Imagine having a bad workday, and the first thing you notice when entering your home is a worn-out dull front door! Everything turns ten times worse!
If you have a durable metal door, then all you need is to add a bit of glitz and glam to make the entrance cheerful. There are also other reasons why you should consider painting your metal doors-

- Gives your metal doors a nice protective layer for added durability
- Protects against rust formation
- Offers an elegant and posh look to the doors
If you were having second thoughts on getting your metal doors painted, I hope now you’d consider taking a few minutes to give it another thought. Not all paints can fulfill your objectives, but the best paint for metal doors surely can. And we will bring forth you the best right away. So, relax and follow us!
Table of Contents
Let’s Take a Quick Look at the Best Metal Door Paints:
1. Modern Masters Metal Front Door Paint
“Water-based paint with a stunning no-fading formula”
2. Cranberry Rustoleum Front Door Paint
“Corrosion-resistant paint that offers durability to different surfaces”
3. Rust-Oleum Rust Hammered Paint
“Gives a hammered finish and protects from rust and UV”
4. FIXALL Skid Grip Paint
“Anti-slip acrylic paint delivering a textured finish”
5. Krylon UPERMAXX All-In-One Spray Paint
“Does not need a primer and offers maximum protection”
Top 5 Best Paint for Metal Doors Reviews
1. Modern Masters Satin Metal Front Door Paint
Key Features:
- Net weight: 1 Qt / 0.95L
- Coverage: 100 sq. ft
- Full cure time: 1 hour
- Water-based formula
- Advanced no-fading technology
- Ideal for both interior and exterior surfaces
If you want your residence front door to impress your guests with its elegance, the Modern Masters door paint seems to be one for you. Why? I’ll tell you.
You can apply this water-based paint on both metal and wood. Although it’s a front door paint, you can spread the elegance on your bedroom doors or shutters as well.
Despite the rough usage and harsh weather, the best part is it lasts for long, just like new! All the credit goes to its unique never-fade technology!
Don’t you worry about the drying period either, because one coat dries-to-touch in less than an hour! If you are wondering about the maintenance, there’s good news for you! You only need some water and soap to keep it clean.
So, when you are giving your home a new look, don’t forget to transform your metal doors with this classy paint!
- Offers high durability
- Usable on both wood and metal, door frame, window frames, shutters, etc.
- Offers an elegant satin finish
- Easy to clean and maintain the finish
- Low odor formula
- Quick-drying action
- Available in 14 classy shades
- It would be best if you used a bonding primer before painting
2. Cranberry Rustoleum Front Door Paint
Key Features:
- Net weight: 1 Qt / 0.95L
- Coverage: 105 sq. ft
- Full cure time: 2 hours
- Oil-based formula
- Corrosion-resistant paint
How do you take care of the pesky rust and give your metal doors a stylish look at the same? Well, I guess the Rust-oleum is the answer.
The oil-based formula offers durability to not only your steel door but also wood, fiberglass, and plastic as well. The paint is corrosion-resistant, so don’t bother whether you can use it on indoor and outdoor surfaces.
Imagine the door paint fading away in weeks and all the chipping and wearing out. If you’ve got Rust-oleum, then you won’t have to imagine it because it protects against all the evil!
If you are someone who is not a matte lover or keen on high gloss either, this semi-gloss satin finish is perfect for you! I also loved how quickly it dries without cracking the finish.
A paint that enhances the beauty of your metal door along with offering maximum protection! What else are you asking for?
- Protects from different weather conditions
- Usable on wood, fiberglass, and of course metal surfaces
- Offers excellent durability
- Prevents chipping, rust formation, and fading
- Offers a semi-gloss finish
- A single coat offers a finished look
- Needs a primer application beforehand
- Dries too fast, making it hard to paint
3. Rust-Oleum Rust Hammered Paint
Key Features:
- Net weight: 36 fluid oz
- Coverage: 15 sq. ft
- Full cure time: 4 hours
- Oil-based formula
- Rust-resistant paint
- Ideal for interior/exterior surfaces
Do you feel like brush-on paints are taking too much effort and time to apply? Well, you can switch to spray paints that offer convenience along with high-end looks, just like the Rust-Oleum hammered spray paint.
Are you in dire need of something to protect your door from corrosion? Are you tired of the scorching sun and pouring rain destroying your exterior metal door paint? With this paint, you can easily take care of both the issues in an instant!
If you have only used paints on doors that fade in weeks and look tacky, then you must try this one. It is completely resistant to fading, chipping, and abrasion.
Thanks to its hammered finish, all the flaws, scratches, and dents on the metal door are going to disappear like magic! Apply it without any hesitance on any surface material without the risk of rust layers and UV damage.
It’s time to cover your doors, shutters, and windows with a layer of elegance and durability. Get it now!
- Usable on metal, concrete, wood, plastic, masonry, etc.
- Offers a smooth, hammered metal finish
- Covers up flaws effortlessly
- Highly durable
- Provides resistance to chipping and abrasion
- Easy to apply on narrow places
- Resistant to UV rays
- Takes a long to dry
- Needs a heavy coat to provide a finished look
4. FIXALL Anti-Slip Skid Grip Paint
Key Features:
- Net weight: 1 gallon
- Coverage: 350 sq. ft
- 100% acrylic paint
- Anti-slip formula
- Available in various colors
As the name suggests, so the paint does! It’s hard to find stuff that functions what it claims. However, the anti-slip Fixall paint is one of a kind that’s going to make your metal doors stand out as well.
Boring old smooth matte paint is too outdated; it’s time to go for something new. And if you are thinking the same, then I’m sure you’ll love the textured finish of Fixall. It not only makes the surface look unique but ensures an anti-slip coating.
Since it is highly durable and slip-resistant at the same time, you can apply it on driveways, ramp, patio, etc., along with metal doors. It even has excellent adherence, which makes sure it sticks to all kinds of surfaces easily.
The quality acrylic paint is available in multiple shades that you will love! If you think the textured color would be a pain to apply, then try it yourself and see how easily you can paint it.
One painting that fits all your needs! Why look elsewhere?
- Designed for easy application
- Offers excellent adherence to different surfaces
- Creates a textured skid-resistant surface
- Suitable for wood, metal, asphalt, concrete, and so on
- Does not fade away with time
- Offers protection from UV rays
- Takes a long time to dry
5. Krylon UPERMAXX All-In-One Spray Paint – Best for Excellent Adhesion
Key Features:
- Net weight: 12 fluid oz
- Coverage: 10 sq. ft
- Full cure time: 2 hours
- Advanced anti-trust technology
- Ideal for indoor and outdoor usage
Krylon has secured its position in the list of some of the best paint brands.
Painting metal isn’t an easy job with all that priming and sanding beforehand. Surprise surprise, when it comes to this metal spray paint, you won’t have to do any prep work at all!
It’s not just a paint that’ll give your metal doors a new shine, but it also ensures total protection from rust and abrasive weather. Spray paint does all that! Well, there’s even more.
Due to its excellent adherence formula, it sticks to different surfaces with ease and lasts for longer than you expect! If you have refrained from using spray paints all these days because they give you finger strains, then relax with this one. It has an easy push spray tip to minimize your finger fatigue.
People are rushing to get this all-in-one paint! What are you waiting for?
- Does not require primer application beforehand
- Offers protection for a long time
- Excellent adhesion to all kinds of surfaces
- Prevents finger fatigue or strains
- Highly user-convenient
- Available in several shades
- Low coverage area
How to Choose the Best Metal Door Paint?
There are many options you can go for, it can be a brush-on paint or a spray paint too. But no matter what, you must consider the following things before investing your money on the best paint for metal doors.
A long-lasting formula
Most metal paints that offer the application for exterior surfaces are quite durable. However, if you are confused between water-based and oil-based paints, I’d tell you to choose the oil one.
Yes, you even have the choice of latex paint but don’t forget the chipping and abrasion. Besides, the latex paints fade away really quickly, so you need to reapply the paints in a few months.
When it comes to water-based paints, you would probably need to give more coatings. Besides, they are not the best when it comes to rust and weather protection.
Safe usage
Why must we be concerned about the safety of paint? For the sake of your health! I prefer water-based paints for safety because they usually offer a low-odor, low VOC formula. On the other hand, oil-based paints emit high VOC fumes, which release bad odor and harmful chemicals for your health.
Besides, oil-based formulae are highly flammable. Although it shouldn’t matter when applying paint on your steel doors but yet, why take the risk?
Rust prevention
We are talking about metal doors here, so the main concern above all should be rusty prevention! Thanks to advanced technology, there are nice metal paints nowadays that offer protection against rust. You may consider both water-based and oil-based paints for this.
However, if you consider oil-based paints for rust-protection, they’ll offer the best action. On the other hand, some water-based paints’ rust-proof action remains doubtful, as the solvents can result in quick rusting sometimes.
Hence, my advice would be to inspect the label and specifications before the application.
Drying action
Why do you need to consider a fast-drying action? It’s a door you are painting, and you know that you have to remove the door from the installation before painting a metal door, right?
You cannot keep the entrance wide open for long. Hence, you need paint that dries up quickly so you won’t have to worry about security.
Besides, a slow drying paint can result in creating spots or sticking dirt on the door. When considering fast-drying, water-based formula is the winner. It takes about 2-3 hours maximum to completely drying off.
On the other hand, oil-based paints take almost a few days! If you have an emergency or in fear of a security breach, a water-based paint will save you.
User-convenience
The user-convenience depends mostly on the painter’s skill. For instance, if you are a newbie, then good water-based paint is what you need. It is easy to apply, and you don’t need to thin it or worry about the application method; apply it!
On the other hand, if you think of getting your metal door painted with oil paint, you shouldn’t rely on anyone other than a professional. You need to bring the oil paints to the ideal consistency before applying. Also, the application must be flawless.
If you consider the door surface’s cleanup, then water-based paint is the easiest to handle. All you need is some soap and water. But for oil-based paints, you need some bonus watching agents for the cleanup.
How to Paint a Metal Door?
With your desired paint at hand, you are about to color your entrance door into one masterpiece. But hey! You don’t know how to do it correctly. That’s ok. This simple guide will help not to mess up!
Things you’ll need to paint metal door –
1. Paint stripper | 2. Sandpaper |
3. Degreaser | 4. Painter’s tape |
5. Multi-surface primer | 6. Paintbrush or roller |
7. Angular sash brush | 8. Exterior satin or semi-gloss metal paint |
Procedure:
1. For a perfect finish, first, you need to remove the door from the frame. Then you need to detach all the extra door hardware like the knob, hinges, and handles.
2. Take your degreaser and clean your door with it. Remove all the oil, dirt, grease from it. After the cleaning session, let the door surface dry for a few hours.
3. Next step is to get rid of the old paint with the help of your paint stripper. As it is a chemical solution, it will release fumes. So, take the door outside when using it and don’t forget your goggles and gloves.
4. Sand the door surface after removing the old paint so that the new coat adheres better.
5. Your metal door will be taking a lot of wear and tear. Hence, for better protection and durability, apply a high-end primer on it and give it at least 3 hours before the paint application.
6. Take your roller or flat brush to apply the paint thoroughly. I prefer paint rollers for even coloring. You can use the angular brush for painting the corners or narrow zones. Two coats of exterior paint would be great to offer you a fine finish.
7. Give it about 12-14 hours to dry completely. Then you can put the hardware back on the door and place the door in place. Voila! An elegant door to awestruck your friends and neighbors!
Read more: 7 Most Elegant Front Door Colors for A Red Brick House!
FAQs
Q: Do you need special paints for metal doors?
A: For obvious reasons, you’d need exterior surface paint dedicated for metal usage. Don’t settle for a high-gloss paint; rather, a flat sheen paint would look better and also ease the application
Q: Should I use a brush or roller to paint a door?
A: If you are a beginner, I’d advise you to use a roller because it’s easier and puts on a better finish than brushes.
Q: How do you paint a metal door that is peeling?
A: Use a sander to sand the door and clean the dirt and grease. Then when the prep work is done, apply a fresh coat of metal paint.
Final Verdict
Come on! It’s been a long since you have been staring at that dull door of your home. It’s time to get on a sheen. Whether you are selling your home or settling for some renovation to spice up the look, painting your metal doors is necessary.
From a wide variety of paints, we have shown you the best paint for a metal door. Now it’s your call to pick the one that suits your needs. Hurry up, pick your color, grab that brush and surprise your homies!