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Tips for Painting Your Interior Doors Black (Yes, We Cut Corners)

    I wrote a post about black interior doors not too long ago, and I wanted to share some tips here for achieving the look in as little effort as possible.

    Graphic reads "How to paint interior doors black" over a photo of a black door in a white bedroom with southwest decor.
    Photo by: @withmadisonaz

    Choosing a Finish for Black Door Paint

    Stop right there before you snag a can of semi-gloss ma’am! Particularly if you have old imperfect doors, or you aren’t a confident painter.

    Semi-gloss on black will show off every imperfection in the light!

    Satin finish would be my choice for painting doors in general, but especially dark ones.

    You could also choose flat (matte) but that can be a little more difficult to clean.

    How to DIY Black Interior Doors

    graphic of black Paint drips

    Prepping Your Doors for Paint

    First things first:

    • Clean your doors well. Warm water and vinegar will do the trick.

    I’ve learned from being a professional painter, that paint isn’t as picky as you might think. A basic cleaning is good enough. There’s no need to use alcohol or TSP. (Provided you aren’t dealing with heavy grease or nicotine.)

    green bucket of soapy water for cleaning with an orange cloth

    I like to use a basic microfiber cloth.

    • Sand if you need to

    This is up to your discretion. If you are dealing with previously DIY painted doors, you will probably see some areas that could be smoother.

    You will also want to sand if the previous finish is very glossy.

    Hand sanding a door with a green glove on

    I find the easiest way to sand is with an angled sanding sponge. This is a must-have if your doors have any bevels or crevices.

    • Wipe again (If you sanded)
    • You could at this point remove your doors from their hinges, but you and I both know you probably won’t do that. (Same, Sis.)

    If you do have a place to lay them flat, most DIYers wished that they had just done this from the beginning, but it’s up to you. If you are tackling this project alone, taking the doors down isn’t the easiest task.

    If you are planning to spray your hinges, taking the door off is a must!

    • Remove the door handles. Not going to do that either? I feel you.
    Hand removes door hardware

    I really don’t mind being extra careful painting if it means less prep. That being said, door knobs aren’t typically that hard to take off.

    • Set up your drop cloths.

    Unfortunately it isn’t super eco-friendly, but poly drop cloths are better for painting doors because they can slide underneath even when there is little clearance.

    Poly drop cloths also double as a way to keep your paint supplies from drying out between coats.

    • Tape off door handle and latch

    When I do use painter’s tape, I prefer Scotch Blue. It’s not too expensive and it peels off easily without ripping.

    Man paints around taped off door hardware

    I have done a lot of painting over the years, so I generally don’t tape anything. Rather than trust my tape job (and spend time doing it), I carry some baby wipes and clean up when I goof.

    (I’m sure any wipes would do, but I always use Pampers sensitive. They take the paint right off!)

    You’re ready to paint!

    Best Supplies for a Smooth Finish

    For cabinets, doors, or anything else that needs a super smooth finish, I always use a foam paint roller. The tiny little pores in a foam roller produce a super even texture.

    Foam paint roller rolling our blue paint

    You can often get these in an affordable kit that includes handle, rollers, tray, and a disposable liner. The only other thing you need is a brush!

    For maximum control, I prefer a short handled paintbrush. The Wooster Shortcut is my favorite paintbrush ever. It ticks all my boxes and tickles all my fancies. (I know, I know, it’s just a brush.)

    How to Paint Your Doors

    There are two ways that you can paint your doors: Roll or spray.

    Paint sprayer beside foam rollers

    Spraying will almost always give a slightly better finish, and you can totally do that! Spraying also requires more space, setup, and cleanup.

    I’m going to assume that you want the easier DIY solution of rolling, so that’s what I’m going to talk about. If you do want to spray, you can often rent a sprayer, and they are not all that difficult to use.

    Step #1 – Cutting In

    If you prefer, these steps can be reversed, but in general it is easiest to do the brushwork first. That also allows you to smooth out as many brush lines as possible when you return with the roller.

    Hand applies paint to door

    Use your paint brush to cut carefully around any hardware you left on, and over any design features that the roller will miss.

    For some of this work you can actually use the roller too. For bevelled edges I like to use the rounded end of a foam roller to squish paint into the tricky areas. It helps give a more uniform finish than doing large areas with a brush.

    You can also use the roller on the edges of the door (and yes, you will want to paint those even if you only plan to paint one side of the door).

    Hand paints the edges of a door
    You will want to paint this bit!

    Step #2 – Rolling

    Roll the rest of the door! To be honest, leaving the door handles on helps a little when painting, because you have something to hang on to for leverage.

    A white door will need a minimum of two coats. Don’t be shy about really loading up your roller to get good thick coats on.

    mini foam roller painting a door black

    Most paints need 4 hours to dry between coats. I’m a rebel, so if it has been two hours and it’s dry to the touch, I will usually go for it.

    Staining Wood Doors Black

    For most of this post I assumed that you were working with some form of standard hollow core door, but if you want to keep the grain on solid wood doors, try a stain instead!

    closeup of wood stained black

    Choose a Black Stain

    I will preface this by saying that I have not stained wood doors before. I have used a number of stains (dark ones included), but I wasn’t impressed with the black that I tried before. I think it was Minwax Ebony?

    Minwax “Charred Black” has better feedback and is what I would try if I wanted to stain my doors.

    Prep Your Doors for Stain

    The prep process would be the same, except for that you will definitely want to sand.

    man uses a palm sander on a wood door

    To get ready for a stain I would use a palm sander, because hand sanding a previous finish completely off is a real chore!

    Staining Your Doors

    You won’t be able to reuse brushes after staining, and you aren’t doing detailed work, so I would purchase a value pack of inexpensive brushes.

    After the stain has been applied liberally with a brush, wipe off with painter’s rags and tidy up any messes on the hardware.

    (You can also use old clothes from around your house, as long as they are lint free.)

    Hand applies black stain to black wood

    It’s a good idea to test a small square of the stain inside a closet door, or somewhere else inconspicuous, to get the hang of it.

    Try different times between brushing it on and wiping it off to see what works the best. I typically leave stain on for longer than the directions (even twice as long) to get a better color.

    Graphic reads "how to paint interior doors black" over a photo of an all white stairwell with a black door at the top.
    Photo Credit: @firsthouseonfinn

    I hope this helped you feel like you can take on this project! I won’t lie to you and say it’s easy, but it is more time consuming than difficult!

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