Barn doors are stylish as they make the room more sophisticated owing to their beautiful finishes and high-end millwork. The barn door also helps conserve space making it an ideal choice for a squeezed room. The main challenge comes after the barn door starts getting old or peeling. Should you stain or paint it.
You can decide to paint or stain your barn door depending on your preference. When you paint the barn door, the paint remains visible on top of it. However, the stain gets soaked up in the wood if you stain it. But then paint suits more surfaces and comes in several colors than stain, which makes it a versatile choice. Stain is not glossy, but you can find a variety of matte, ultra-flat or flat.
If you’re planning to paint or stain your barn door, this article will show you the best option and why.
Why Staining Your Barn Door Is Better Choice?
If you want to maintain the natural look of your barn door, it’s best to stain it. All the beautiful elements will be visible through the stain, unlike when you paint it. Staining the barn door will also enable you to maintain the natural look of the décor attached to the door longer.
It also doesn’t peel awkwardly and gradually allows your barn to look cared for. Staining your barn door’s more beneficial in preventing moisture that can destroy it. Your door will not warp easily. However, applying a stain is difficult and requires practice to get the perfect look.
How To Stain Your Barn Door?
- Remove the door from the mounting track if you want to stain your barn door.
- Then remove the hardware on the door.
- Sand the door with fine-grit sandpaper.
- After that, stain your barn door using a paintbrush. Use your favorite stain on the door and ensure you apply it all over the door. Wipe out the excess stain with a rag but avoid rubbing the door’s surface.
- You should finish up by smoothening out the layer. Use a clean brush for this. Don’t forget to apply a layer of clear polyurethane to protect the finish.
How To Paint Barn Door?
If you want your ban door to resemble the walls and the other interior design elements, it’s best to paint it. Choose a color that matches your interior design. You can follow the below process to paint your barn door.
Tools Required:
- Paintbrush
- Drop cloth
- Crescent wrench
- Drip tray
- Screwdriver
- Sandpaper
- Paint roller
Remove The Barn Door
If you want to paint your barn door, easily remove it from the mounting track and take it to your preferred painting area. Ensure you place a drop cloth on the floor to prevent paint from sticking to it.
Detach the Hardware
Using a screwdriver, you should remove the hardware on the door like handles and hanging rollers. The crescent wrench can also help where necessary.
Sand the Door
After that, sand the door with sandpaper. Sanding will help smoothen the work surface and remove the previous paint/stain. Use a rag to remove dust after sanding.
Paint the Door
Then paint your barn door using the paintbrush. Start with the door edges, which the brush will reach with ease. The roller should enable you to paint the plain/flat areas faster. But do a final layer using a brush to smooth the roller lines. Allow your paint to dry, flip the other side of the door and paint it too using the same formula.
Return the Hardware
Finally, return the hardware you removed when starting this process. You should do this after the barn door dries well. Then return the door to the mounting rack.
Why Choose Painting Over Staining Your Barn Door?
You should consider painting your barn door over staining because you’ll have various colors to choose from. This will allow you to match your barn door with your house theme without a struggle. You can decide to have a white barn door against white walls.
Painting the barn door is also easier than staining. You need basic tools to paint your barn door, unlike when you decide to stain, which requires special tools.
However, you will spend more when you decide to paint the door and not stain it. This is because painting is more expensive than staining. You will have to apply several paint layers to get desired results. Also, you have to give the door time to dry.
Can You Stain Over Painted Barn Door?
Staining the barn door enhances its look. But when your door is painted, you will think of stripping off the paint before you stain it. Removing the paint from the door will be additional work and might discourage you from doing it. However, you can stain over the painted barn door without stripping the paint.
When you use this method, go for gel stain instead of regular wood stain. The regular wood stain works well by penetrating through the door. But when the door is painted, it won’t soak as it should. However, gel stain will form a layer on the barn door, enabling it to cover and stick over the paint.
Bottom Line
Your barn door plays a role in the room as it can beautify the area or be used to save space as it opens against the wall. To keep it in perfect shape, you can stain or paint it depending on your preference. Painting seals imperfections on the door while staining helps maintain its natural look.
