Practice Door Finished, Now Ready to Paint!

So, I finished with a practice door. Primed two coats with PrepRite Bonding Primer by Sherwin Williams (latex!), and two coats of the Pro Classic Satin in Casa Blanca. Dave was a bit worried that the color is too light (even after making practice boards out of foam-core poster board and oak paneling). I think it was because it was a real door, and it looked SO DIFFERENT from the oak- stained doors up now. Linda came back over on an emergency color consult and agreed that the color was right. Dave agrees, too. Plus, the glazing techniques need to be perfected- too much looks terrible, and too little isn't enough. I'll get it figured out.

I found that raising the door on a shirtbox plus a wooden platform make of 2x2 inch squares of MDF allows for the edge of the doors to be painted most easily.

So, the technique I finally decided on is:

1. Wash with a mild degreaser, plus a final wash with ivory dishsoap, rinse well, and dry well.

2. Apply Liquid Sander

3. First coat of primer when the liquid sand is dry. Apply with a 4" foam roller or a Wooster Pro-Doo Z (I prefr these as they hold a bit more paint), back brush with a corona cortex or Excalibur (my favorite!) brush at a wide angle. Let dry 4 hours. Reprime. Dry 8 hours. Lightly sand/buff with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Vacuum, and use a damp cloth as a tack cloth, and repeat a few times to remove ALL DUST!

4. Apply first coat of Pro Classic with same rollers (I will use a tiny one for the outside panel to avoid drips), back brush, let dry 8 hours. Lightly sand with 240 grit in a circular pattern, vacuum, tack cloth. Then apply final coat.

5. Mix 1 part paint (I forgot the color) with 4 parts latex glaze. Apply with a fine artists brush in the crevices of the door (or see our newest technique a few posts up). Wipe with paper towel to desired density.

6. Let the doors cure for 72 hours before re-hanging.

Here are pictures of my primer coat, my box/MDF setup, and the glaze choices on a finished door. Countertop sample and hardware are on the door to get a better idea of how it will all look together.