A quick tip for painting French doors without scraping, taping, or splotchy peeling paint. This trick saves SO much time and looks amazing like a factory finish!
This post has me singing a theme song courtesy of Coolio.
Been painting most our lives living in a French door paradise.
Because there are so. many. French. doors. in. this. house.
They made me fall in love with this place. The minute I walked into the living room on our first tour, I knew those pretty doors needed to be mine.
But then… we had a fight, those doors and I. Because painting the 8 French doors in that room took dayyyyyys of taping and scoring and scraping and maybe a little bit of cursing.
They sure turned out pretty. It was just a laborious process to get there.
(Some affiliate links are provided below. Check out my full disclosure here.)
So this time, now that we’re embarking on a new makeover adventure in the playroom, I was determined to find any way to avoid scraping more French doors for hours and hours all over again.
I almost went as far as to hire professional painters to come in and just paint the room, doors and all, for us, buuuuut it was going to cost $750 so that was a big ol’ NOPE.
But then I found the BEST trick ever! And it’s actually really fun to do. Yeah, I said fun. I know, that’s nuts.
This was where I left off with you guys when I shared all of our big playroom plans.
This pair of brown French doors on either side of the playroom fireplace:
And this set of French doors leading into the playroom from the living room that were still beigey-white on the inside:
We’ve since painted the walls with leftover Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee from our living room to eliminate the yellow and the beigey trim is now Benjamin Moore Simply White.
But the beige and brown on the doors still had to go.
Pardon the dimly lit evening/nighttime photos for this one. #WinterProblems (P.S. You like Olivia’s giant unicorn just chilling out watching TV in the living room?)
Here’s the magic: Masking Liquid H20.
*I pinky promise this isn’t a sponsored post or anything like that. This was just one of those tricks that was too cool and time saving to keep to myself, if you happen to have French doors or windows needing a paint job. Just passing it along friend to friend.
Taping is tedious and makes paint peel. Scraping is time consuming and will drive you absolutely insane. But Masking Liquid is almost as cool as glitter slime. (I think my mom life is showing.)
I just used a 3″ angled brush to apply a thick layer to all of the glass window panes, which took me about 10-15 minutes per door.
It looks like glue at first and will start out looking white.
After a few hours, it dries to look like this clear film:
Then, just prime (if needed) and paint on whatever color you’d like. (I brushed on our go-to door color, Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron.)
Let the paint dry, and then score the edges of the window panes with a utility knife blade.
Peel back a corner of the film on the pane and remove it as it comes off in one sheet.
If you have French doors and you try it out, you’ll see what I mean. Totally fun! It’s as satisfying as those charcoal peel mask videos, only less gross. (What’s up with those?)
It only took me about 10 minutes to peel all of the window panes on one door without a single paint flaw. Whaaaat?!
It ends up looking like a factory finish! The playroom doors put our living room doors to shame now. Totally kicking myself for not finding this stuff sooner because what took me roughly 48 hours before took me all of 45 minutes this time around.
We still have a lot more progress to do in this playroom that is quickly coming together, so I should have another update on this space next week.
But can we just talk about that fireplace for a sec? I painted the mantel in Sherwin Williams Tree Swallow and it is just the sweetest color for a playroom. Right now, with that red brick though, it’s looking kind of 1980s Williamsburg Blue to me. But I still have more changes to make to it, if you’re thinking, “Ewww no. That’s weird.”
I’ll be sharing a few sneak peeks of some of our progress on my Instagram Stories in the meantime too.
Are you going on a painting frenzy in your house right now since so many of us are locked inside from the frigid cold. If the Carolinas actually get snow, I’m libel to have the entire playroom finished before it melts (which in Southerner speak means about 30 seconds). 😉
If you want to save this little tip for later, you can pin it here:
Susan says
January 17, 2018 at 8:32 amThanks for the tip! For the exterior French doors are the mullions plastic? The black paint you used stuck to that without a problem? Or did you need to prime?
Lauren says
January 17, 2018 at 11:02 amYes, they’re plastic, but I used Sherwin Williams Infinity paint (in semi-gloss), and it applied perfectly. I used primer on the beige doors, but only because they had oil base paint already on them. All of the other doors had latex, so I didn’t need primer for those.
Rita says
September 5, 2018 at 10:39 amJust wanted to say thanks for all the info. I am in love with your house!!! I have a very small house (with no French doors!), but many Windows. I will be using this stuff on all my doo rd etc! Anything to make the job easier?! Thanks again!
Lauren says
September 5, 2018 at 9:16 pmYou are most welcome, Rita. Good luck and happy painting!!
Suzanne F says
January 17, 2018 at 9:48 amYou have saved my sanity! Our house has 12 French doors…on the first floor alone. And they all need to be painted since I changed the wall colors during a renovation. I’ve been dreading the task, I can’t thank you enough ?
Lauren says
January 17, 2018 at 11:02 amSo glad it helped!!! I’d been dreading this room for that reason too.
Sunnye says
January 17, 2018 at 11:02 amAwesome, Lauren!!! Thank you for sharing this. I have 6 French Doors in my house that need to be painted and I’ve been putting it off because it would be so TIME CONSUMING! I’ll use this on my windows, too. Love this hack!~
Lauren says
January 18, 2018 at 6:50 amGlad to help. Game changer and time saver definitely. 🙂
Kellie says
January 17, 2018 at 12:01 pmThis came today and I am doing just this today!! eeekkkk…I’m so excited this is going to save me so much time!
Karen says
January 17, 2018 at 12:02 pmThank you so much! We are building right now. We have a set of French doors to paint. This will come in handy!
Karen says
January 17, 2018 at 12:04 pmQuestion: on brand new doors that haven’t been painted yet, do I need to use primer, or just paint?
Janell says
January 22, 2018 at 11:13 amKaren, not sure if you will see this response, I happened to be scrolling through this awesome post and the comments. My humble recommendation is always use primer on bare/new wood. The new wood literally soaks paint in, so you will be saving yourself some money by using primer, and the finished product will look much nice as well. Hope this helped 🙂
Winnie says
January 17, 2018 at 12:11 pmOh, how I wish I’d known this tip 3 months ago when I re-painted 3 rooms with french doors and 6 over 6 windows! What a terrific solution (and sanity saver, lol).
Carol says
January 17, 2018 at 12:13 pmI’m saving this tip! Thanks so much!!
Jackie says
January 17, 2018 at 1:10 pmHi, do you have to brush it over the whole pane of glass, or can you just do couple of inches around the edges where the paint will be?
Katy Beacher says
January 17, 2018 at 2:03 pmThank you for the tip. Your french doors are beautiful.
Kathy says
January 17, 2018 at 2:42 pmI’ve seen that tip on Renovation Addict, but didn’t know exactly what stuff she used. Thanks! She used it outside and then it got cold and she had to scrape it off, so be careful where and when you use it.
I used to be an editor, and if you don’t mind a little hint, “I’m libel to” is spelled “I’m liable to.” Or you can say, “I’m likely to.” Libel is defaming a person in print.
Karyn says
January 17, 2018 at 7:25 pmThank you so much for the painting tip!! I have French doors that I’ve wanted to paint black for a long time. However, the thought of all that taping and possibly scraping left me tired before I even started! LOL. Now I don’t have an excuse!
Lauren says
January 18, 2018 at 6:41 amNo excuse! Get on it. 🙂 Glad to help.
Sarah says
January 17, 2018 at 7:30 pmWhat an awesome tip!! I have French doors that need a touch up since we painted after moving in. And that color on the fireplace!! Swooning!!
Diane says
January 17, 2018 at 10:39 pmGreat tip. I always enjoy any painting tip that makes life easier. Do you have to be really careful to not get the masking liquid on the panes?
Ella says
January 17, 2018 at 11:08 pmYay! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I need to paint the French doors to our pool area. This is awesome! (LOL, can you tell I’m excited?)
Karla Ireland says
January 18, 2018 at 7:52 amThat is so neat! Never knew this stuff existed.
HeatherB says
January 18, 2018 at 12:51 pmGame changer!!!! Thank you so much!
Vicki says
January 18, 2018 at 1:44 pmI wish I had known about this when I had French doors. They are truly a pain and this looks so very easy. Thanks for sharing this. I pinned it just in case I have French doors again someday! The playroom is looking good. Can’t wait to see what you do with the fireplace. Love the blue mantel!
Marie Lavender says
January 18, 2018 at 3:05 pmGet OUT!!! (Insert Elaine shoving Jerry here)
What an awesome tip. We just bought a 100 year old house with giant floor to ceiling multi-paned windows and several French doors that all need painting. Girl, you just saved me a lifetime of scraping!
PS – I’m in High Point, NC and we got almost 8 inches of snow yesterday. Perfect day to stay inside and enjoy the thrill of painting kitchen cabinets 😉
Christine says
January 19, 2018 at 12:13 amWOW!
I actually have been stripping doors, which with Citristrip takes all of an hour or two, depending upon how long I forget I have stripper on . LOVE the stuff and it’s fun.
That said, I picked up a French door that has fire damage, so I will patch that and paint it. I was dreading the window part, because 10 years later, I still have stain on the front door windows I can’t seem to scrape off. I haven’t even thought about starting to paint, because I was dreading it. Can you believe I’d rather strip a door than paint it?
Thanks so much for posting this.
Oh – I’m using SW Iron Ore and BM’s Dragon’s Breath for 17 casement windows on my back porch. Your beautiful black doors are very encouraging and brought my mental picture to life!
Lauren says
January 19, 2018 at 9:52 amWow 17 windows! You have your work cut out for you! Good luck and enjoy. I am sure they will be beautiful. 🙂
Sharon says
January 19, 2018 at 8:20 pmLauren you’re a lifesaver! This will make the daunting task of painting our French Doors for a whole house Shutter install so much easier. I’ve been putting it off & I’m so glad I did or I’d have missed your tip. How far will a quart go?
Jessica says
January 24, 2018 at 11:15 amI have been doing interior painting for a long time, and I wish I’d known about this trick a lot sooner! Anyone who has done a lot of painting will know what a life and time saver this is. Thank you so much for sharing this, I will remember this, as I have future painting projects coming up, and will definitely be utilizing this!
Melissa says
January 24, 2018 at 6:16 pmShut the French Door!!! This is fantastic! – Thanks and am saving this on my Pinterest 🙂
Rachel says
January 25, 2018 at 5:33 amOmg this is fabulous!!! Thank you for sharing this! I will be using this!!!
Monique says
January 28, 2018 at 1:47 amI’m a professional furniture painter who’s also renovating a 1960s home in Western Australia and I’m hoping like mad that I can get this product at our hardware store. Would this work on mirrors do you think? I know it would be marvellous for cabinet glass doors. Thank you for sharing this post and your home with us! Your doors look beautiful. Monique from Shabby Duck Studio
Lauren says
February 5, 2018 at 2:51 pmI don’t see why not! It should work any any kind of glass. 🙂 Fingers crossed you’re able to get it there! Amazon will probably be your best bet.
Cathy says
February 4, 2018 at 5:09 pmI just came across your page. OMG! Thank you for introducing this product to my life. Cannot wait for our snowy Kansas winter to turn to beautiful spring so I can try this. Cannot wait t explore your site more.
Margaret Shaw says
February 9, 2018 at 11:52 pmLauren
I have a number of french doors in my house and have spent hours preparing them. Would love to obtain this miraculous product for my next painting job, I live in Ontario, Canada. Would you have any idea ere I could could buy this here.
Lauren says
February 11, 2018 at 11:22 pmHi Margaret. Your best bet would likely be Amazon. It looks to be much pricier for you there, but a little goes a long way, if that helps.
Vaughan says
February 13, 2018 at 12:48 pmWhere can I get this great product? I live in UK and internet searching hasn’t come up with a supplier?
Lauren says
February 14, 2018 at 10:13 amHave you checked Amazon? They have Amazon in the UK.
Lori says
February 21, 2018 at 11:24 pmConfused. If you get some on the wood, wouldn’t itcreate a place that doesn’t get painted? I don’t understand how you were able to paint this on without getting any on the wood.
Lauren says
March 12, 2018 at 2:51 amIf you get it on the wood and paint over it, it just acts as a primer and stays put. It only comes off if you score it and peel it off the glass, leaving a clean edge. I wondered the same thing but I’m telling ya, it’s awesome.
Sheila says
January 29, 2019 at 1:27 amThank you! I was wondering this myself… I have three doors to paint and this now gives me the confidence to move forward.
Lauren says
January 30, 2019 at 10:38 amSheila, I am so happy to hear this helps!!
Sylvia says
February 25, 2018 at 4:56 pmWhere can this be purchased? Local home improvement stores??
Lauren says
February 26, 2018 at 7:27 amAmazon, the link is in the post.
Lauren says
February 26, 2018 at 11:07 amI linked to it on Amazon in the post, if that helps. The only other place I know of that carries it is Sherwin Williams, and sometimes you have to ask for it there. It’s not always on the sales floor.
MK says
March 2, 2018 at 10:07 amI came to your blog for the French door hack but oh my gosh…your living room fan is incredible. What’s the brand?
Lauren says
March 5, 2018 at 8:43 amThanks! We love it too. Here’s the link to it: http://amzn.to/2tiMWxC
Shelley says
March 29, 2018 at 10:44 pmCan you just come to my house and “fix” everything?! Wow! Your talents are astounding! Seriously though, if you’re ever in TX, I’ve got a house you can go to town with!
Ivory says
April 7, 2018 at 5:18 pmLauren thank you for this information, however, I wish I had seen this post before I started painting the French swinging door that I had my hubby to install leading from kitchen to dinning room. Being so excited, with the plastic still on the glass, I painted the door white, not being concern about the pain getting all over the mfg plastic. Once a day had past, I tried to remove the plastic, what a nightmare. I am still trying to remove the plastic. I truly wish I had known about this masking liquid H2o (plastic in a can). This coud have ade life much easier for me. We will be picking some up. Thans against for this helpful tip.
Lauren says
April 8, 2018 at 10:40 pmOh no! I ran into the same issue when I painted our French bifold door. I ended up using a utility knife blade to cut away the paint and plastic. Maybe try that?
jeannie says
April 25, 2018 at 9:31 amThanks for the tip. My problem…I ‘coerced’ my husband to hang a new French door. I sanded, stained, waxed the door. It looks BRILLIANT! Problem, the stain didn’t soak through the sashes (because of the plastic that was factory installed). When I peeled off the plastic…. naked wood between window and the wood grille.
I have been tediously using a q tip and squeeze stain in the edges. Help!! I can’t let my husband say ” I told you we didn’t need a new door’. Does anyone have any easier suggestions?
Heidi says
May 17, 2018 at 6:56 pmWHAT??? We have diamond-paned French doors in our 80 year old house. They are currently painted a nasty shade I like to call “Bandaid,” and yet I have avoided painting them for 5 years. This is genius! Thanks for the tip. And bless Pinterest for having this post pop up on my feed. Otherwise I never would have seen it!
Lauren says
May 18, 2018 at 7:22 amYes, Pinterest is the best! Glad you are here and good luck on your French Doors.
Christine says
June 13, 2018 at 5:22 pmCouple questions…not particularly pertaining to the windows. Did you remove your doors to paint or leave them in place? How did you paint the edges (where the hinges and the door strikers are)? I am worried that the doors would have to be open or off for a long period of time for the paint to cure and not damage. Our french doors being our main point of entry I don’t have a solution for this. Any tips/advise?
Thank you!!
Lauren says
June 15, 2018 at 10:20 pmHi Christine! These are technically windows; they really just look like doors. But we have painted other French doors in our house that lead to outside and we had to leave them open for an hour or two while they dried. After that though, they were fine. We were home the whole time and in the same room painting the rest of the space though.
Victoria Hansen says
June 20, 2018 at 6:57 amThanks for this tip it’s great. Can you advise if this compound can be used on other surfaces other than glass? Thanks.
Lauren says
June 20, 2018 at 8:29 amIt can only be used on glass as far as I know. I haven’t tried it on any other materials, so I can’t speak on how well that would work.
Toya says
August 17, 2018 at 6:50 pmThanks for the tip! Where can I purchase? I’ve tried my local home stores: Home Depot, Lowes, Sherwin Williams, etc but no luck☹️ I really want to paint my door without having to tape and/or scrape.?
Lauren says
August 18, 2018 at 8:50 amHi Toya! The only other place I know of is Amazon. I linked it in the post. Some Sherwin Williams locations do carry it, but you have to ask for it. My local store didn’t have it out on the main floor that customers could find themselves for some reason.
Ivory says
September 6, 2018 at 9:36 pmYou know, tonight when I clicked onto this post, I was not shocked. My mouth did not drop. Why??? Because everything you do is 100%fabulous, so I knew this would be outstandingly Gorgeous, and it is. I love, love, and love everything you did here. Thanks! I will be painting my french doors black. Wanted to do it sooner, but was not sure how it would look, thanks to you, I think I know now!!!
Karen Daniels says
September 27, 2018 at 7:51 amOh my goodness graciousness! You just saved a life! Mine or my husbands, not sure which. I’m the one painting. The thought of taping 8 windows has been haunting me for 2 weeks. Haunt no more you rascally little windows! Haha, I’m actually excited now!!! WooHoo! I also have a front door with the semi circle of pie shaped windows. Umm, can you imagine taping those? My brain hadn’t even tackled that thought…until now. Eeeeee!!!! I can’t wait!!!
P.S. I adore the color of your mantel in the playroom.
Thank you ever so much for sharing this genius product.
Lauren says
September 27, 2018 at 9:06 amOh my goodness! No! So glad you don’t have to tape those now! I wish I’d found this stuff before we painted 8 other French doors. Never ever again!
Lisa says
October 31, 2018 at 10:43 amI love your home and the decorating. It is so beautiful. I had seen this product used on Rehab Addict but had forgotten about it. Thanks for the post.
Kathryn says
November 6, 2018 at 6:52 pmHello! Thank you for the tip. I’m wondering what happens if the masking liquid gets on the wood accidentally? I understand the scoring process to keep the glass and wood separate but does the paint adhere to this material if it is on the wood as well? Our French doors separate our kitchen from our back family room but tends to get beaten up by the dog constantly pawing at people coming in. Will this process have super good adhesion so if she knicks it that it won’t peel off like the stuff on the glass? Thanks so much!!
Lauren says
November 6, 2018 at 8:40 pmThe masking liquid will not peel as easily off the wood. The paint does adhere yet the masking liquid will leave a rough unfinished texture to the door if applied in a large covered amount. I think I am catching that you would like to use it to protect the base of the door? While this could possibly work, it is not purposed to do so. I would be curious to see how it works if you decide to try it out. Oh, the things we go through for our fur babies.
Austin Doors says
November 23, 2018 at 11:29 amThis is fabulous tip for all of us who has no idea about that, I have heard and read about it but I forgot. Thanks very much for sharing this important trick with all of us. I really liked your blog and I’m waiting for your next blog. Keep Blogging
Joy says
December 2, 2018 at 1:39 pmWhat material is your door? Think ours are steel with plastic mullions…
Thanks!
Joy
Lauren says
December 4, 2018 at 9:07 amSame! We have metal doors with plastic mullions.
Susan B says
January 21, 2019 at 12:13 pmI’m one of your older followers (early 60s), but I’m still the designated painter in our house! So wishing I could have had this tip a year ago when painting just two (!) french doors 🙂 Now getting our house ready for possible sale in the Spring; so I appreciate all of your fabulous ideas in getting a house ready!
Lauren, you are so creative! Thank you!
Lauren says
January 21, 2019 at 10:39 pmSusan, Thank you!! I wish you luck in your sale!!
TMc says
March 8, 2019 at 10:33 amI’m not worthy (bowing, bowing). Best painting tip I have ever witnessed! And I thought the caulking tip while painting was the bomb…this one blows that out of the water! Thanks so much for sharing!
Lauren says
March 8, 2019 at 7:53 pm🙂 Thank you!! And, You are welcome! 🙂
Stephanie says
April 16, 2019 at 4:47 pmHi! You have done a beautiful job on those French doors! White paint does make French doors more airy which is one of the sought after aspects of these doors. However, the black give these definition, personable-ness and somewhat of a European flavor. Yumm. Also, wonderful combination with the lighter colors in the room: Relaxed, elegant and yes — still — airy. * Would you mind telling me where the English arm club chair (in the soft slate blue in the middle) is from? Thanks!
Lauren says
April 16, 2019 at 8:53 pmHi, Stephanie. Thank you!! The chairs came from IKEA. 🙂
Kim says
May 6, 2019 at 9:25 amCan you use this on frosted glass?
Lauren says
May 6, 2019 at 9:42 pmHi, Kim! Great question. You should be able to use this on frosted glass as well. However, I will suggest testing it on a small piece of the glass at the bottom before going through the whole process. Please let me know how it works for you. 🙂
Teri Nance says
May 20, 2019 at 1:29 pmYou have great and beautiful Ideas. How do I share this particular tutorial with a friend?
dellsdailydish says
June 21, 2019 at 1:12 pmWhat a great tip and invention! Do you happen to know if you can use this masking liquid on mirrors? If so, this would be even more amazing! Love your house!
Lisa says
July 2, 2019 at 12:41 amThanks for sharing! Can you tell me where you got your area rug in your living room?
Lauren says
July 2, 2019 at 10:12 pmYou are most welcome! I found the rug on Wayfair, and it is on sale right now. https://rstyle.me/n/c7aakzb5ky7 🙂