How to Paint Louvered Doors [Step by Step]

Think of an aesthetic door that allows proper ventilation to a room while maintaining privacy, controlled lighting, and temperature. Can you guess something other than louvered doors?

These elegant louvered doors have been bringing trendy looks to homes since the middle ages and they are still very fashionable. From bedrooms to closets, they bring touches of a rich taste. But to keep them fashionable all year round they need some retouches.

In this brief guide, we are going to talk about how to paint louvered doors in step-by-step processes so that you can protect the beauty of your louvered doors for ages, or give them a brand new look every year. So, why wait? Let’s get started.

Also Read: Top HVLP Spray Guns Reviews

How to Paint Louvered Doors?

Painting louvered doors is not rocket science, but it does require patience and enough time, not to mention a perfect combination of skills and tools. But I don’t want to scare you before we even begin. Once you start and implement your true skills the job will be done in no time.

So, let’s begin by collecting the things you will need:

Paint brushes
Hand gloves
Old newspapers or drop cloths

Sandpaper
Screwdriver

That’s pretty much everything you need to get started. Now it’s time to start the louvered door makeover process.

Step 1: Prepare the Materials

You need some preps before you actually start applying the paint. Here are the things you need to do:

Choosing the right paint type is one of the most important factors for repainting a louvered door. Make sure you use the same paint type to cover the old one. For example, if your door was painted with chalk paint previously, use chalk paint to cover it up again.
The next thing is you need to make sure that the color you are going to pick matches the original one. This might take a long time to find the perfect color but it’s worth it because it’s going to save your time on sanding and priming.

To achieve a nice and smooth working experience, you need to choose the perfect brush for this job. The width of the brush should be the same as the width of the slats. And make sure you choose a brush that can reach every edge and angle so that you don’t find unpainted spots after finishing the task.
I hope you won’t like your floors with paint splatters matching your doors! To protect your floors and surrounding objects, make sure you use drop cloths or old newspapers.
One more thing, you can remove the handle from your door before you start painting, or you can tape it off using painter’s tape. You can do the same with the hinges as well.

Now, wear your latex gloves. You can also wear a protective mask to avoid directly breathing on toxic paint fumes.

Once the preparation for your materials is done, you need to prep the door now.

Step 2: Prepare the Door Surface

If you are working with a wooden door, you need to make sure you prep the wood first. Here’s how to do it:

The first thing you should pay attention to is how to sand louvered doors. Sanding down the wooden surface will make things easier.
Remove all the dust and debris. You can use a damp cloth for this. Make sure you do it properly. If you skip this step, your paint may not adhere properly.
For a nice and even finish on your natural wood or unfinished louvered door, you should go for a base coat. Use a good quality primer.

After the base coat is properly dried, it’s time to sand down the surface again. By doing so, you will achieve a nice, smooth surface.
Clean all the dust and debris again.
To achieve the next level of beautiful finish, add an undercoating layer.

If you notice some grease and dirt on the door surface, you should clean it properly. Otherwise, these will hinder the paint adhesion.

Step 3: Determining the Painting Style

This step is totally up to you. But for a beginner, getting proper ideas for painting louvered doors is essential. I mean you can get confused easily, like where to start top or bottom, this side or that side, etc.

You can start painting your louvered door from top to bottom. This will allow you to use the paint very efficiently. And for picking a particular side, you can start with any side of the door you like.

But don’t start painting the other side of the door unless you finish painting one side properly. After painting, let the paint rest for a few hours. After the paint is completely dried, start painting the other side of the door. Adding two coats with drying time in between is recommended for each side.

Step 4: Start Repainting Your Door

You can start your painting process with a good-quality roller. To use the roller properly, a top-down painting style is recommended. This will help you cover the surface better. But make sure you use the roller in top-down only, don’t try bottom-up. Cover the sides and slats properly.
After finishing the previous step, take a 2-inch brush and start painting the edges of the door. Paint the area very neatly and once you properly finish the area, go for the next.

Now, cover all the remaining parts of the slats. Make horizontal strokes on each slat carefully using a small brush. The brush size should not be larger than the slat themselves. To reach the tricky parts, use the angled brush.
Make sure you cover the corners and other hidden parts and always check if the paint is dripping on the other side of your door.
After you are satisfied with the final coat, let it dry properly. After the door is completely dry, look for missed areas or uneven finishes. Add some retouches on those spots if required.

Finally, clean up the mess and assemble the door again.

This video can be helpful:

Painting Louvered Doors Using Paint Sprayer

You might not want to take hours and hours painting the door the old-fashioned way. We got a solution for that as well. And this technique can change the cost to paint louvered doors too. You can use a paint sprayer to repaint the louvered door. How? Let’s check it out.

Step 1: Preparation

This step is quite the same as painting the door manually with brushes. But it’s worth taking a look.

First, remove the hinges and handles from the door. If you don’t want to remove them, taping them will be sufficient.
Now, remove the door itself and take it to your workspace.

Choose an open or well-ventilated area because it’s very important to select a well-ventilated area while using spray paints.
Wear gloves and a protective mask. Don’t skip this.

Step 2: Remove the Old Paint

Spraying paint on your louvered doors requires scraping off old paint. You can use a paint scraper. But if you want to use paint strippers, make sure you read the instructions because you don’t want to mess up the whole thing.

Step 3: Spray the Paint

Start spraying in top-down style, just like painting with a brush. Start from the top, use light coats until you reach the bottom. To keep things even and smooth, spray quickly and don’t hold the sprayer in one spot for too long.
You can’t reach some spots of the door using paint sprayer. So, it’s a better idea to keep a small paintbrush with you.
Finally, after the first coat, if you find uneven spots you can simply cover them up with a second coat.

After the painting is done, let it dry properly.

That’s quite everything about spray painting louvered doors. Let’s check out how to paint some more items like louvered doors.

How to Paint Louvered Shutters?

If you have wooden shutters, take the following steps:

Step 1: Preparing the Shutters

First, remove the screws and take down the wooden shutters.
Take the shutters outside and place them on a drop cloth.
Scrape out loose paint from both sides using a paint scraper.

Use sandpaper to sand down peeling paints from the shutters, make sure you sand the slats well. 80-grit sandpaper is perfect for the job.
Remove the remaining dust and debris.

Step 2: Applying Primer

Now, it’s time to apply the primer using a 2-inch brush. Use a water-based primer.

Wait for approximately 3 hours to make sure the primer is properly dried.

Step 3: Applying the Paint

Now, apply acrylic latex paint on the shutters. Again use a 2-inch brush for this.
After painting, you should make sure that the louvers are movable because the paint can cause the slats to get stuck with each other; like glue. That’s why you need to open and close them a couple of times.

Wait about 30 minutes after applying paint so that it can dry to the touch. Now, apply the paint on the other side of the shutters.
Allow your painted shutters to dry overnight.

How to Paint Louvered Bifold Doors?

The process of painting bifold doors is quite the same as regular louvered doors. Make sure to cover every part and corner properly. Apply multiple coats until you are satisfied. And don’t apply the next coat without giving the previous coat enough time to dry.

Final Words

Louvered doors are sure to bring a unique touch to homes. That’s why they are still very popular. To maintain the beauty of these masterpieces from the middle ages, sometimes you need to update them.

And from this guide, now you know how to update louvered doors. So, grab your paintbrushes and start painting louvered doors like a professional.