How to Paint a Stained Door & Repair Cracks

Removing Finish

• 1

  Remove the door from its hinges, and remove hardware from the door, including the doorknob, door knocker and hinge brackets. Use a screwdriver. Set aside the hardware to put it back later.

• 2

  Lay a tarp on the ground, and place a sawhorse at each end of the tarp. Lay the door over the two sawhorses. If no sawhorses are available, find a work table, or lean the door against a wall and work on it that way.

• 3

  Sand the door with a 60-grit sandpaper. This will remove any finish over the stain and the stain itself. Continue to sand the door with progressively finer grades of sandpaper (100-, then 150- and then 220-) in order to smooth the marks from the rougher sandpaper.

Painting the Door

• 4

  Tape the edges of any windows in the door, using painters tape.

• 5

  Prime the door. Use an angled sash brush to paint paneled areas and a flat brush to paint flat areas. If the door is flat, use a roller. Exterior grade primer should be used for exterior doors. Allow the primer to dry.

• 6

  Fill any cracks with caulk or putty, and allow to dry.

• 7

  Sand and then prime the repaired cracks.

• 8

  Paint the door in your chosen color, and allow it to dry. Paint a second coat over the first coat if necessary. Continue to paint coats on the door until the finish is even — for some colors, this could take three or more coats.