How To Gloss A Door

Ok I will start with a door from scratch.First what we want to do is lay down some drop sheets or a bit of cardboard to cover the floor. I find it best to put a bit of cardboard under the door and then lay a small drop sheet around it. Then you want to get some good primer or you can use undercoat and thin it down a good bit, You can use either oil based or water based paint, The water based paints available nowadays are pretty good, but sometimes I find they will not cover as well as oil based paints, so it might mean you have to put on an extra coat of paint to get the coverage of an oil based paint. Also water based paint will dry quicker.

Generally I will use a 2 inch or 2.5 inch brush to prime the door. First I will dust the door down and then apply the primer, starting with the edges first, always start with the edges, then paint the panels of the door and last the main face of the door.

When this is done we will then fill the door with either Caulk or a good brand of filler. If you are filling with caulk you will want to make sure you sand the door first before you apply it as the sanding will pull the chalk out. If you are using filler fill first and then sand. Ok this part is nearly the most important part to get right as if not done correctly it will destroy the door. Give the door a really good sanding take you time, and make sure the door feels really smooth to touch with you hands when finished sanding.

We will then give the door a really good dusting down. And apply the undercoat, Do not buy cheap undercoat, I find the cheaper brands don’t cover as well and can go off colour very quick. So again with a 2 inch brush apply the paint this time. Lay the paint of with the direction or the wood grain, which will usually be vertically.

Tip: When laying of your paint, brush the paint out horizontally first to cover and then gently lay of the paint with the brush, when laying off the less your brush and the lighter your brush the less chance of brush marks.

What you want to do now is get a very fine bit of sand paper and gently sand the door; this is only to remove any specs of dirt. All you main sanding should have been done after the priming so this is just a very quick rub. When that is done. Lift your sheets shake them out and then Hoover up around you and dust and Hoover the door, we do not want any dust. Then lay down your cardboard and sheets again. When glossing do not use a cheap brush as it will just destroy the door, buy a decent brand. 

So now using a good 2 inch brush; apply your gloss starting always with the edges. When applying gloss it has a tendency to run a lot more so only apply little bits at a time. When you are finished applying the gloss let the door dry and then very gently sand the door with very fine sand paper. This should only take 10-15 seconds. Dust down the door and put on the final coat of gloss, and that is it job done. Come back every 5 mins for 2 hours to check for runs