Flat paint may be suitable for a garage door, but any high-traffic entry, such as your front door, usually looks better painted in satin or semi-gloss.
Type of Paint to Use
Choose eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss sheens. Avoid using flat or matte paint on doors. Each door is 68 square feet, including front, back, and edges. One gallon of paint covers about 350 square feet.
Semigloss is the best paint finish for interior doors and trim. The reason being, semi-gloss can take up quite an abuse and stand up to nicks and scrapes better than any other sheen, flat or eggshell finish. The large surfaces gather dust just like your furniture.
Since your door will be exposed to rain, sun, wind and other elements, you'll need a flexible and mold-resistant exterior paint. The most common kinds of exterior door paint are acrylic resin or latex-based and with a semi-gloss finish. Latex-based exterior paint is the most flexible type and is quite popular.
Lay the door flat to avoid drips and runs
For convenience, it's tempting to leave a door hanging on its hinges when you paint. But for a smooth finish, you have to lay it flat and remove the hinges, knobs and other hardware.
Flat paint may be suitable for a garage door, but any high-traffic entry, such as your front door, usually looks better painted in satin or semi-gloss. However, if you really want to put a flat paint on your front door, newer brands of flat or matte paints are stain resistant and washable.
What Is the Best Way to Paint an Interior Door? The best way to paint your door is by using both a paintbrush and a foam roller. You should begin by brushing a light coat of paint on the door. Because the brush can leave drips or runs, it is best to do this first, before the rest of the door is painted.
Alkyd/Oil Based
Oil-based paint is the classic trim paint. If you have a house that is at least a few decades old, chances are good that the trim was painted with oil-based paint. Oil-based trim paint results in superior, glass-like finishes with minimal to zero brush marks.
Gloss and semi-gloss finishes are a great choice for many interior doors and trim. The glossy, shiny finish helps to give the door and trim more dimension without having to use certain colors or painting techniques.
Exterior doors are typically painted with oil-based paint, while the best paint for interior doors generally is a latex-based or acrylic paint. You also need to choose the correct finish when painting interior doors: interior paints come in five basic finishes: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss.
Semi-Gloss
This finish is more reflective and durable than satin. Semi-gloss finish is easy to clean and resistant to wear and tear, making it a popular choice for interior doors. It's worth noting that lighter colors in semi-gloss finishes tend to show less dirt and damage over time.
You should be using flat paint on walls and areas that have a lot of bumps, scratches, or holes. Since it can conceal these blemishes easily, it'll be the one paint finish you'll want to be using. It's best for low-traffic rooms that have a ton of light like offices and more formal rooms, like dining rooms.
Both satin and eggshell paints can be used on interior woodwork including doors, window and door frames, skirting boards, architraves, stair railings and other architectural details. Eggshell is better for a lower sheen with a matte emulsion feel while satin is glossier.
Within latex paints, those with a flat to satin sheen reflect less light than glossier sheens, meaning that completely smooth coat masks furniture flaws (knicks and scratches to be painted over) more effectively. They're also the most inexpensive sheen options for furniture you don't handle often.
I recommend flat paint for painting furniture because you can sand easily between coats, and flat paint tends to bond better with multiple coats. I also prefer multiple coats of flat paint as opposed to one goopy, thick coat of higher gloss or enamel paint.
A minimum of 2 coats applied. If you are painting a primed door: A latex or water-based paint can be used. A minimum of 2 coats is recommended however, you can apply as many coats to acquire desired finish.
Wood Doors – Oil-based provides the best wear and protection for wooden doors. The paint adheres well to the wood surface and can last years without peeling or bubbling. Fiberglass Doors – For fiberglass exterior doors, latex paint tends to work best.
The traditional choice for painting doors, trims and skirting boards has always been oil based gloss because it's practical and hardwearing. Gloss paint holds up better for cleaning. Doors and the trims can get grubby which makes gloss type paints the preferred option, but some argue it's outdated.
High gloss or semi-gloss latex paint is used for painting interior doors and trim. Glossy sheens showcase the door frame better and it's easier to clean once it's dry. For doors that open to the outside use latex-based exterior paint designed specifically for use on trim.
Yes! Painting walls and trim in the same color is a popular trend. Whether you choose a light neutral color or a dark jewel tone, it is more than okay to paint your walls, baseboards, window and door trim, doors, crown molding, and even your ceilings all the same color.
Two types of paint are optimized for painting interior doors and trim: alkyd/oil-based and acrylic latex/enamel. Oil-based paints have been a staple for trim painting for several decades. This type of paint offers a smooth finish with virtually zero brush marks, in large part thanks to its thick consistency.
If you are going to paint a plain, flat door, use a foam roller to roll on the paint and use an angled brush to paint the sides. You want to make sure you leave no roller lap marks. To remove any lap marks, roll a lightly-loaded roller over the wet coat of paint to smooth.
A satin or semi-gloss finish is the best for doors both inside and outside the home. Glossy finishes offer the best protection against damage and deterioration, while semi-gloss paint is easy to clean, given the paint dries in a way that allows accumulated dirt and grime to wipe off with little effort required.