Replies

1. 
   Danno | Sep 02, 2009 08:47pm | #1

   Will thin card stock or something like the cardboard cereal comes in slide in there? Slippery plastic might be better or something like one of those thin paint guards you use when painting baseboard to pull the carpet back.

2. 
   Mooney | Sep 02, 2009 09:44pm | #2

   Its best to remove the screen. Youre just gommin around if ya dont . Give it a new screen and paint job all at once .

    

3. 
   DonCanDo | Sep 03, 2009 12:34am | #3

   I’ve got a screen door to paint. What is the best/fastest way to paint it without painting the screens?

   Carefully!

   Seriously, I've done it many times and I haven't found anything better than a good brush and a steady hand.  And yes, some paint may get on the screens, but usually not enough to even see from a few feet away.

4. 
   DanH | Sep 03, 2009 12:39am | #4

   A piece of Venetian blind slat -- the old wide ones.

   As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
5. 
   BarryE | Sep 03, 2009 03:35am | #5

   a paint brush, a steady hand and a long smooth stroke

   ---

   Barry E-Remodeler

    

6. 
   barmil | Sep 03, 2009 04:24am | #6

   I really like the idea of replacing the screen in the process. If the door is old enough to require painting, it probably could use new mesh as well. Why put that off? It's pretty cheap. I haven't seen a screen door in years, what with the popularity of storm doors. Nothing matches the sound of a screen door slamming to bring back nostalgia. Where do you live?

1. 
   Sphere | Sep 03, 2009 11:50am | #8

   Yep, one of my favorite songs starts out with ..." Screen door slams..Mary is dressed waiting..like a vision she dances across the floor as the radio plays"

   I don't paint mine, I make new ones when they finally give up..screen door evolution and all that.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

   "If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt

   View Image

1. 
   Hazlett | Sep 03, 2009 06:21pm | #11

   Bruuuuuce! stephen

2. 
   BigMish | Sep 03, 2009 03:22pm | #9

   The screen door is new; I'm replacing an aluminum one.I think I'll try to paint it with the screen in (maybe just free hand) and if I get too much paint on the screen I'll just put a new one in (got some extra as I just screened in the porch).To your question: I'm in Kingston, NY

7. 
   RedfordHenry | Sep 03, 2009 05:08am | #7

   The best way to paint it is to remove the screens so you can get some paint into the rabbet and down behind the screen molding.

   The fastest way is to skip that critical step and try to mask the screen if your hand isn't steady enough to freehand it.

   In this case, the best is not the fastest. 

8. 
   rdesigns | Sep 03, 2009 04:49pm | #10

   At our local hardware store last week, they had one of those promotional videos running that touted a new green masking tape--I think it was called Frog Tape--that has an adhesive that repels paint. It's supposed to give you an absolutely clean line.

   Haven't tried it myself.

1. 
   DonCanDo | Sep 04, 2009 12:36am | #12

   I've been thinking about trying Frog tape myself, but it's a bit expensive and I do pretty good with green painter's tape (green is a cheaper version of the blue).  After setting the tape in place, I run a plastic putty knife down the edge of the tape to make sure it's well adhered.  If I were painting stripes on the wall, I would definitely want to give the Frog tape a try.

   But, I don't think any kind of tape is going to work well for a screen door because you can't really tape a hole.

1. 
   rdesigns | Sep 04, 2009 12:56am | #13

   The infomercial video they were running showed what happens when you add a very small amount of whatever their magic adhesive additive is to a glass of water--it caused the entire glass of water to congeal so that the guy could immediately turn it upside down without any dumping out.

   I was impressed.

   But I didn't buy any Frog Tape.

   I guess my Clam Wallet won out over the Frog.

2. 
   hipaul | Sep 04, 2009 07:49am | #14

   I just painted 2 new wooden screen doors with the screen in, used the green Frog tape. Got it in nice and tight, but didn't worry about a tiny gap so paint could flow down into the gap.
   Got maybe 1 little paint mark on the screens all in all. Just don't drink a lot of coffee before you go at it.I used a brush on all the insides, but a 4" cabinet roller on all the surfaces. I sometimes go back and do one coat with a brush on top of that just in case I need to do a little touch up later on and avoid the roller-brush disparity.The trick to the frog tape (as I've been told) is to give it a quick swipe with damp rag first because it activates the gel that blocks the paint from going underneath. I still mostly freehand it on doors and windows and such, but it's supposed to work nice if you like taping things off first.Paul

   http://www.pauljohnsoncarpentry.com