in the works.

• A photo of the whole door and the frame.
• Close-ups of the bottom, the sill and the glazing beads.
• The compass direction of the facade, or otherwise the street, then we look it up.
• Whether there is glass in it and what hardware is on it.
• The colour now, and what you want: the same colour or something different, high gloss or satin gloss.
• Whether the frame, fanlights or other doors are to be done too.

With those photos we can already see a lot, and at the site visit we really probe the bottom.

The condition of the wood, a colour change, glass and the sheen decide what it comes to. A door with glazing bars or panels takes more handwork than a flat door. At MJA you get a fixed price after the site visit, with what is done itemised. For a home two years old or more, Dutch VAT of 9 percent applies to painting work.

A freshly lacquered door in a dull frame stands out, and not in a good way. Many people therefore include the frame, fanlight and mouldings straight away. How that can look you can read at painting window frames and doors. In Bolsward we did exterior doors that way in Rubbol Satura 9010, with two coats of Primer Express underneath.

One door is not too small a job for us. Send a photo via the quote request or WhatsApp 06 3006 0558, and you get an answer from Mohamed personally. We come by, you get a fixed quote and at handover we check together that it is right.