Door & Built-In Painting in Knoxville, TN
Doors and built-ins are the hardest-working surfaces in your home. Front doors take weather and UV from the outside and fingerprints from the inside. Interior doors get opened, closed, bumped, and leaned against hundreds of times a week. Bookshelves, mudroom cubbies, and entertainment centers collect dust, scuffs, and the wear of daily life. These surfaces require coatings that are harder, smoother, and more durable than standard wall paint — and application techniques that leave a factory-quality finish.
At Cutting Edge Painting, doors and built-ins are not line items buried in a wall-painting proposal. They are stand-alone specialties. Jesse evaluates each piece individually, recommends the right product and application method, and ensures the finished result looks like it came from a professional shop — not a job site.
Our Door Painting Process
- Removal & Setup: When possible, we remove interior doors from their hinges and lay them flat on sawhorses. This eliminates drips, sags, and uneven coverage that come from painting doors in place. Hardware is removed or carefully masked.
- Cleaning & Sanding: Every door is cleaned to remove oils, grime, and handprints. We sand the entire surface to create a uniform profile for primer adhesion. Previously painted doors get special attention at edges, panels, and areas where old paint has built up.
- Priming: Bare wood, MDF, and previously stained doors get a bonding primer coat. This ensures uniform sheen and prevents tannin bleed-through on wood species like oak, pine, and mahogany.
- Application: We spray most doors with an airless or HVLP sprayer for a smooth, brush-mark-free finish. Panel doors get sprayed in a specific sequence — panels first, then stiles, then rails — to avoid lap marks. Flat doors may be rolled and tipped for an equally smooth result.
- Light Sand & Final Coat: After the first coat dries, we lightly sand any dust nibs or imperfections and apply the final topcoat. Two coats minimum on every door.
- Reinstallation: Once fully cured, doors are rehung with hardware reinstalled. We check for proper clearance, smooth operation, and clean hinge alignment.
Built-In Painting Process
Built-in bookshelves, entertainment centers, window seats, mudroom cubbies, and closet systems require the same level of detail as cabinetry — but with the added challenge of being attached to walls, floors, and ceilings. Our process includes:
- Careful masking of surrounding walls, countertops, and flooring
- Removal of shelves, drawers, and hardware where possible
- Cleaning, sanding, and priming all surfaces including interior shelves and hard-to-reach corners
- Spray application with back-brushing on detailed profiles
- Two coats of enamel with sanding between coats
- Reinstallation of hardware, shelves, and accessories
Front Door Painting & Refinishing
Your front door is the first impression of your home. Whether it is a painted steel door, a stained mahogany entry, or a fiberglass door that needs refreshing, we handle it. Painted front doors get the same spray-and-sand process as interior doors, using exterior-grade enamel or urethane coatings rated for UV and weather exposure. Stained wood doors get sanded, re-stained, and sealed with marine-grade spar urethane for maximum protection and grain clarity.
Products We Use for Doors & Built-Ins
- Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel: Our top choice for interior doors and built-ins. Exceptional hardness, leveling, and stain resistance. Dries to a smooth, furniture-grade finish.
- Sherwin-Williams ProClassic Alkyd/Hybrid: An excellent alternative for doors that need a hard, durable shell. Great flow and leveling with minimal brush marks.
- Sherwin-Williams Duration Exterior (for front doors): UV-resistant, self-priming exterior coating for painted front doors and entry surrounds.
- Helmsman Spar Urethane / TWP (for stained doors): Marine-grade clear coats and penetrating stains for wood entry doors that need weather protection while showing natural grain.
