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Tips & Techniques

Painting Doors With Windows

A cleanup shield and razor scraper ensure a clean 1/16-in layer of paint.

By Charles Miller Issue 261 - Aug/Sept 2016

021261020-razor-scraperMany manufacturers of wooden doors ask that the finish paint lap 1⁄16 in. onto any glass surfaces exposed to weather. This prevents moisture from penetrating the joint between glass and wood. Painters can do this all day, but not me, so I made a cleanup shield from a scrap of aluminum 1⁄16 in. thick. I painted generously onto the glass and let the paint dry. Then, as shown in the drawing above, I held the shield against the wood and used a razor scraper to remove the excess paint, leaving a clean 1⁄16-in. layer of paint along the glass.

—BILL HOUGHTON, Sebastopol, Calif.

Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller

From Fine Homebuilding #261

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  1. User avater
    huskiedad | Feb 24, 2019 08:22am | #1

    brilliant!

  2. [email protected] | Apr 09, 2022 05:44pm | #2

    You're defeating the purpose of the paint sealing the surface of the glass by scraping it off. That's the difference between professionals and brilliant DIY's.

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