How to Paint a Door Threshold and Easily Enhance Your Home
Whether your door thresholds are worn from foot traffic and in need of sprucing, or you’re restyling your home and want your doorways to match the new design, we’ve put together a quick and easy guide on the best way to paint your door thresholds.
6 Simple Steps to Painting a Wooden Threshold
- Start by sweeping and wiping down the threshold to remove any dirt and dust.
- Next, sand down the wood to remove any previous finishings and provide a rough surface for the paint to grip – remember to wipe off the newly created dust from sanding.
- Use painter’s tape or masking tape around the edges of the threshold to create sharp lines and avoid any overspills or splatters on your lovely flooring.
- Apply an even coat of primer to the wood and allow it to fully dry. This step is important to ensure the paint dries smoothly and increases the durability of the painted surface – helping your door threshold stay looking beautiful for longer.
- Once the primer is dry, you can finally paint the threshold. Mix the paint well before use, and make sure each coat is completely dry before applying the next. It may take 2-3 coats to reach the desired finish.
- Remember to make sure the paint is completely dry to the touch to avoid an unwanted footprint design in the paint.
Using Wood Stains To Paint a Door Threshold
Wood stains are the perfect solution if you want to refresh your door threshold but keep the elegant, natural wood look. When sanding down the wood, make sure to remove any previous staining so only the raw wood remains. Next, use a pre-colour treatment to prime the wood (this is not a necessary step, but it will help deepen the final colour). Ensure the stain is very well mixed before evenly applying as many coats as you wish to reach your desired colour. Buff the threshold with a clean cloth to polish up your newly stained wood.
Painting Metal and Plastic Thresholds
If your thresholds are made of metal or plastic, don’t worry, you can still paint them. First, follow the same steps of cleaning, sanding, and priming. The sanding and priming steps are very important with these materials to help the paint grip onto the surface. The main difference will be finding a primer and paint that is specific to either metal or plastic. A spray paint works well in these instances to help achieve an even, smooth finish.
From the Outside, In: Painting Exterior Thresholds
If you are working on an exterior door threshold, you can follow all of the steps previously explained. Just make sure that whether you are using wood paint or stain, metal paint, or plastic paint, you opt for exterior-grade paint; these offer more durability to withstand the harsher natural elements, such as sun and rain.
Design Meets Durability – Choosing a Paint Colour
When it comes to paint colour choice, there are two important things to keep in mind: design and durability. Door thresholds should fit in with the design of the rest of your home and match the surrounding flooring they are protecting. However, this does not mean that a threshold must always blend in unnoticed, as they can be a great way to add pops of colour or chic, metallic accents to a space.
While your threshold can reflect whatever your stylistic dreams may be, don’t forget that they have an essential practical purpose too and this is where durability is important. Door thresholds naturally deal with a lot of foot traffic, meaning that light colours such as white, silver, or pastels are much more likely to show dust, dirt, and scuffing. It is good to keep in mind the upkeep of certain colours when choosing your final paint colour.
Recommended Paint Brands
Wood Paint: Ronseal makes doorstep-specific paints and stains that can handle harsher natural elements.
Metal and Plastic Paint: Rust-Oleum Universal Multi-Surface Spray Paint can be used for interior and exterior metal, plastic, and vinyl surfaces. It also comes in a wide range of colours, including metallics.
Exterior Paints: Rust-Oleum 7200 Foorcoat PU is a heavy-duty paint that is perfect for exterior thresholds due to its polyurethane formula making it extra durable. It is also available in a large colour range.
Replacing Your Door Threshold
If your door threshold is worn beyond repair, or you want a complete style change, Stair Rods Direct offers a wide range of chic and high-quality door thresholds that will fit seamlessly into any home. With a large range of finishes, such as brass, chrome, wood, and more, as well as a sample product service, you can be certain that you will find a threshold to perfectly match your home’s design.
Explore our range of door thresholds today.