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How To Set Up Doors To Be Painted

June 22, 2017 by emily 13 Comments

How to Set Up Doors to be Painted

For most people, painting isn’t such a fun job. It can be messy, and is a whole lot of work. What we have found is that proper setup can alleviate a lot of pain and stress during the painting process. We want to show you how to set up doors to be painted, so that when you go to actually paint the doors, the process goes smooth and fast. Setup will take some time here, so be prepared. I assure you it will be worth it in the end.

My parents purchased all new doors for the interior of their house. The six panel doors come primed and need to be painted white. We had 15 doors to paint, but this setup will work with any number of doors that you need to work on. It works best if you do have multiple doors to paint. I will tell you what we used for completing 15 doors, but you may need to adjust the amount of material for the number of doors you actually do.

What you will need:

1 roll of plastic sheeting  (more if you have a large space to protect from getting paint in your space)

  • (4) 16 ft 2×4s (we had old 2x3s on hand from another project, so that’s what we used)
  • (6) 10 ft 1×2s
  • 1 lb box of 2″ wood screws
  • Drill
  • 4 ft step ladder
  • 3 gallons semi-gloss white paint
  • airless paint sprayer (in our opinion it is worth it to rent one for the project, or purchase one if you plan on doing several paint projects)

Airless Paint Sprayer

You are ready to set up your doors for painting. Even if you decide to roll or brush paint the doors, this setup is still a good idea because it will hold your doors upright while you paint and allow the door to dry.

Begin by covering your area with some of the plastic sheeting. We did this in the garage to prevent wind and air from blowing the doors over, and to prevent things from getting stuck on our freshly painted surfaces. For hanging plastic around the garage walls, there are several options. Depending on what your surfaces are like, you may be able to staple the plastic directly to the sheetrock or any wooden structures you may have in your garage. We used tape to attach the plastic to the garage door rails.

2x3 runners

Now that your garage or space is protected, you are ready to set up the doors. On the covered ground,  lay 2 of your 2×4 runners flat,  about 30 inches apart, parallel like train tracks.

Setting up doors to be painted

This next step will require 2 people. One person will stand up the first door on top of the parallel 2×4 runners. Set it up at a slight angle. The second person, on the ladder, will stand up a second door about 8 ft away from the first door. Person number 1 will hand up the end of a 1×2, to person number 2. Each end will lay across the top of both doors. While on the ladder, have that person screw down the 1×2, to the top of the door. Then repeat with the other door. The doors should hold themselves up on their own. Now you are ready to put up more doors in between the two. We set them up at angles, and alternated the angle for every door, like an accordion. Leave 4 to 6 inches between the close end of each door, and about 30 inches between the wide end of each door. Attach the 1X2 above each door as you stand them up, and before moving on to the next door.

Setting up doors to be painted

The first row is now complete. If you have many doors to do like we did then you will need to repeat this process for another row. You can extend or add more rows as needed.

Painting doors with an airless sprayer

Because of the way the doors are angled and now held up, you can make your way around both sides of each door with the airless sprayer. Keith started with the front door and sprayed the front of each door as he made his way to the back of the garage. Then he turned around and sprayed the back sides of each door as he made his way back to the front of the garage. Let it dry somewhat, then give it a second coat and you’re done.

Once your doors are completely dry, you are ready to add the hinges, hang them, and add the remaining hardware. Voila!

I would love to see your paint job setup! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @shebuyshebuilds and use hashtag #buysnbuilds

Filed Under: DIY

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Comments

  1. Janna Goodman says

    February 22, 2015 at 3:52 am

    Wow–what a smart idea!

    Reply
  2. Sylvia Bailes says

    April 1, 2016 at 1:25 am

    Howdy! I simply want to give an enormous thumbs up for the good tips you’ve right here on this post.

    Reply
    • emily says

      April 4, 2016 at 4:27 pm

      Thank you, Sylvia!

      Reply
  3. jodes says

    September 15, 2017 at 8:44 pm

    do you sand them after you set this up?

    Reply
    • emily says

      January 16, 2018 at 6:35 am

      No, Jody. If the doors need to be sanded, it’s easier to do so before setting them up to be painted. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Bill says

        October 30, 2019 at 10:34 am

        Where is your approved mask – especially in an enclosed space. Your are vaporizing paint into the air and therefore into your lungs. Be safe.

        Reply
  4. John says

    March 14, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    We just did this last night with our doors. It worked really well! Make sure you have lighting set up to see all the surfaces before you start. It makes it go faster!

    Reply
    • emily says

      June 14, 2018 at 7:54 pm

      I’m so glad yours turned out well, John! That’s what we love it hear!

      Reply
  5. daniel jusin says

    March 28, 2018 at 8:42 am

    Thank you very much for this excellent information.!!!
    i really appreciated, keep it up !

    Reply
  6. Jonathan says

    October 15, 2018 at 7:34 pm

    Copied this idea. Worked out very well. Waited a few hours between coats. Definitely best to sand them before hanging them.

    Reply
    • emily says

      January 3, 2019 at 8:14 pm

      I’m so glad it worked well for you, Jonathan!

      Reply
  7. Greg says

    April 22, 2019 at 8:53 am

    Great but simple solution. Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Howard says

    August 18, 2020 at 12:37 pm

    What about knotting & priming tops of doors to a smooth finish so can be wiped or dusted
    Leading and back hinge edges
    Always better to Acrylic prime u/c
    faces of doors then denib ‘ and finish
    and yes ‘ where’s you face mask ?
    and plastic sheeting will get you in a right mess , use old dust sheets

    Reply

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Hi, and welcome to She Buys, He Builds. Keith and Emily are newlyweds who have waited a long time to find each other. We are combining a lifetime of different talents to share with you DIY tutorials, parenting in a blended family, crafting, home decor and more! We hope you will subscribe and stick around to share our journey with us!

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