The answers in this Article, have been tried, tested, and the answers are True
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Question: The steel door that was installed on my home many years ago, is starting to peel, the paint is nearly completely off, what can I do about this problem?
Answer: Go to any Hardware Store and buy yourself a can of Paint Remover, a can of Paint thinner, a spray can of Vinyl Wash Primer, and the color of finish Paint you want, again in a spray can. The Paint you will use on the outside of the door, should be Car Paint, and preferably high gloss, as high gloss Paints last longer.
Strip the paint off your door. Make sure you are using rubber gloves and safety glasses when handling the Paint Thinner and the Paint Remover. You really don't want to get either of these products in your eyes. As for the Paint Remover, it will burn your hands, if you don't wear rubber gloves. ( In case you get either product in your eyes, flush your eyes with plenty of cold water, and seek medical attention)
So now the paint is off your door, what's next? Wash it down with lots of Paint Thinner till all of the Paint Remover is completely removed. Lightly sand your steel door with 320 sanding paper, that can be purchased at any Automotive shop. Sand the door, using 320 sand paper, and then use a dry cloth, preferably cotton, or a Tack cloth till the door is completely dust free.
Now you will prime your door using the Vinyl Wash Primer. This Primer is very thin, like using water, so hold your can at least 12 inches from the door, which should be laying down on whatever you can find to hold it, and not impair you from painting it. Spray on two even coats of the Vinyl Wash Primer and let stand for 12 hours in the sun if possible.
The next step is to sand the Wash Primer, but you have to use very fine sandpaper. You can use 1000 plus grit sandpaper to sand the Vinyl Wash Primer. Lightly sand the Primer till the gloss is gone and stop, you don't want to sand it off only to have to put it on again. Again, wipe the wash primer with a clean dry cloth or a Tack Cloth, if you can find one. After doing this same procedure on both sides of the door, you are ready to put the Finish coats of Paint on your door.
Now it's time to stand your door upright. The reason you are doing this is because Spray Cans tend to drop paint out of the nozzle, and you don't want paint drops to ruin your perfect painting job. If the door has a Window in it, you might want to cover it with newspaper and lots of tape to make sure no paint gets on the Window.
Your next step is to apply your finish coat of Spray Paint in long even coats, back and forward about 8 to 10 inches from the door. To avoid over-spray, apply wet coats of paint, always overlapping the last coat of paint you just applied. When the paint has had a chance to dry, about 30 minutes on a hot day, apply your second coat of paint, this time going up and down the door, in case you missed something with the application of the first coat of Finish Paint. Again, wait another 30 minutes and apply your last coat of Finish Paint. This time you will use the same strokes as you did with the first coat of paint, assuring yourself of a painted door, with no streaks, no misses, and hopefully no drops of unwanted paint. Since you can only paint one side at a time hopefully you have Plastic of some kind to put in the door way, as you won't be able to apply anymore paint till at least 24 hours, depending on how hot it is outside, and the amount of Humidity in the air, as the thinner in the Finish paint has to come out from the paint or it won't dry completely, and become hard.
The next day you can repeat the process mentioned above.
This process also works for wooden doors, such as Garage Doors, but you have to apply more coats of Vinyl Wash Primer till the wood color, is completely Yellow or Green depending on the color of your Wash Primer, as it comes in two colors. Yellow, and Green.
To purchase Vinyl Wash Primer you may have to go to a Specialty Paint Store, as not all Paint stores carry this product. Too bad, as Vinyl Wash Primer, is probably the best primer, on the market today. Please remember, that while it's a good primer, this is its only use, priming something, and not to be used for a top coat as it won't last in wet weather if it's not carrying a top coat of some- kind.
On a closing note, you could use the above process for painting small chips or dents on your car, but only use the Spray Paint made for your car. Usually, you can find this paint at any car Dealership, and if they don't have it, they can order it for you. The only difference in the Painting Process described above, is the year of your car. In the Sixties, Seventies, and a part of the Eighties, they didn't use Base Coat, Clear Coat, so you might want to check with the Dealer of your Car to see that you are using the right paint to do the job you want to do in any repairs, you make to your car. With your car you won't use Paint Removers, and you have to wash your paint before you can sand it. Go to the Dealer who sells your make of Car and find out what components you may need to wash the wax off your car, before you prime it. The rest, the sanding and primers remain the same.
Happy Painting.
