Steel Entry Door Painting

13 years ago

I'm in need of some advice...again. We are (hopefully)in the final days of preparation before putting our house on the market. We installed two factory primed prehung steel entry doors. My paint job on the front door is horrible. There is no way I can leave it as is. The finish in some areas are dull looking as the paint sort of made a skin that left a texture. Granted I may have gotten too excited to put a third coat on and should have let the first two to cure a bit longer. I did wait a couple of hours before attempting the third coat. It was in the upper 90's with relatively low humidity that day. The paint was drying awfully quick. Anyway, I've waited almost two weeks to sand and start over. The paint still peels up (I understand it can take about a month to cure) but want to make sure I can go ahead and lightly sand and try to fix this mess. I need to get it done this weekend as Wednesday is my target day to list the house. I did use Martha Stewart from HD, exterior semi-gloss in black.

Thanks again for any advice!!

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Comments (3)

paintguy22
13 years ago
Black should cover very well....why would you do 3 coats? Also, what do you mean that the paint 'peels up'? I doubt that this is a curing issue after two weeks. It could very well be that the Martha Stewart paint is just simply garbage paint. Not only that, black is going to be the hardest color to apply on a steel door with any brand if the paint is latex. If you paint in direct sun or on a hot day, this will just make things more difficult. If you have peeling paint on the door now or areas that were pulled off because the paint has already started to set, then simply applying more paint over this probably will not work....black shows everything.
bleigh
Original Author
13 years ago
The first two coats were pretty thin and it needed a third. The door was open into the foyer when I painted so it was not in direct sunlight. The front porch is covered and the door does not get direct sunlight when closed. If I lightly scratch the surface with my fingernail, the paint comes off. What type of paint should I be using if not latex? I have done a bit of research and found latex to be the most recommended. Any suggestions for what I should do to correct my mistakes??
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bleigh
Original Author
13 years ago
Called the manufacturer and got the proper instructions. The molding around the window must be lightly sanded and a coat bonding primer painted on prior to painting. Cleaning the door with mineral spirits before painting is a must as the oils from the hands of those handling the doors can effect the paint from adhering properly. SO, that's why some areas of the steel area flake off and other don't. It was just too good to be true...something prepped and ready to go. Oh, well, it's a learning lesson for the next time we decide to replace a door : ) . Hope this can help someone else...