Tips for painting new exterior fiberglass door?


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Old 07-06-16, 09:19 AM
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Tips for painting new exterior fiberglass door?

Hi. I purchased a Therma Tru fiberglass door with two panels and a six-boxed glass window near the top. For the exterior side I purchased a gallon of Valspar exterior paint (the Reserve product line that is primer + paint) in rare wine color (purple) and Satin finish. I purchased a quart of Valspar Reserve exterior semi-gloss white for the interior side. Also bought a quart of Valspar exterior all weather primer for the border and cross sections of the glass window (looks like molded plastic and the manufacturer said that's the only thing required to be primed before painting).

Never painted a door before but here's my game plan:

Clean with tsp solution and sponge
Wipe down with sponge using clean water only and let dry
Paint the primer on glass border material with small black foam pad
Spray two light coats of Valspar Reserve semi-gloss white paint on interior side and edge
Spray two light coats of Valspar Reserve exterior rare wine colored paint on exterior side and edge
Have a professional install the door.

I plan on using the Wagner Flexio 720 spray gun (once I practice on something else). I noticed there is a sequence of areas to paint first and last so I'll follow that advice. Are there any other suggestions to make this project a success?

Random questions:
Should I do interior side first?
If I wait a couple hours for first coat of paint to dry, will the spray gun dry up or can I spray a second coat without cleaning the gun after the first coat.
If my spray gun is known for over spray should I practice using a quicker spray technique?
Is a quart enough for two coats of white on the interior side when using spray gun?
My door came pre-hung and I took it off the frame. Should I paint the frame and the long wooden pieces that came on the side before the door is installed?

Thanks for reading. Really appreciate any tips you have to offer!
 
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Old 07-06-16, 09:48 AM
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While I've probably painted a 1000 wood or steel doors I've only painted a handful of fiberglass ones.
I usually wipe a new door down with mineral spirits. TSP will work but you need to make sure all the residue is removed! I've sprayed a lot of doors using a commercial duty airless but have never used the unit you have.

Where will you be doing the spraying? I normally use a shield to keep overspray off of the first side when spraying the other. Taping/masking might be better for a novice. The paint will dry up in the tip if you let it set for 2 hrs. You should be able to get good coverage with 2 light coats with the 2nd sprayed after the first gets tacky. 1 qt should be more than enough.
 
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Old 07-07-16, 06:01 AM
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Is this door going to be in direct sunlight?
Reason I ask is most door company's warn against painting a dark color right on a sticker on the door when it's new.
 
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Old 07-07-16, 06:13 AM
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From their website:

We suggest Priming Therma-Tru Doors with Sherwin William DTM™ Bonding Primer part #B66A50. We suggest painting doors with high-quality acrylic latex house paint.

I would suggest painting the door in an air conditioned environment, if possible. Hot and humid doesn't help.

The pdf from their website also suggests priming, con trolled temp and humidity.

http://www.thermatru.com/pdfs/warran...ngPainting.pdf
 
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Old 07-07-16, 06:21 AM
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.... but I wouldn't recommend spraying in an area that is conditioned, you don't want overspray getting into the HVAC system!
 
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Old 07-07-16, 06:28 AM
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Painters spray inside houses all the time... so if you are working in an unfinished basement or something, you can turn the unit off while spraying so that it is not circulating the overspray. Plenty of painters plastic will also contain the overspray.

The pdf above also says you can paint their doors dark colors, even behind storm doors.
 
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Old 07-21-16, 10:36 PM
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If the fiberglass door is completely flat, you can use a paint brush to cut around the edges and a roller to paint the rest of the door. Painting your front door is a great way to renovate or update your home's style. Your door will look much better if you put on two thin coats of paint as opposed to one thick coat. Make sure to give yourself plenty of room to move around while you're painting. Also, open windows so any paint odors can dissipate easily.
 
 

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