How Do You Stop Doors From Sticking With Fresh Paint?

Painting your doors is a quick, inexpensive way to update the look and feel of your home’s interior and exterior. It’s a relatively simple process, but in some cases, the doors may stick to the door jamb once you’ve completed painting. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent this from happening.

Stop doors from sticking with fresh paint by painting when it’s warm and sunny with low humidity. Remove any current sticking points using a jack plane. Prep the door by covering the hinges, knobs, and sanding and priming the door. Paint the door one day and the jamb on the next day.

How Do You Stop Doors From Sticking With Fresh Paint?

It’s frustrating when a door sticks immediately after painting. Not only that, but it can cause the paint to chip and peel, ruining your hard work. In this article, we’ll cover a few ways that you can help prevent your doors from sticking after applying fresh paint.

* This article may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

1. Choose the Best Time to Paint

Before painting your doors, check the weather forecast in your area.

Schedule your painting job on a day that’s warm and sunny with low humidity.

Do not paint the door on rainy days or during humid weather.

This slows down the paint drying process and could facilitate the sticking of doors, especially if you rush the procedure.

The best time to paint the door is early in the morning so that you have plenty of time for the door to dry.

2. Prepare the Door for Painting

We always hear that preparation is vital, and this is especially true when it comes to painting.

For a successful paint job that lasts long, you need to prepare your door by doing the following:

  1. Cover the door hinges and handles. If you are not planning to remove the hinges and the door handles while painting, it’s advisable to cover them. You can use painter’s tape for this.
  2. Protect your floors. If you’ve ever painted a room, you likely know that it’s difficult to avoid spillage, especially if you’re not a professional. Therefore, remember to cover your floor and any items near your painting area, such as furniture. You can use newspaper, drop cloths, plastic, or any other protective material for this purpose.
  3. Remove sticking points. If your door is already sticking even before you begin your paint job, you need to remedy that first. You will need a jack plane for this. The jack plane helps smoothen the sticky areas and ensures the door fits in the frame.
  1. Sand the door. Remove the door from the hinges beforehand. Sanding down the door removes any existing paint so that it can be primed and repainted. You can choose to use an electric sander or regular sandpaper. An electric sander is faster than sandpaper and provides a more even finish. Remember to use safety glasses and a dust mask — and don’t forget the edges of the door!
  2. Prime the door. Priming the door helps the paint to stick better and also discourages stains. The process of priming the door involves:
  • Cleaning the door with a damp cloth to remove the dust from sanding.
  • Using wood filler to even out any dents on the door.
  • Applying the primer to the door evenly.

Allow the primer to dry before painting.

3. Apply the Paint

After the primer application, apply the oil-based exterior paint (for exterior doors) or interior paint (for interior doors).

  1. Lay the door down flat onto a protected working area.
  2. Paint the front of the door.
  3. Let the paint dry (it takes approximately 24 hours for oil-based paint to dry and 4 hours for latex paint).
  4. Paint the back of the door and allow it to dry.
  5. Paint the edges of the door, allowing them to dry completely.
  6. Apply more coats if required, and remember to re-sand between coats to remove bubbles.
  7. Ensure that the door is totally dry and not tacky to the touch.
  8. Re-attach the door to the hinges inside the door frame.

Ensure that you’re allowing each layer of paint to completely dry before adding a new layer.

If you add a new layer of paint before the other has finished drying, it will prevent the paint from drying properly, leading to doors that stick.

This is especially important for the top and bottom edges, as well as the sides.

Related article: Why Is My Spray Paint Not Sticking?

4. Use Wax Paper

Another way you can prevent stickiness from a freshly painted door is by using wax paper (Amazon link). Wax paper prevents stickiness between the door and the door jamb by creating a barrier between the two.

Prior to utilizing the wax paper, ensure the door dries for about 2 to 3 hours.

Place the wax paper between the two surfaces, and have the door closed for the day.

Utilizing the wax paper before the paint dries will ruin your paintwork.

Additional Useful Tips for Door Painting

  • Hand-sand the door after applying both the primer and the paint.
  • Oil-based paint takes about 6 to 8 hours to touch dry but remember to wait 24 hours to dry completely and apply a second coating.
  • Oil-based paint is durable, but it takes time to dry.
  • Latex paint takes one hour to touch dry and only four hours to prepare the second coat.
  • Latex paint dries faster, but it does not last long.
  • Foam rollers spread paint more evenly and efficiently than the brush. The brush leaves brush marks.
  • You can also rub a white candle over the edges of the door after the paint dries (only if you’re using white paint). The wax provides protection to the freshly painted door.

Conclusion

A painted door may stick to the frame for various reasons.

They include too much paint, improper fit, or maybe swelling due to humidity.

For this process to be successful, the door should be sanded, sealed, and painted cautiously.

You ought to ensure that the door is completely dry before you hang it back.

I hope this article was useful to you, cheers tools owners!

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Hi there! My name is Jack and I write for ToolsOwner. I have a passion for everything related to tools and DIY projects around the house. You often find me in my workshop working on new projects.