If you are feeling fed up with your tired-looking front door, you may be tempted to paint straight over it in hopes of sprucing up the front of your home. Before you pick up that paintbrush, have a quick read through our short guide to ensure you are making the right decision.
The first thing you may want to consider is how old your existing door is.
If your current front door has been installed within the last 5-10 years, it could be under warranty with the company who originally installed it. This is worth checking as by painting the door, you will likely be voiding the warranty, meaning it would not be covered should anything happen to it.
If you are painting your door because it is faded, this may also be covered under warranty, and you could be owed a replacement slab instead. At Emerald, our door slabs are guaranteed for 10 years. This means that, although extremely rare, if it was to fade within this time then we will replace them with a new one, free of charge.
Despite this, it is possible to paint a newer composite door, but we would not recommend it, as if not done right, you could be potentially ruining a perfectly good door.
If your current door is more than 15 years old, it is most likely made of uPVC or wood. With the correct preparation, both types can certainly be painted on. If done right, it should last for around three years. This is a good option for the short-term, if you want to improve the appearance of your door but are unable to buy a new one.
For the best result, the door should be sanded down before using any paint, as it will help remove any imperfections and create a smooth surface.
A disadvantage to this though, is that you will be sanding the protective layering and ultimately shortening the door’s lifetime.
It is possible to paint your door without taking it off its hinges. However, you may not achieve as clean a finish as you would with the door removed. You will have to ensure you have used tape to cover accessories such as hinges, handles, letterplates and glass etc, to avoid getting paint on them.
If you do decide to remove your door to paint, this may reveal some issues with the door when trying to reinstall it, so proceed with caution.
The main drawback to painting your front door is the upkeep it will require. If not touched up, there will be visible chips and cracks that will show over time. At Emerald, we install hundreds of composite doors a year, meaning we come across many old doors that our customers had painted themselves, that have not kept well.
The composite door market has grown and evolved over recent years, making it the undoubted choice for a replacement front door. While painting your door will make it look better temporarily, it will not fix its poor energy efficiency or improve its weak security. These are things that only an upgrade will solve.
Having been trading in the industry for almost 20 years, we know the benefits of having quality doors, and windows, in your home. With this said, we also understand that quality products do not come cheap.
If you are interested in replacing your front door with Emerald, you can spread the cost monthly over 2 years, completely interest-free, with only a 10% deposit required to order. Contact the team today by calling 0800 612 4154 or via our online form, to find out more.
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See All ReviewsEmerald windows were brilliant. The patio door was removed and replaced with a window. All work was carried out from bricking up the outside to plastering the inside. Great work...
We worried about choosing a window company. We looked at all the usual national firms but we preferred the feel of a smaller local family run business as the rep...
Very pleased with the whole process from Mark letting us see and touch the product in the showroom in Swindon (many don't!), to a transparent price breakdown, no "buy now...
Highly recommend Emerald Windows and Doors; new Front and back doors fitted yesterday. Cannot praise Mark the Fitter enough, courteous, friendly and very helpful. Top job with attention to detail...
Emerald windows have just installed a new composite front door to our property. We are very pleased with the product and the installers were polite, professional and have carried out...
