Painting the interior doors can revamp a room’s appearance and atmosphere. Best paint for Interior doors painting can add freshness to it and bring in the looks. The optimum interior door paint requires considering several factors like finish, durability, and paint type. The assortment of paints in the market makes it hard to find the appropriate paint for your door. This article will simplify the process by discussing the best paints and finishes to compare latex-based versus oil-based paints and advise you on what to look for when choosing the best paint for your interior doors.
List of the Best Paints for Interior Doors
One of the products on this list is interior door paints, which offer durability, easy application, and finish quality. Some of the best paints for interior doors include:
- Benjamin Moore Advance: This waterborne alkyd paint is very much recommended for interior doors. This paint’s result is quite fine and has excellent durability, allowing the combination of benefits derived from water- and oil-based paints without having a strong odor- a byproduct of conventional oil paints.
- ProClassic: This dries to a firm, hard finish and can be applied to doors and trim. The product has water-based and oil-based types, which should appeal to your taste or preference and needs.
- Ultra: Being economical, this product is touted as having a durable, scuff-resistant finish. This product is best given to areas constantly in use, such as an interior door. With excellent coverage, it will surely protect it for a long time.
- Rust-Oleum Door Paint: Formulated just for painting doors, this product will give you that rough, scratch-resistant finish. Easy to apply, it dries fast, making it a favorite of most DIYers who look for toughness.
- Valspar Ultra: Premium is a great formula with impressive coverage and durability characteristics, making it perfect for door paints. Valspar Ultra Premium is very low in VOCs and aids in preserving a much healthier indoor living environment when painting and after it has dried.
Each of these paints provides durability, coverage, and a beautiful finish to suit interior doors.
Best Types of Finishes for Inside Doors
The finish you opt to apply to your interior doors dictates the overall look and the paint job’s longevity. Each of these finishes has unique characteristics that can complement different interior styles. Here are the most common finishes for interior doors:
Satin Finish
The satin finish is one of the most frequently used finishes for interior doors. The finish is softly sheened such that light is subtly reflected with a smooth and elegant appearance. It is hardened and easy to clean; therefore, it is appropriate for high-traffic door usage. Satin finish attains that balance that separates gloss from matte and tends to provide a refined yet not shiny atmosphere.
Semi-Gloss Finish
A semi-gloss finish is shinier than a satin finish. It is ideal for doors that you wish to draw attention toward. The finish is highly resistant to moisture and very easy to clean. It is suitable for parts of the house that require frequent touching and wiping, such as trims and doors. Gloss is perfect for those statement-making pieces of doors as it draws out the architectural details of the door.
Gloss Finish
The shiniest option available for interior doors is glossy finishes. They provide a highly reflective surface with a modern and sleek look to your doors. These finishes are extremely durable and resistant to wear and tear, making them the best option for doors in busy households or commercial spaces. However, it highlights imperfections on the door’s surface, so proper preparation is necessary.
Eggshell Finish
The eggshell finishes provide a slight sheen less intense than satin finishes. This is somewhere between the flat and Satin finishes, providing some levels of durability with a soft look. The eggshell finishes are suitable for doors since they are less rugged than semi-gloss or gloss finishes. It is durability for doors that do not require much friction.
Matte/Flat Finish
The matte or flat finishes have no sheen; thus, it gives the door a smooth, velvety appearance. This finish can create an understated yet sophisticated look that is not as hard-wearing as other finishes and is not easy to clean. Matte finishes are best suited for the entrance to rooms with low traffic, whereby aesthetics are prioritized over durability.
Latex-Based vs. Oil-Based Paints
The other is latex vs. oil-based paints, in which the desired finish will determine how fast they dry and how easy it would be to clean after the painting is done.
Latex-Based Paints:
- Advantages: Latex-based paints are water-based, thus dry rapidly and possess a considerably lower odor content than oil-based paints. They also clean up easily using only soap and water. Latex paints are less likely to yellow with age and offer an environment-friendly alternative owing to very low VOC.
- Disadvantages: Even though latex paints have more advantages, they may not have all the long-lastingness and shine as oil-based paints. However, with technological developments, high-quality latex paints have become much more competitive regarding durability and appearance.
- Oil-Based Paints: The advantages are that oil-based paints may give a smooth and lasting finish suitable for doors and trims, are resistant to wear, and withstand much wear and tear due to frequent cleaning.
- Disadvantages: The major drawbacks of oil-based paints include their long drying time and strong odors. They also require more effort to clean up, often requiring mineral spirits or thinner. Moreover, oil-based paints are yellow with age, especially in poorly illuminated areas.
The choice between latex-based and oil-based paints ultimately comes down to what you value more: ease of application, easy cleaning, long-lasting durability, and a smooth finish.
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What You Should Look for When Finding Paint for Inside Doors
So, to choose the right paint for your inner doors, you’ll need to consider the various aspects provided to ensure that you get the look you want with your doors combined with the functionality you want.
Paint Durability
Since interior doors are widely used, choosing lasting paint is quite important. Instead of using paints of low quality, go for paints designed to withstand high-traffic areas or be scuff-resistant. Alte members tend to be only scratch, scuff, or wear resistant. This can be accomplished with a semi-gloss or gloss finish because those finishes better withstand impacts and cleaning.
Finishing the Paint
The paint’s finish will determine what your doors will generally look like. As listed above, Satin, semi-gloss, gloss, eggshell, and matte have pros and cons. Choose a finish based on the level of traffic and what your doors will face.
Paint Color
Interior doors impact the mood of a room. You can opt for traditional colors such as white, gray, or beige, which fit into most interior design ideas. If you prefer a more dramatic tone, black or navy could work wonders by standing dark on the light walls. Choose a color that will complement the overall look of your house while blending well with all the different elements in the room.
Type of Paint
Based on the information discussed above, the decision between latex-based or oil-based paints would be discretionary based on preference or attitude toward paint durability and drying time, among others. Latex paints are more comfortable, while oil-based paints offer better durability and a more polished finish.
VOCs
Some chemicals, known as VOCs, volatile organic compounds, evaporate into the air while you paint and can cause deadly health effects. Low-VOC or zero-VOC paint shall be essential in maintaining indoor quality where children and pets play or even people with respiratory problems exist. Low VOCs are now coming out in high-quality brands without lowering durability or performance.
Brand of Paint
Paint is another area where the brand matters with quality. In some respects, the finish and durability depend on what you get. Popular brands for making paints for interior doors include Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, and Valspar. Apart from these, many other brands cater to specific needs like finishes, colors, and formulation.
How to best paint for interior doors
Painting of interior doors requires preparation, as well as technique, to achieve a smooth finish. The approach, however, will be different for attached and unattached doors.
Attached Doors
Painting attached doors is relatively easier as one does not have to remove the door from its hinges. This is how it’s done:
- Clean the door: Remove dirt, grease, and any grime on the door. Sand the surface to paint lightly, eliminating all imperfections for good paint adhesion.
- Taping and Covering: Apply painter’s tape around the door hardware, hinges, and those surfaces that are not to be painted. Place a drop cloth under the door in case there will be drips.
- Prep the Door: If it has never been painted or if you are doing a huge color change, you want to put a layer of primer on it.
- Paint the Door: Work from the top down with a good brush or roller, and ensure you get even strokes. Letting the first coat dry before applying the second will give you the best coating possible.
Unattached Doors
You can paint an unattached door better because it is sometimes more complete, especially at the edge. This is how to do it:
- Remove the door: And place it on a sturdy surface on sawhorses or some other level.
- Eliminate Hardware: Remove the door handle, lock and other hardware so the paint does not reach them.
- Prepare the Surface: Clean and sand the door to give it a smooth finish for painting.
- Prime the Door: If you want, apply primer and allow that to dry completely
- Paint the Door: Paint your door with a roller or brush. Do all sides evenly. Once you get the first coat down, let that dry. Go back around with a second coat.
Trim Need the Same best paint for interior doors?
Although it is not a must to have the doors and trim painted using the same paint, it brings the look together. Semi-gloss or gloss is common for doors and trims due to its durability and shine. Conversely, if you want a little contrast to show up subtly, you can go for a satin finish on the doors while having a higher gloss for the trim.
What About the Door Frame?
Usually, the door frame is painted with the same finish as the trim, creating uniformity throughout the room. A semi-gloss or gloss finish on the door frame will ensure durability and provide a smooth, polished appearance that complements the door.
Summary of best paint for interior doors
Several considerations determine which paint best suits interior doors: durability, finish, and the type of paint. Latex paints are easier to apply and dry faster, but they have an easy look because of their Satin, semi-gloss, and gloss finishes, while oil-based paints are much harder and smoother. However, the durability of paint should always come first, along with low VOC content and a good brand to ensure that the finish will last long and look beautiful. Be it bold with color or more neutral and conservative, in many respects, how your interior doors finish depends majorly on the paint you choose.
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