What to Know about Painting and Sealing Doors
Door Painting In-Progress
The undercoat being layed on a decorative door leaf as part of Spence's door painting service.
A door leaf's material composition is important in determining the suitability to its application/setting, but proper painting and sealing is imperative to protect the door leaf and extend its lifespan.
Painting and sealing doors must be completed in accordance with AS 1909 which defined the ‘minimum acceptable standards for the installation of doorsets for normal domestic and commercial use’.
This must be completed as soon as the doors arrive on site – particularly of note for Veneer Doors. This should be completed to the following details:
- On both faces
- Along all four edges
- Sealed with two coats
Doors being left unsealed and uncoating on-site can lead to rapid damage or deterioration of the door leaf from environmental conditions. For example, the door is unprotected against humidity as the moisture in the air can freely enter the door leaf and compromise the timber materials causing bowing. A quick-drying primer / undercoat is recommended to seal the door’s faces. This coating must be continuous as any gaps create an opportunity for moisture to enter, this is why the extra protection of a second coat is recommended.
Here are some additional measures to consider in the painting and sealing of your door set;
| A More Durable & Smooth Finish Light sanding with fine paper between these two coats is a sound method to removing grain and rough elements. This makes for both a better host for adhesion of the second coat and a smoother aesthetic finish. |  |
| Minimising Heat Absorption Spence Doors highly recommends strictly using light coloured paints for door that are expected to ensure heavy exposure to the heat. This is of particular note for external application doors where sun exposure is a factor. Light colours and shades are proven to offer greater resistance to heat than darker counterparts. |  |
| Creating High Visibility Australian Standard AS 1908 stipulates the requirements of paints on timber door sets. High-gloss paints are useful for application that require high visibility for accessibility or emergency reasons. In many applications such as exit routes, a 30% contrast between the door leaf and surrounding wall is required for visibility purposes. |
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| Dealing with Hardware It is important that hardware fittings are taken into consideration when painting a door set. With reference to Fire-Rated Door Sets, painting over hardware can compromise the door set’s fire-resistance and intumescent properties and subsequent Fire-Rating accreditation. Specifically in Fire-Rated doors featuring a Vision Panel, the beading features ceramic insulating tape which should not be painted over where possible. |  |
Contact the Spence Doors team for more information or assistance. We work manufacture door sets built to last but also to provide you with the knowledge to support the door's protection to minimise maintenance requirements and extend its usefulness.