Painting French doors and multi-panel windows can be very time-consuming. But there is a way for you to paint them without masking tape. You can save yourself a bunch of time and frustration by using the right products. Liquid mask H2O will help you breeze through French doors and multi-panel windows. The liquid mask will help you eliminate hours of taping individual window panels. It is so easy that it makes it fun to paint French doors! Yes, I said fun! It is so easy that Anybody can do this. Regardless of whether you are a weekend warrior or a professional painter. You can now windows and doors almost effortlessly this professional trick.
What’s the best way to paint french doors?
At 518 Painters we Specialize in interior painting.
We specifically focus on residential home repaints.
The majority of our customers are upper-middle-class and above.
Therefore, we are accustomed to painting homes with multiple French doors.
So you can imagine that we tried every trick in the book to cut down our time of having to mask windows. Traditionally we would use blue masking tape and take each order individually.
Just imagine how much time will you spend on taping alone.
So when we discovered the masking liquid we were amazed!
This was a game-changer when it is time to paint French doors without masking tape.
Having such a simple way to mask your window panels comes in very handy.
Especially when you’re doing jobs where you have 10 to 15 multi-window doors.
On average one gallon will cost you between $50 and $70 US dollars.
On average one quart will cost you between $20 and $30 US dollars.
So it’s well worth the investment!
How to apply Masking Liquid
Before you apply your masking liquid you want to mix up the can thoroughly.
You also want to ensure that your windows are fairly clean and do not have any oil or grease on them.
Grease and oil will prohibit the liquid mask from sticking to the surface and drying.
You can use a brush, roller, or sprayer to apply your masking liquid.
Whichever one you prefer.
For the average homeowner, I would suggest cutting in all sashes and corners with a nylon brush.
In some cases where we can not use a sprayer, we will use a 4-inch mini roller that has a ⅜ inch microfiber nap.
But in general, at 518 Painters we use a handheld Titanflex sprayer with a fine finish tip in most cases to spray French doors.
How many coats of Liquid Mask should be applied?
You always want to apply 2 light coats of masking liquid before you paint your French doors or Windows.
Each coat has to dry for about 30 minutes to 45 minutes before applying an additional coat. That is considering your room temperature is between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
You want to make sure each quote is fully dry before applying another.
You can tell if your masking liquid is dry when it is completely clear.
If any spots look milky then it needs to continue to dry.
Be sure to wipe off excess masking liquid.
If you let it dry it can cause gator skin in your topcoat.
You can easily remove any excess material by using a wet rag.
Just be sure not to wipe it off the glass panel by mistake or else the paint will bleed through.
Does Masking Liquid stick to painted surfaces?
I get this question a lot from other contractors that have not tried this method yet but are curious.
Yes, masking liquid will stick to previously painted surfaces and bare wood.
It acts as a primer so you do not have to worry about getting it on do painted surface and peeling off later.
The Only Exception is if the surface has previously been painted with oil-based paint.
In this case, you would have to discuss it with a Brillo pad or use a liquid deglosser.
How do your masking from the window?
After applying your topcoat(s) and letting it dry for 4 hours you can then remove the liquid mask. By this time you can’t even call it a liquid mask anymore because it tried to a solid rubbery latex layer.
You can remove this layer by taking a sharp blade or a razor and cutting alongside the edges.
I suggest you go slow so that you do not cut into the wood.
That is happened to me a few times and can get quite annoying.
After that, you can just start picking at a corner and easily peel off the layer.
Where to buy window Masking Liquid H2o
There are several options where you can buy clear masking liquid.
Some Hardware stores carry it.
Not all but some.
Another option is amazon.com (click here) or ebay.com
I have seen Prices range from 50 US dollars to 100 US dollars for the gallon.
But you can also buy quarts.
And in most cases that will be enough for one project in one home.
Considering you are only painting French doors and not all of your exterior windows.
How to Paint exterior French doors
You can paint exterior windows and French doors with the same method.
This product work interior as well as exterior.
Therefore it is great for painting front exterior front doors and the back doors that have multiple window panels.
If you need advice on how to paint a metal front door you should read this!
How to clean off masking Liquid
You can easily clean off any spills and your tools with water and soap.
Just like your average latex paint, it will need the same effort to clean.
The longer you let it sit the more difficult it will be to clean.
In conclusion
Overall this product is amazing.
It saves you a lot of time and headaches whenever you have to paint Multi-panel windows and doors.
We do not even paint French doors anymore without using them unless it is just one door.
It is well worth it investing a couple of bucks and save time and frustration in return.