We speak as professional DIYers *irony*: >We are currently in the learning phase where everything always ends up being much more expensive than expected, and online research doesn’t necessarily provide realistic prices – or does it?
“Problem”: We probably underestimated the cost for interior doors, at least if we want to buy them locally in stores instead of online. The dimensions are standard, 3 times 198.5x86 cm (78.1x33.9 inches) and 2 times 198.5x73 cm (78.1x28.7 inches).
The current doors are 22 years old, still in good condition apart from the door handles, but they have an orange tint that we don’t like visually. The existing laminate flooring (also brownish-orange) matches the doors but probably no longer fits our idea of a new floor.
The owner once suggested the idea of only replacing the door panels, but then the frames would not match the color of the doors anymore, right? We want white door panels or doors in a light wood finish.
Anyway, based on some online research, we thought that for about 120 euros (around $130), you could definitely get good door panels, especially since there are appealing doors online for around 70 euros (about $75) at first glance.
In a local specialist store, we nearly had a heart attack, as even the simplest white doors including the frame and handle barely cost less than 500 euros (about $540).
Or were we simply looking in an overpriced store?
We cannot replace frames ourselves. We have a trained carpenter among our acquaintances who once agreed to help us. We initially thought that replacing 5 door frames, door panels, and handles would take about 2 hours? Probably another miscalculation?
If we were to have the doors fully installed by a professional, based on your experience, what would be a rough estimate for 5 doors?
We originally didn’t want to order online because we thought: the doors might not fit afterward, complaints and returns might be much more complicated than buying locally, sometimes extremely high shipping costs, etc. But since these are basically standard sizes, given the local prices and our miscalculation, we are now uncertain whether we should consider ordering doors, frames, and so on online after all?
“Problem”: We probably underestimated the cost for interior doors, at least if we want to buy them locally in stores instead of online. The dimensions are standard, 3 times 198.5x86 cm (78.1x33.9 inches) and 2 times 198.5x73 cm (78.1x28.7 inches).
The current doors are 22 years old, still in good condition apart from the door handles, but they have an orange tint that we don’t like visually. The existing laminate flooring (also brownish-orange) matches the doors but probably no longer fits our idea of a new floor.
The owner once suggested the idea of only replacing the door panels, but then the frames would not match the color of the doors anymore, right? We want white door panels or doors in a light wood finish.
Anyway, based on some online research, we thought that for about 120 euros (around $130), you could definitely get good door panels, especially since there are appealing doors online for around 70 euros (about $75) at first glance.
In a local specialist store, we nearly had a heart attack, as even the simplest white doors including the frame and handle barely cost less than 500 euros (about $540).
Or were we simply looking in an overpriced store?
We cannot replace frames ourselves. We have a trained carpenter among our acquaintances who once agreed to help us. We initially thought that replacing 5 door frames, door panels, and handles would take about 2 hours? Probably another miscalculation?
If we were to have the doors fully installed by a professional, based on your experience, what would be a rough estimate for 5 doors?
We originally didn’t want to order online because we thought: the doors might not fit afterward, complaints and returns might be much more complicated than buying locally, sometimes extremely high shipping costs, etc. But since these are basically standard sizes, given the local prices and our miscalculation, we are now uncertain whether we should consider ordering doors, frames, and so on online after all?
Smooth out small recesses and grooves before painting the large surface area. It’s best to use a small round brush for this.
Afterwards, roll the paint over the main surface. This prevents raised edges caused by applying paint twice. Also, paint the edges all around first, then the door leaves.
I always have both a square brush and a round brush on hand—sometimes one works better than the other.
For the large surfaces, use a foam roller and always paint in the direction of the grain. Move the roller up and down, applying the paint smoothly, meaning you lift the roller while rolling without pressing it down too hard. You’ll notice if you use the wrong technique.
I always clean with paint stripper and use a primer as a base coat.
For beginners, I would recommend acrylic paint instead, as @Nordlys mentioned. It’s easier to work with, usually dry after 4 hours, and can be recoated. Everything can be cleaned up with water.
Regards, Yvonne
Afterwards, roll the paint over the main surface. This prevents raised edges caused by applying paint twice. Also, paint the edges all around first, then the door leaves.
I always have both a square brush and a round brush on hand—sometimes one works better than the other.
For the large surfaces, use a foam roller and always paint in the direction of the grain. Move the roller up and down, applying the paint smoothly, meaning you lift the roller while rolling without pressing it down too hard. You’ll notice if you use the wrong technique.
I always clean with paint stripper and use a primer as a base coat.
For beginners, I would recommend acrylic paint instead, as @Nordlys mentioned. It’s easier to work with, usually dry after 4 hours, and can be recoated. Everything can be cleaned up with water.
Regards, Yvonne
About the paints: Whether to use acrylic, PU, or alkyd is a matter of preference. In my experience, acrylic dries too quickly, and the orange peel texture does not smooth out after rolling. My brother, a professional painter, applies everything with a flat brush and manages to get a smooth finish even with acrylic— I cannot.
Primer: You can use it. Then you only need to paint once because the primer already provides the white base color. However, it is no longer absolutely necessary. The paint grips well into the pores of the sanded surface and adheres firmly. The second coat of solvent-based paint will at least slightly dissolve the first coat and bond with it, ensuring adhesion as well.
Otherwise, not all but many roads lead to Rome...
Primer: You can use it. Then you only need to paint once because the primer already provides the white base color. However, it is no longer absolutely necessary. The paint grips well into the pores of the sanded surface and adheres firmly. The second coat of solvent-based paint will at least slightly dissolve the first coat and bond with it, ensuring adhesion as well.
Otherwise, not all but many roads lead to Rome...
Winniefred22 Mar 2017 10:12How would you proceed if the door is painted? We have a door in the house that could theoretically still be saved, but it has been painted over many times. Maybe someone knows a "simple" way to remove this paint?
Winniefred22 Mar 2017 11:04Having the children do the decorating might actually be a good idea... I will give that some thought!
Unfortunately, the door also has a poorly installed glass panel. I will need to look into how to reverse that since it is a bedroom after all.
Unfortunately, the door also has a poorly installed glass panel. I will need to look into how to reverse that since it is a bedroom after all.
Stripping with stain remover: Place the door outside on two sawhorses in the sun, apply a thick, very thick coat of stain remover, cover the wet stain with cling film, and leave it in the sun for about 45 minutes. Then remove the cling film, and with a scraper, the old paint comes off easily. Remove any residue with water. It’s effective, but quite messy.
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