How to Prepare Steel Entry Doors for Painting
If you want your home to shine on the outside, repainting the entry door is a great way to wow guests. Before you begin painting, there are some important preparation steps you need to take to assure your door turns out beautiful. Preparing a steel entry door for painting is pretty simple to with some tools and cleaning items.
Items Needed:
- Masking tape
- Sandpaper
- Tarp
- Wash cloths
- Dish soap
- Hot water
- One-gallon bucket
- Bath towel
- Bondo
- Putty knife
- Squirt a tablespoon of dish soap into a one-gallon bucket and fill it with hot water.
- Dip a wash cloth into the bucket of hot soapy water and begin scrubbing down the entire door, including each side and all edges.
- Use a bath towel to dry the door.
- Analyze the entire door for scratches. Fill any scratches you see with the Bondo solution.
- Smooth or flatten the Bondo filled areas out with a putty knife, so that they’re even with the door. Let the Bondo dry for a couple hours before moving on to the next step.
- Sand down the entire door while moving the sandpaper up and down, not in circles.
- Wipe down the door once again with a wet wash cloth to rid the door of any sanding dust.
- Cover all of the hardware on the door using the masking tape. This includes any knockers, hinges, door knobs, latches, handles and anything else that you do not want to get paint on.
- Place a tarp in and around the door way and you may begin painting your steel entry door.