Easy way to finish house doors

[Tom M King]

Even if you just have one door that needs finishing, do yourself a favor and build a rotisserie. A screw is the pivot. Make the bars that you screw to the ends of the door some narrower than the door thickness. These are something over 30 years old. I don't bother to keep stretchers for them, but just use whatever is laying around.
Anyone can spray like an expert when the surface is horizontal. With these, you spray one side, let it tack up, and spin the door over to do the other side.
I have enough of these to do a whole house full of doors, but was only painting two this evening.

[John TenEyck]

That's genius Tom. I've always driven two screws in one end and one screw in the other, then lifted the end with two screws to flip it over. Your approach with the bars is far better. Thanks.

Must be you have no bugs or dust where you live. That would not turn out well for me.

John

[Tom M King]

Normally, I just prime them outside. When I was building new houses, we'd set up one room for a finish spraying room. The guys would prep one, and move it into that room, I'd spray it, and they'd move it out in the house to dry.

We were pushed up doing some changes in our house in preparation for my 104 year old Mother moving in, with less than a weeks notice. Normally, I don't do deadlines.

I primed those doors after 7 last night, when I took that picture. First time using water based primer on doors-left over from another job. The humidity was high, and they didn't dry before dark. I thought I might lose them, and just turned them up on edge to see what happened.

This morning brought a good surprise, and they had dried nicely with just three sets of insect tracks. I sanded out the tracks, and sprayed the finish paint on them before 8:30. Had them hung by 10. While waiting for the paint to dry, we put up four handicap railings in the bathroom. We had to leave at 10:30 to pick up my Mom. Pam went to get her, while I picked up tools, and cleaned up.

I hate deadlines, and normally won't even talk about meeting one for a paying job. This was different. All settled in fine now. I wouldn't have met this deadline without the rotisseries, and the airless rig. I still have to clean out the sprayer, but the pickup, and gun are in a bucket of water until the shade goes around there this evening.

[John TenEyck]

We do what we have to for family. Good on you Tom. Good genes in your family, too. 104. Wow. My mom's still a youngster at only 93.

John