Which paint is best for doors?

Answer 1

The door is a main focal point of any space and painting doors can have a dramatic effect on the overall look of a room's decor. Many doors see a lot of use and often abuse. Properly painting doors can take care of the scratches and dings from everyday life.

Painting interior doors can be accomplished with the door removed or still hanging. This depends on your skill level when cutting in with a paint brush, unpainted or previously painted and the overall condition of the door. Plus, will the door be sprayed or painted with a brush or roller?

All of these points and the doors style will influence all decisions made concerning painting doors.

Two general door styles exist, flat and paneled. Plus different types of materials can be used for their construction. Typically we encounter solid wood, solid Masonite and hollow core doors.

• New, unpainted, solid wood doors can be paneled or slab, smooth. All unpainted doors must receive a coat of primer prior to painting. Oil base enamel under coater works best, it sands smooth and accepts any type of finish paint.
• Solid Masonite doors are available in many styles but typically have the look of a smooth paneled door. Although usually pre-primed at the factory an additional coat of enamel under coater is recommended.
• Hollow core doors are very common and are either slab or paneled. Two different materials are used in their construction, wood veneer and Masonite. Wood veneer doors are typically a smooth slab, while Masonite is paneled, often has an embossed wood grain effect.

Answer 2

The best, and most readily available paint for interior use is latex (in Britain called emulsion).

With all paints, the higher the gloss factor the harder the finish. Harder finishes have the advantage of being easier to clean but have the disadvantage of showing imperfections in the surface.

Interior doors may be painted to match the walls, or painted the same color as the trim (baseboards, jambs and casings). The look is entirely up to the homeowner.

Doors painted the same color as the walls tend to be less obvious, while painting them the same as the trim saves the dilemma of "what will it look like if the door is open?"

Most people do not paint all the walls in a home the same color, choosing instead to use different colors in different rooms; in which case each side of the door is painted the same as the room it appears in when it is closed.

Trim can be painted to match the room it is in or a basic color throughout the house. Most frequently a bright white is used, however ivory (off white) or brown are also colors commonly used. Recently I had a client request black trim throughout the home and it was very dramatic.

As for gloss factors.

Doors should be, at the very least, a satin finish as they do pick up smudges, fingerprints and the signs of use. A satin finish will stand up to occasional washings with a mild soap and water. If you have small children or doors that get higher than usual traffic you may want to go up a level to semi-gloss, but esthetically I do not like the look.

Trim is best done in semi-gloss, as baseboards, window and door frame etc. are subject to bumping (brooms, mops and vacuums) and therefore more susceptible to chipping, scratching and other damage.

Answer 3

Interior semi-gloss or gloss enamel