Should door hinges be painted? Perhaps you've moved into a home that has doors with painted hinges, and you're trying to decide how to proceed with your own color choice. Or maybe you're switching things up color-wise but are unsure if your hinges should be painted as well. Perhaps you simply want your hinges to look fun. We have scoured the internet to find out the consensus on to paint or not to paint.
Door hinges should not be painted. It ruins the integrity of the mechanism and shortens the life span of the hinge. You can buy hinges that have a primer coat of paint and can be painted with special metal paint if the paint is a must for you.
We're going to take a look at some questions about painting your hinges, and some of the hinge options available.
Door Hinges: Function or Fashion?
When most of us think of door hinges, if we do at all, we think of function. They're the little pieces of hardware tucked at the side that allow our doors to open and shut. But when it comes time to repaint our door, suddenly we find ourselves thinking of them. Should we paint over them? How do we protect them? Should we change them out for something else?
In general, you shouldn't paint your door hinges. It isn't great for the mechanism and will decrease their functional lifespan. You can buy hinges that are pre-primed for painting and paint them before installing or replacing the ones on your current door.
Primed in a grey primer, this hinge is ready to accept the paint color of your choice.
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Fashionable Hinges
If you were hoping to do something fun with your hinges, why not consider replacing them instead of painting them. There are some really interesting hardware choices on the market today that could take your door to next-level cool.
This heavy-duty hinge is solid steel construction and available in several finishes (shown here in antique brass). The ball finishes give this a vintage feel. It's a small detail that will elevate your door's style.
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This decorative cast-iron hinge set has the flare of the Victorian. They're available in this antique iron finish or a coated black finish. Heavy-duty and a real statement detail.
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If your style is more contemporary, these sleek non-mortise door hinges will add that elegance to your doors. This product comes in a six-pack and is made of stainless steel. The hinges function at 360 degrees, so your doors will open as wide as they possibly can.
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This House of Antique hinge is an authentic design first created in 1885. It was made of unlacquered brass, which aged naturally with time. This reproduction is made of solid cast iron and lacquered to protect the finish.
Click here to see this hinge on Amazon.
How Do You Protect Door Hinges When Painting?
It's not hard to protect your door hinges when painting. It just takes a bit of time, some blue painter's tape, and a good box cutter. Or, if you don't have a box cutter, you can unscrew one side at a time and cover with blue tape. There's a great video here, ">, to illustrate each process.
Tools needed include this tape:
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And a good box cutter like this one:
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How Long Should Paint Dry On Doors?
Drying times vary between latex-based or oil-based paints. For latex-based paints, drying time is typically as quick as an hour. Oil-based paints take at least 8 hours to be dry to the touch, but at least 24 hours before applying a second coat. As a general rule of thumb, because doors have high use, it's best to wait 24 hours regardless of paint time for your door paint to dry. This way, you're assured a good durable coat of paint and no little mess-ups.
How Do You Paint A Door Without Taking It Off The Hinges?
It's pretty easy to paint a door without taking it down. You'll want to tape off the hinges as described above, and if you're comfortable doing it, take off the doorknobs. If you don't feel comfortable taking off your doorknobs, you can also use your painter's tape to protect them; it just might be a touch trickier because of the shape to cover it well. If you take your time and make sure to cover all that hardware well, then you're ready to paint.
The best thing about painting the door while it's still hanging is that you can do both sides at the same time. This will allow you to get your coats on quicker and have your door back in service. If you're using oil-based paint and need to shut the door, be sure to paint the side away from the hinged side early and first. This way, at the end of 8 hours, it will be dry to the touch, and if you put some wax paper between the fresh paint side and the trim side, you can close it without the paint sticking. But only after it's dry to the touch.
Take The Time To Protect Your Hinges
The main takeaway for painting your door is that the pre-work you do to protect your doors will be worth it. It may take an hour or so to tape off the hardware, but once done, your painting will go fast.
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