Door Painting - From Stain to Paint

Jcb Painting does a lot of stain-to-paint jobs.

Painting Interior Slider Doors: From Dark-Stained to Sleek White

Updating interior slider/deck doors from dark-stained wood to a clean white finish is a great way to modernize your space and brighten up a room. But it takes the right prep and process to get that flawless, durable look—especially on high-touch surfaces like doors and trim.

Step 1: Surface Prep

Start by removing any hardware or masking off areas you don’t want painted. Clean the doors thoroughly with a degreasing cleaner

—this step is especially important if the wood has been exposed to hands, pets, or cooking residue.

Once clean, scuff sand the entire surface using a medium-grit sanding sponge (like 150-180 grit). This helps break the sheen of the existing varnish or polyurethane and gives your primer something to grip.

Step 2: Prime Properly

Since you’re covering a dark, glossy surface, stain-blocking bonding primer is essential. An oil-based or shellac-based primer like Zinsser Cover Stain or BIN Shellac Primer will:

• Block any tannin bleed from the wood
• Bond to slick surfaces
• Give your topcoat better durability
• Let the primer cure fully, and do a light sand between coats if needed to smooth the surface.

Step 3: Apply a High-Performance Topcoat

For the final finish, go with a white semi-gloss or satin enamel that’s labeled for doors, trim, or cabinets. These paints are designed to resist scratches, fingerprints, and repeated cleaning.

My go to for semi-gloss these days is the Benjamin Moore HP-3410 line of Pre-Cat Waterborne Epoxy.

It's a straight semi-gloss, not a "paint and primer" product. Goes on smooth and has great leveling out properties which results in a clean look without the unslightly, BRUSH MARKS!

The after-results are always quite stunning.