Sand your closet door before repainting.
You've noticed a little wear and tear on your closet doors and you're ready to do something about it. Refinishing your worn closet doors is an easy way to give your room a face lift. Knowing where to begin is half the battle. Sanding is one of the best ways to prep any wood surface for refinishing. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Remove the closet doors from their hinges before beginning the sanding process. Before removing any screws, try tapping a narrow, flat blade screwdriver up through the bottom of each hinge to remove the pin. Start with the bottom hinge and make sure the weight is supported to avoid dropping the door.
2. Remove bifold or sliding doors according to manufacturer's recommendations. Typically they can be lifted off the track or pivot. Some bifolds require you to remove the hardware.
3. Set the door on a pair of saw horses or another level, sturdy work surface. Work in a basement or garage or lay out drop cloths to catch the dust. Wearing a dust mask and eye protection is also a good idea.
4. Use a power sander to remove the majority of the finish. For painted surfaces, a belt sander with a medium grit paper works best. For stained or unfinished doors, a random orbit sander with a fine grit paper will give the best results.
5. Run belt sanders in line with the grain of the door. When prepping a door to repaint, removing all of the paint is not necessary. The primary goal is to remove built-up paint and any loose, chipped or peeling paint that will prevent a good bond with the new finish. Start with 100-grit sandpaper to remove the bulk of the paint. Be careful not to run the sander too deep, especially once the wood shows through the paint. Run over the surface with a 120- to 150-grit belt before priming.
6. Use a random orbit sander to sand new doors. Use a 150-grit paper to start and finish up with a 220-grit. Run the sander in smooth, steady lines in the direction of the grain. Be careful not to stay in one place too long, especially with hollow core doors.
7. Start sanding a stained door using a random orbit sander with 100-grit paper. Once the finish is mostly removed, switch to a finer grit for the finishing pass--150 or 220 is sufficient.
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