Replies

1. 
   rnsykes | Feb 19, 2007 11:20pm | #1

   If it's a solid wood door?  You better atleast prime it.  if not, it will suck up moisture like a sponge and will probably eventually crack.

1. 
   Kaya | Feb 20, 2007 12:52am | #2

   On the bottom of our standard quote template is this paragraph:All wood doors and windows must receive two coats of oil-based paint, varnish or other sealer on all surfaces (including top and bottom edges) promptly after delivery to the job site. This is to prevent absorption of moisture which may cause cracking and warping of the door or window, and which may also cause failure of any sealed units. Failure to follow these guidelines voids any warranty.It also appears on a sticker attached to anything that leaves the shop. It can be a hard rule to enforce, but it has certainly saved us some grief over the years. We also tell our customers that primer is not considered a sealer - it's there to give the paint something to bond to.

1. 
   DonCanDo | Feb 20, 2007 01:30am | #3

   Those seem like pretty strict requirements.  What kind of doors are we talking about here?

   I usually paint doors with water-based paint and rarely have any problems.  I say rarely because I did have a door warp 1/8" recently.  Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but this was an already too tight pocket door.

1. 
   Kaya | Feb 20, 2007 03:06am | #4

   Those specs are pretty standard for most door & window outfits. We're a small custom shop, doing mostly residential work, and over the years we've found that we have to be kind of hard-nosed with some (not all) customers if we want to avoid getting taken advantage of. As far as oil versus water based paints, we've had noticably fewer issues with doors & windows that have had an oil based finish than those with a water based finish, so that's what we recommend.

1. 
   DonCanDo | Feb 20, 2007 03:29am | #5

   Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind the next time I paint custom wood doors.  The ones I recently painted came without instructions so I just did what I usually do.

   For the big box hollow core doors, I'll just continue to use latex.  After all, they're cheap enough to replace if it came down to it, but I'm sure it wouldn't.

2. 
   mike4244 | Feb 20, 2007 04:12am | #6

   I use Zinnser Primer Sealer, the shellac based type.Works well as both a primer and sealer.Comes in spray cans too.Usually dries enough to handle in less than ten minutes.

   mike