Metal doors are one of the most popular choices for exterior doors. However, this type of door needs proper care and maintenance to ensure durability and longevity. Painting this door is a perfect way to keep this door protective from harsh weather. So, are you looking for the best paint for exterior metal door?
With the best paints, you can paint exterior metal doors to imitate those from the factory without bothering about ugly brush strokes. Both oil-based paint and water-based paint can do the job perfectly of painting your exterior metal doors. However, it will be stressful for you to get the best paint for your paintwork.
To eliminate your stress and concern, I’m here to help you. Here I listed the top 5 best and most perfect paint for exterior metal doors. All these paints are premium in quality, offer durable and long-lasting coating, and will protect your doors from rust. So, let’s explore this list.
What type of paint is best for exterior metal doors?
When it comes to exterior metal paint, you have two options to choose from; traditional drum paint and spray paint. Both these two types of paints are different in terms of features and functionalities. Let’s explore all the facts about these two types of paint to identify which type of formula you should go for.
Traditional/Regular Paint
Traditional paints are available in larger cans, and you have to use a brush or roller to apply these paints. Most professional uses traditional or regular paint for their painting projects. Traditional paint offers a much more professional quality and exclusive finish. Regular paint may be used to create composition, gestures, as well as narration.
Compared to spray paint, regular paint ensures less paint wastage which will save money. However, regular paint is a bit trickier to apply than spray paint. Traditional paints offer excellent coverage, durable and protective coating, and are also less expensive than spray paint. So, if you are more aware of quality as well as finishing, you should go for regular paints.
Spray Paint
Spray paints are the most popular option for any paintwork. This is because spray paints are super easy to use, and you can paint any tricky edges with spray paint where it is difficult to paint using a brush. Spray paint ensures reaching paint on all the edges and provides an excellent finishing.
If you want to paint a metal door without brush marks, spray paint is the best way to go through. However, using spray paint will waste a lot of paint than regular paint. Spray paint is also relatively more expensive than regular paint since you will need multiple cans to get the entire job done.
Top 5 Best paint for exterior metal door
Here I listed the top 5 most high-quality paint on the market that is perfect for painting exterior metal doors. So, let’s explore this list of the top 5 best paint for exterior doors and then choose the best one.
1. Krylon Fusion All-In-One Spray Paint

Krylon Fusion All-In-One Spray is another high-quality spray Paint for exterior metal doors. This spray paint offers sleek as well as versatile color to this can. You will be pleased by the whole new appearance that this spray paint creates over your metal door. It is an all-in-one package that will make your paintwork a breeze.
This Krylon premium-quality spray paint for metal as well as other different surfaces is the type you have on hand since it is an all-in-one spray. It comes with different finishing options, including satin, metallic, flat, gloss, and much more. This spray paint provides the best corrosion protection, whether your job is indoors or outside.
Krylon Fusion All-In-One Spray Paint features an ergonomic spray tip design that makes it much more versatile in terms of useability. You can apply this paint to any surface with ease and in any way, including upright-down. It is an all-in-one spray paint means it has added primer, so you don’t have to apply additional primer to the metal door.
Additionally, the paint’s formulation guarantees that metal doors or other objects will be rust-free. The paint also endures for a long time despite being exposed to the outdoors. It doesn’t spill or run because this spray paint dries relatively quickly, less than 20 minutes. It also ensures excellent coverage and saves money and also time.
Pros
It offers durable and rust-protective coating
This paint provides a contemporary, clean look
It has added primer and offers excellent coverage
Cons
This spray paint takes a long time to dry completely.
2. Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Latex Paint

Oil-based paint is normally needed for metal surfaces; however, water-based paints, such as Rust-Oleum Painters Touch Latex, can also work well. It is equally durable and adherent to the metal as other high-quality paints. This water-based solution has a mild scent and is quite robust, ensuring a protective coating over the metal surface.
Exterior applications benefit greatly from using water-based paints. This is so that they can maintain their gloss and color for extended periods of time since water-based paints are far more durable and resistant to UV radiation. So, you can go for this paint without any hesitation.
Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Latex Paint comes with a lot of color selections that will give your metal door an impressive look. This formula offers a different finish, including semi-gloss, gloss, and flat finish, that will ensure a soft shine on the surface of your metal doors as well as provide a great hide.
This paint does an excellent job of preventing rust and is resilient to most weather conditions. One gallon is enough to cover an area of around 120 square feet. Plan on applying two coats since you’ll most likely need them. On the bright side, though, because of this paint’s thick texture, you won’t require a primer.
Pros
- Withstand chips and offers durable protection
- Rust-Oleum paint provides excellent coverage
- This paint offers different types of finishing
Cons
You have to prime the surface before applying it.
3. Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface Spray Paint

Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface Spray Paint is the most popular and top-selling formula for exterior metal doors. This paint is not only for metal doors but also can apply to various surfaces, including wood, plastic, and glass. It is an advanced quality paint that ensures a durable and long-lasting coating on the metal surface.
Any outdoor furniture may be given color without having to worry about it fading, rusting, as well as chipping over time. Its impressive fade and UV resistant features ensure great protection to the metal doors. You discover that this Rust-Oleum spray paint is great for home remodeling tasks in addition to little DIY projects.
Finger tension is eliminated by its ergonomic trigger with a proprietary design. Ideal for heavy-duty, prolonged use at home or on the construction site. This layout might be rather tiny. However, it always changes the game when a high-quality outcome is needed. Additionally, this 360° Any-Angle Sprayer is excellent for painting confined spaces.
This spray paint applies evenly and easily to metal doors when used as a surface. I don’t notice any leaking or snagging while the coating cures. This quick-drying solution coats approximately 15 sq ft of each container and dries in thirty min. It shields against corrosion and rust for extended lifespans.
Pros
- Affordable and high-performing spray paint
- Protects against fading, chipping, and corrosion
- provides a lovely, opulent, metallic appearance
Cons
The trigger quality should be improved.
4. Modern Masters Elegant Front Door Paint

Modern Masters Elegant Front Door Paint is a water-based enamel formula that has been developed for exterior doors. It is a long-lasting, premium paint that may completely change your apartment’s appearance in a single day. This paint is best for shutters, front metal doors as well as interior doors.
Because it was created with never-fade innovation, the color resists the effects of the weather and keeps looking rich and brilliant over time. Any interior or outdoor door may be quickly and easily transformed with a fast-drying paint mix. However, you should apply multiple coats of this paint to get the maximum outcomes.
Although Modern Masters Exterior Door Paint is more costly, it provides longevity and a finish that won’t fade. This water-based formula for metal doors makes cleanup simple as well as only requires water. Within one hour, this high-quality water-based paint is touch-dry.
There is a large selection of colors, and the smooth finish is both aesthetically pleasing and practical for cleaning. You will be amazed by the overall appearance given by this formula. Since water-based paint has a milder scent than oil-based paint, it is much more enjoyable as well as safe to work with this paint.
Pros
- This formula offers a long-lasting and protective coating
- It comes with a lot of color options to choose from
- offers a smooth, satin finish that is simple to maintain
Cons
- This regular paint is relatively expensive.
5. POR-15 Gloss Black Top Coat Spray Paint

POR-15 Gloss Black Top Coat Spray Paint is my last pick on this list of the top 5 Best paint for exterior metal door. You may wonder why I listed this one since there are a lot of others available. This POR-15 spray paint is an industry-standard and high-performing paint that ensure a highly durable coating over metal surfaces.
A can of this high-quality Top Coat Spray Paint works just as well and offers excellent protection. This oil-based POR-15 Gloss Black spray paint may be used immediately on metal surfaces, but preparation and priming are still necessary. It provides superior adhesion and protection to your metal door’s surfaces.
It is designed to wick away moisture, stop corrosion in its tracks, and fend against UV rays to maintain the color vibrantly. You’ll also obtain a strong protective barrier and a long-lasting gloss. Prior to using this paint for metal, you must thoroughly clean the surfaces of your metal doors.
The UV resistance feature makes it highly suitable for outdoor use. This industry-grade spray paint takes a relatively long time to dry completely. According to the manufacturer, it will take around 30 to 60 minutes to dry; however, the paint can take 3 to 4 days to reach the utmost hardness.
Pros
- Industry grade and high-performing spray paint
- It can be applied without priming the surfaces
- It comes with long-lasting color retain ability
Cons
- This sprayer is relatively expensive than others.
Things to Consider for Choosing the Best paint for exterior metal door
While choosing the best paint for exterior metal door will be stressful, you can get the best paint by considering several things. Paint for exterior metal doors should be highly durable and protective against rust, water, temperature, and much more. Let’s take a look at how to choose the perfect paint for your exterior doors.
Durability and Protectivity
Durability is one of the most crucial features of any type of paint. Durability indicates how long the painting will last on the surfaces. While you are going to purchase paint for exterior metal doors, the paint should be highly durable and long-lasting. The more durability features a painting offers, the more your metal door will become protective.
For metal doors, you should select a kind of paint that offer rust-resistant features. This type of paint ensures a more protective coating over the surface of the metal door and can protect the door from harsh weather. This will increase the metal door surface’s resilience.
Resistance Features
Make sure you’ve picked a very resilient, long-lasting paint for exterior metal doors wherever you intend to apply it. And the best options tend to be paint that gives resistance to both temperature and water changes. You would like paint that really can withstand seasonal temperature changes.
You should get paint that is able to keep the metal beneath strong even when exposed to dampness and water. Some painting also comes with a UV-resistant feature that is great for exterior paint. If you’re painting anything that will remain outside all year long, this function is extremely crucial.
Ease of Use
Ease of Use is another notable thing that you should consider for choosing the best paint for exterior metal door. If you get paint that is much more difficult will waste a lot of time to get your paintwork done. So, you should invest in paint that is easy to use.
Generally, spray paint is much easy to use than traditional paint. There is also some paint available that can apply without priming the surface. This type of paint will save your bank as well as your valuable time. So, get such a kind of paint with which you can get your paint project done easily.
Paint Pricing
Last but not least, paint pricing is another factor that most people consider before buying paint for their paintwork. In fact, you should also consider this point. You will find different types of paint in the market with different pricing. I can give you a simple idea that drum/gallon paint is an affordable option than spray paint.
The best gallon/drum paint for the exterior metal doors can cost around $15 to $50 per 32 OZ. On the other hand, spray paint for metal doors can cost around $6 to $25 per 12 OZ. However, you will need multiple can of spray paint to fulfill the coverage that a 32 OZ drum paint can cover, which will be relatively expensive.
The FAQs
Metal doors are not porous such as wood doors, so the paint doesn’t sink into the surface or have much to hang onto. As a result, you could think about priming the metal doors before painting. In typically, oil-based paints are the best choice for interior and exterior metal doors.
Yes, the production of rust and corrosion will be stopped when you apply the best and most perfect paint over a rusty item for your metal components. Since rust is quite weak, sealing up all of the leaks on the surface with protective paint can stop moisture, air, as well as corrosion from assaulting.
Wrap Up
While exterior metal doors ensure excellent security to your property, you should take proper care of your door. Harsh weather, water, and rust can harm metal doors; however, you can protect them by painting your door. So, you will need the best paint for exterior metal door for painting it.
Here I discussed the top 5 Best paint for exterior metal door available in the market. I also explained the processes of getting the best and most suitable paint for any exterior metal doors. So, this article may help you to get the perfect paint for your exterior metal doors.
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