Painting your exterior steel bulkhead doors in New England
Posted on December 7, 2020
Many South Shore, Cape Cod, and Boston-area homes that don’t have walk-out basements (a basement exit door such as a sliding door to the backyard) have bulkhead doors that connect their basement to the backyard. Unfortunately, the bulkhead is often an eyesore, especially if it’s rusted or painted a color that doesn’t blend or coordinate with the home.
The look of the bulkhead, especially if it is rusted or doesn’t blend into the surroundings, often takes away from a beautiful pool or landscaping you might have in your backyard.
Should you paint your metal bulkhead door?
Yes. Painting your exterior bulkhead beautifies your backyard AND protects the metal doors from rusting.
Choosing a DTM (Direct to Metal) paint allows the paint job to last a long time and protect against rust and our harsh New England weather. Choosing a satin finish top coat can help the sap and pine needles be washed off easier.
How to paint a metal bulkhead door:
Note the words “Bulkhead” and “Bilco” are used interchangeably in this article – Bilco is the leading brand of bulkhead doors.
Choosing a paint color for your steel bulkhead:
You really only have two choices when painting the Bilco door – try to camouflage the steel door, or work the color of the bulkhead into your backyard decor. Most of our customers take the “camouflage” route and choose black, dark green, beige, and white to blend with the exterior color of their home or the surroundings of their backyards.
Preparing the steel bulkhead for paint:
Cleaning: We clean the bulkhead with a bristle brush and cleaner to remove mold, mildew, dirt, stray leaves, and pine needles that may have stuck to the outside of the bulkhead door. We also powerwash it to ensure all the sap, dirt, and debris are completely gone. Pine needles and sap are a big issue on the South Shore, so be sure not to rush this process and get the metal sap-free!
Sanding: We use medium grit sandpaper to rough up the surface of the bulkhead. This gives the primer a bit more surface area on which to adhere.
If your bulkhead has rusted: We use coarse sandpaper to remove the rust from the bulkhead. If the rust has caused holes in the metal bulkhead door, we fill the holes with a metal filler.
What type of primer should you use on a bulkhead door?
We choose a Sherwin Williams “Direct To Metal” (DTM) Primer as a first coat.
What is the best paint for a bulkhead door?
After priming with a Sherwin Williams’ DTM (“Direct to Metal”) primer, finish with two coats of Sherwin Williams Exterior paint with a soft luster. The shinier the finish, the easier it will be to hose off and clean future dirt and sap. These are the exact products we use when painting Bilco Bulkhead doors for our customers.
In what weather should I paint my bulkhead door?
Avoid painting your bulkhead if wet weather is expected within the day you’re painting. Also, ensure temperatures do not drop below 35 degrees F for about two days after applying the paint, for the best paint adhesion to your bulkhead.
How much will it cost to paint my bulkhead door?
This is tricky because many painters charge minimums for small projects. In general, we charge $600 to paint a bulkhead door. If you run into a painter with a minimum charge, add additional work to the project to get more done for the minimum price.
Did you know?
Many hardware stores carry lights made especially for the inside of your bulkhead!
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Exterior painting – our process
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If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected].
