Peeling Exterior Door Paint

[ssmjlm]

I'm not finding a ton in my google search.

We had the window replaced in our door going from the house to the screen porch because it had failed and water got inside.

The guy doing the replacement wasn't great and ended up doing a really bad job removing the old window, causing paint to peel at the top and bottom.  It was last spring, so I let it sit because pollen and humidity don't make for painting outside.

But I really need to address this.  I've read conflicting things from scrape what you can and patch.  To sand the whole thing down, prime and paint.

Unfortunately two spots are not small at all.

[simpsongal]

What material is the door itself? i.e., The part that you're painting?

You could probably get away w/just priming and painting, but you'll likely see edges and evidence of the peeled paint. Sanding should help level it out. Then I would use a good primer and then paint. Pick a crisp fall day and time w/o rain (if possible) so it has time to properly cure. Luckily you're entering the best season for painting!

[SusanBAnthony]

I would sand it down until you get to a place where the paint is not peeling. Then de-gloss (wipe with a solvent, IPA or acetone would work), then prime, then paint.

[ssmjlm]

Sept 22, 2021 7:41:13 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

What material is the door itself? i.e., The part that you're painting?

You could probably get away w/just priming and painting, but you'll likely see edges and evidence of the peeled paint. Sanding should help level it out. Then I would use a good primer and then paint. Pick a crisp fall day and time w/o rain (if possible) so it has time to properly cure. Luckily you're entering the best season for painting!

I'm pretty sure it's a metal exterior door.  Just your basic patio door with the window in the middle.

[orval]

I would also sand, prime, paint. I would check with whatever paint store you use as to what is the best paint to use. THey may not have used the proper type for the surface.

[simpsongal]

ssmjlm, metal is good, should adhere better than vinyl type doors. Ditto light sanding, cleaning for adhesion and good primer + paint. Sorry, I know it's a lot of work - use a good brush like Purdy and try to keep the lap marked in the right direction for the "grain" - I think hand painted doors look way better than rolled.

[ssmjlm]

Sept 22, 2021 9:49:02 GMT -5 orval said:

I would also sand, prime, paint. I would check with whatever paint store you use as to what is the best paint to use. THey may not have used the proper type for the surface.

I have a sneaking suspicion that if I wanted to, I could probably peel all the paint off the door.  While I loved our builder and our house, the painter definitely did not do things how I personally do.

I'm toying with trying to peel it all off, prime, and paint.  Our doors are Naval by SW, so I would rather do a dark primer for good adhesion and then paint.

[ssmjlm]

The update no one asked for, but after more research and I even emailed a DIY blogger I trust (not YHL, lol), we peeled off all the paint today.

It was like peeling wallpaper from an old house where it just came off like butter. We had to scrape/heat gun some small sections, but it was 10x easier than trying to sand, patch, prime, and paint.