My home is only 13 years old, so there’s not much to update in it. However, the design is very plain and everything is builders grade from the sink vanities to the lights. The windows didn't have any trim on them when we moved in and all of the doors and trim were painted a plain white. I enjoy this on most of the interior doors such as the ones that lead to our bedrooms and bathrooms, but the doors that lead outside were looking a little too plain. I kept thinking maybe I needed to paint the walls a different color to freshen them up, but I realized that the problem was the doors.

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Just look at the difference between those before and afters. I bet you didn’t even notice the gorgeous transom over the door until it was painted.

I’d love to get a gorgeous gold door knob for it now that it’s freshly painted, so I’ll have to add that to the list of things.

Painting previously painted doors

All of the doors I painted in my home were either wood or metal and were previously painted. I think this is what confuses most people when they consider painting one of their doors. It’s already painted, can I just paint it? Why yes, you can! I used Simple Green to wipe all of my doors down before I painted and I believe this is key. Using a degreaser insures that your new coat of paint will stick. If there were any imperfections I would have lightly sanded them, but there weren't.

Most people will recommend priming their doors before painting them. There’s no need to do that if the door is previously painted. Just clean and paint.

What Kind of Paint is Best for Painting Doors?

Because I was painting my front door, I wanted to use something that was suitable for exterior painting. I used a product recommended to me by the kind folks over at our local Benjamin Moore retailer called MoorGlo. I purchased it in the color black with a soft gloss finish.

Most paint companies make a paint that is specific to shutters and doors, but if you are just painting your interior doors, you can use regular latex paint in any shade you desire.

What is the best way to paint a door?

There are tons of ways you can paint a door. One of them is by removing the door completely and painting it. This surely removes some of the hassle of taping off and tedious painting around hardware and doorknobs, but because it takes two people to remove the door, I didn’t do it.

I prefer to paint doors on the hinges. I don’t mind utilizing a little painters tape to insure the job is as precise as possible. I like to paint the crevices first and then paint the surface of the door itself. This results in a cleaner look. And using a roller on the surface of the door will yield extra smooth results.

This tiny change of painting the doors truly added warmth and character to our home. After I painted the front door, I went on to paint several doors throughout my home including the door off our dining room that leads to our balcony that you saw in the beginning of this post.

How to Paint Stair Railings

Painting the doors motivated me to paint the railings on our stairs throughout the house, which was a much more complex and intricate project, but it definitely added that wow factor I was looking for. I love having a mostly light and neutral home, but that touch of black here and there adds a much desired character and depth I didn’t even know I was missing.

Yes, I paint in my sweatpants. I like to be comfortable when I’m painting and these are my painting clothes. I won’t be upset if I get a little paint on them and they’re super comfy. That’s a win-win for me.

Below you’ll see what the railings looked like before I painted them. Pretty beat up. I love the natural wood, but I didn’t love how warm and red they were. And I didn’t want to sand them down and stain them or pay to replace them. Painting them was the perfect solution and painting them black really helped the house flow better.

Do I Need to Prime First?

Because I wasn’t sure what finish was used on the railings, my best bet for painting them was to prime them first. I am sure that taking the time to do this extra step is what has kept them looking so good over time. I used some Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 Primer I already had down in the garage, but Kilz or any other basic water proof primer would have worked just the same.

I did not sand. I simply wiped my railings down with the same Simple Green Cleaner and primed.

What Kind of Paint is Best for Stair Railings?

I used the same paint on my railings as I did on my door, Benjamin Moore’s MoorGlo in Soft Gloss and I love it. It looks super glossy in the photo below, but that’s because it was taken right after I painted it. A day or two later it softened down quite a bit and now it is a perfect satin finish and is velvety to the touch.

To see a step by step on how I painted my stair railings, check out my video below.

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