Good morning! Today we will talk about door repair and painting. Everyone has had it, that stubborn door that just catches at the top and rubs every time you go to close it. It's frustrating and even can seem embarrassing when friends try to close it. I've run into several causes for this over the years, most are a relatively simple repair. The first thing to check EVERY time is the hinges, check the screws and see if they are tight. I've run into this several times myself and what usually happens is they back out and eventually get the hinge closed on them. 1 of 2 things can happen here. #1 the hinge bends and gets tweaked just enough that the door ends up off center, or #2 it pushes the screw into the door stripping all the threads. Once you determine which issue you have the repair process is pretty straightforward. I have a crescent wrench I've made that securely holds the hinge allowing me to bend it back into place without damaging the hinge or having to remove the door. I remove the pin on that hinge and bend the plate back into position at the pin rolls. Reinstall the pin and viola shes back to new.
What do you do for a stripped screw? I think everyone has a different opinion on this but this is what works for me. I remove the hinge and fill the hole in the frame or door with 3 match sticks and squeeze superglue into the hole and let it dry. Once it's dry I cut off the remainders and just put the hinge back on. The match sticks and superglue fill the hole allowing the screw to make new threads in the door frame now that's easy right? But what if you've tried these repairs and the door still sticks? That's when I insert a 3" screw in the hinge to pull the door casing farther back to fix the gap if necessary.
Now let's get to the painting part. The number 1 rule here is prep. I prefer removing all hardware including hinges knobs locks etc. it takes a bit more time but your finished product is everything. I like to scrub the door down with some dawn dish soap and a little water to scratch up the surface a bit and to remove any grease that may be on it. I tape off any glass that may be in the door and I like to use a .17 spray tip on my airless sprayer to make a perfect finish and allow adequate dry time using 2 coats. I've brushed and rolled plenty of doors but you just never get as good of results as you do spraying it. And let's be honest that door represents you, it's the first thing people see when they come to your home. I remove the tape just after the second coat for nice straight paint lines and then reinstall the hardware when dry. Thank you for taking the time to read this little blog and I hope it helps you understand the process a little better and why I pour so much into my work.
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