Painting Doors on the Hinge

Place masking tape over the hinges so as to avoid splashing any paint onto them during the painting job. Do not remove the door hinges.

Sand any curved areas inside the door's panels using a sanding sponge.

Sand the rest of the door with a 120-grit sandpaper. Sand lightly, taking care not to sand through the door's existing finish.

Clean the entire door with a detergent mixture once you have completed sanding. Create this mixture by using only a few drops of dish washing liquid in warm water.

Wipe the door down with a damp cloth once you have finished cleaning it with the detergent. Wait for the door to completely dry before proceeding.

Use a Phillips screwdriver to loosen the door knob via the screws on the face plate that surrounds the knob. This will allow you to paint around the knob with more ease without having to go through the trouble of entirely removing it.

Close the door to find the hinge pins on the door hinges. These pins will be seen on only one side of your door. Begin painting on this side. If you are using a latex paint, add a "wet edge extender" additive to the paint to allow you more time to apply the paint to the hinged door before the paint dries.

Paint the other side of the door. Allow adequate time for drying before removing the tape on the hinges and tightening the screws back into place on the face plate surrounding the door knob.