oops..no I would remove the door, lay on saw horses..apply stripper..remove the paint..old and new if old comes off.

sand well..PRIME...and paint with OIL PRIMER AND OIL PAINT..best to tape off and use a SPRAY paint..and if you can not find the color you want the quality places will put it in a spray can for you..otherwise use a sprayer..

if you have it put IN a spray can, get at least 2 and preferably 3..

automotive primer in the red should work as a primer if you are spraying..and then use YOUR red over it..sand between coats after they are dry.

don't ever use latex on doors..it won't hold up

Slightly different opinion here.

I agree it's best to cut your losses and get back to a bare door and the easiest way to do that is to take the door off as ronbre said. If you have a storm door, that's easy but if not you can still do it if you feel secure enough to have a tarp tacked in place over the opening until you put the door back up. And it can be done with the door in place but it's harder, obviously.

I disagree on the product to use though. An oil based primer is fine, although not necessary. But I would not do an oil paint for the finish coat, I would use a high quality exterior acrylic. And I would not bother spraying. I always use acrylic (which is different than latex but still a water clean up) for exterior work and it holds up perfectly. A wood door breathes and moves with the weather and so does acrylic paint.

What is the exposure of this door? What direction does it face, does it get direct sun, does it get wet from rain or snow or is it under a large porch? All factors in how paint will wear but not necessarily in which paint to use. My front door gets rain, snow and late afternoon sun. I've lived in this house one month shy of 20 years and have always used acrylic paint.

I painted the front door at my last house a nice red. Or as I called it, a 7-coats-red.....that's with a dark based primer too!

I like the idea of spraying it, bec it never gets that awesome finish with either a brush or a sponge roller.

Ronbre - are you saying that some paint stores will actually package up the paint as a spray? That would be awesome for my new front door, which needs to be painted this summer.

is your door metal or wood? I've had both and used paint on each; however, the type of paint depends on whether it is metal or wood. I use a small roller for the door so there are no brush strokes and only use the brush around the taped hardware.

I agree that it was probably a primer issue. Removing the original paint is a big job.

My last paint job (cabinetry) I used an oil paint and I swore never ever again! It is sticky, hard to work with, long drying time, smells and is so hard to clean off spills etc BUT the durability is better then latex. Mind you just that alone would not make me use oil again.

I would tell you to invest in a can of BM Aura paint - it is self priming and covers extremly well. It is more recommended for walls rather then furniture but I saw a demo a BM rep did painting a door and the application and color was great. JMO however.

well having seen disasters in latex paint used on exterior surfaces..even if they are graded for exterior..i would caution that this might be a job that will be repeated..I also agree that acrylic is a good paint for some surfaces..but it MUST have a good primer in your situation.

don't want to get up a few years from now after some bad weather to find your paint laying in long strips on your lawn..

sorry..just a fact...

latex paint if it gets moisture behind it will release from its surface eventually in beautiful long ribbons..it is not a pretty site..

thank you all for the information.

so the overall consensus is that I should strip the paint and do it over? UGH!! If i just primed over the current red paint and then painted again would that be a huge no-no?

I dont understand why the door feels sticky though? the paint is dry - it doesnt come off when i touch it or rub a dry cloth against it, it just feels sticky.

How long did you wait between those 3 coats? Is it possible they just didn't have time to completely dry between coats?

Sounds like it didn't dry thoroughly between coats. Maybe the coats were too thick also.

What was your drying time before the next coat?

poop. marti & squirrel I hate to admit it but I didnt give a whole lot for drying between coats - maybe 15/20 minutes. darn it. I really messed this up! I put the last coat on yesterday at about 4pm. Will it just not dry properly now?

Okay, I'm gonna chime in here because I just painted my front door, and the experience is still fresh. My disclaimer is, I'm not a paint expert!! I'm just going on what I've learned by doing recently.

First off, when you say "sticky"...do you mean, sticky in a squishy way? or just like its still a bit tacky? If it has squish to it, my guess would be that you either didn't allow for a good dry between coats, or it went on too thick with each coat. If its just a smidgen tacky, I'm thinking its just because you don't have a full cure yet. You won't for at least 30 days. I just went and brushed my hand over mine, and it does have a very slight tacky feeling.

I realize sanding the door will be a huge job, but if you don't have good adhesion, even in only certain areas, you might be better off starting from scratch. You could try sanding only the areas where the paint isn't working and then priming the entire door. Worst case, you still end up having to sand the entire thing again.

ohhh...yeah, 15-20 min isn't long enough. I waited 4+ hours between mine as the can suggested. I really think you are going to have to sand that door. Is it a wood door?

kismet - it has that tacky feel to it. and as far as what kind of a door...ummmm, im going to say...oh i dont know. :) my guess would be either aluminum or wood. my gut says aluminum though.

and this is what happens boys and girls, when you come up wih a spur of the moment "great" idea, and dont follow all the neccessary steps. ;)

Dh just came home & I asked him. This is my layman's version. Red paint is mostly colorant and so has less base paint in it and takes more to get a good cover. If you used 3 thick coats, it is probably just that, too thick & needs more cure time.

On the spots not sticking, he said if they are truly not adhering, you have a problem and you should either scrape, strip or sand those spots until you get down to something solid, smooth the whole door & start over. If it's sticky, it will gum up the sandpaper, but can be done.

Then, if you are using a neutral base paint, use a gray base primer and it will be easier to cover.

What is the specific paint you were using, i.e. brand, type (acrylic latex, etc). He suggests you go back over it with an acrylic latex and you'll be fine.

He just added a p.s. as I clicked submit.

Is the paint you used in a clear or neutral base (it will be on the can front)?

At this point the thickness of the three wetcoats is going to further prolong the dry time. I'd wait a week or until it no longer feels the slightest bit sticky. Then, apply only one coat per day until you achieve coverage that's acceptable to you. Red is a really lousy color for coverage.
Casey

With all that I've read, I'm getting it's basically dry to the touch though tacky feeling. Which says it needs more dry time. Remember the top coat will dry faster. It's going to take time to dry clear through. Just like an ice cube freezes on the outside first but takes time to be completely frozen. If after a week you are still not happy with it follow Deb's (dlm2000) directions. She's very wise in the department. Not saying ronbre doesn't know what they are talking about, I just happen to know Deb from here and other groups.

Sand
Prime
Paint

Go to the paint forum and do some searching. You really don't have to use oil based paint.

In your prep work, did you sand the door first...or just "wipe it down"? If the original old paint was oil (and if it was put on years ago, it might very well have been),& you just started putting on latex paint on top of that, without either a thorough sanding OR a primer, that could cause problems down the road.

If it were me, I'd wait a couple of weeks for drying, sand the door thoroughly with 100 grit sandpaper to BE SURE everything is "holding", and IF OK, put on one final coat of your red paint.

What is the best pain for an exterior vinyl clad steel door, I have painted is with acrylic latex and after 2 years its still sticky Help

paint