Easy Process Of Painting A Steel Door To Look Like Wood
Prime the steel door using a rust-proof primer before applying a base coat of the lightest wood shade. Make the grain color using a darker paint as well as a clear glaze. Rather than swapping out a steel door for a wooden one, it is important to work with what you have. Simply give the door a faux wood-grain finish using paint. Any type of steel door, including a garage door, can receive the faux bois treatment.
Thing's You Will Need
- Painter's Tape
- Latex Enamel Paint In 2 Wood Shades
- Paint Trays & Paintbrushes
- Scrap Cardboard & Stir Stick
- Wood-Grain Rocker Tool & Rags
Step 1: Preparing The Working Area
- First of all, put down a dropcloth on the ground near the door before taping the door frame as well as hardware with the help of a painter's tape in order to safeguard it from primer and paint. If you are comfortable pulling out the door handle, then you can pull it to make the painting process easy & simple.
- Now, smoothly sand a previously painted door in order to make the door more receptive to primer. If the door is new, then it is important to clean it with the help of a mild degreasing household cleaner before wiping it clean with the help of a damp cloth.
- Next, prime the door with the help of a rust-resistant latex primer, regardless of whether the door is new or not and has been primed at the factory. Use an exterior primer if in case the part of the door getting the faux-wood treatment faces outdoors. Give the primer some time in order to dry completely.
Step 2: Choosing Paint Colors
If you are looking to create a fake wood finish, then you will need two latex enamel wood colors as well as a clear latex glaze or acrylic sealer. Select exterior paints when it comes to an exterior surface and interior paints when it comes to a project area facing the inside of the home. In order to determine ideal wood shades, you need to examine an image or an actual piece of your favorite type of wood. Select the lighter background wood color as the base coat color for the door. The second, darker color creates the grain, as soon as you mix it with a clear glaze or sealer.
Step 3: Protect With Tape & Paint The Base Color
Now, protect any areas you missed previously, including the edges of windows within the door, with the help of a painter's tape in order to keep them paint-free. Pour some of the light base colors into a paint tray before painting the door completely with the help of a paintbrush. If the door has raised panels, then you need to apply the paint in the direction that you prefer for the faux wood grain, due to the fact that this way any visible brush strokes will add to the grain effect.
Step 4: Paint A Cardboard Scrap & Create The Grain Glaze
For practice, paint various pieces of scrap cardboard in the same base color that you are planning to use. Allow both the door as well as the cardboard to dry entirely. Pour some of the darker wood color as well as an equal amount of glaze or clear sealant into a fresh paint tray, mixing them together. Test the color by soaking the tip of a brush into it before brushing straight lines over the cardboard. Add more paint in order to make the mixture more opaque or more of the clear additive in order to make the mixture more translucent.
Step 5: Applying The Grain Glaze & Continue Creating The Grain
Now, apply a layer of the grain glaze mixture over one area of the door in the direction that you prefer for the faux grain effect. Drag either a dry paintbrush or a wood-grain rocker tool through the wet glaze to create the look of the grain. Wipe the brush or tool off on a rag after each pass in order to prevent blobs of dark glaze on the door. Apply more of the grain glaze in an adjacent area, making sure to brush in the same direction again for a consistent wood-grain look. Drag the paintbrush or grain rocker tool along the glaze again. Continue as long as the entire door is covered. Allow the glaze to dry completely before you touch the door.