We're doing Katrina flood damage repair right now.  At some point, I'll need to paint 14 prehung masonite doors.  Last time I did this (we flooded 5 years ago), I would pull out the plastic plug that holds the door shut, remove the door and hinges from the frame, prop the frame up against a tree and paint it, put the door on sawhorses and paint one side, wait for it to dry, flip it (hopefully having let it dry long enough so as to not screw up the freshly painted side), and paint the other side (I have a little Graco sprayer that works great for this).

I'm trying to think of a more efficient way to paint the doors this time.  Here's what I've come up with...

I'd remove the plastic plug that holds the door shut, hope the door all the way so that it is perpendicular to the frame, but leave it attached so that the door and frame can stand on its own.  The doors would be lined up on the driveway on top of plastic sheeting.  This way, both sides of the doors (and frames) would be accessible for painting at the same time, and I could do several at a time (now I'm limited by the number of sawhorses I have).  I'd have to tape off the hinges, which would be quite time consuming, but I think the net result would be a much quicker process all around.

Is there some reason why this would not be a good plan?  Is there a better way?

--Mike

Sounds like it would work. Keep in mind that if it's a split jamb you will have to separate the two half's first.
If you don't mind me asking, is there a lot of opportunities for an out of state contractor to work?It's getting almost winter here and work is starting to slow down. I was thinking of trying it out down there. any advice would be appreciated.

I'm a builder.  My painters demount the doors after they are hung.  Paint the jambs in place and then spray the doors propped up against a wall with a tarp behind them.

Quoted: Sounds like it would work. Keep in mind that if it's a split jamb you will have to separate the two half's first.

I don't think they're split jambs (at least they weren't the last time I ordered from this supplier, but I didn't ask this time).

If you don't mind me asking, is there a lot of opportunities for an out of state contractor to work?It's getting almost winter here and work is starting to slow down. I was thinking of trying it out down there. any advice would be appreciated.

I think there''s going to be a TON of construction work down here for the next several years.  There's a vast range of "extensiveness" of the damage, so that should spread out the work somewhat over a few years.  People like me are ready to go right away... we got 6 - 8 inches of water, so it's a simple matter of replacing 4ft. of sheetrock, doors, trim, carpet, etc.  These houses are being put back together already.  Then there are those that got like 5 feet of water, and will take longer to gut, will need electrical/mechanical work, and will need all sheetrock walls (and maybe ceillings, depending on mold) replaced.  Then you have entire towns that (no exaggeration) will need to be almost entirely bulldozed and rebuilt.

There is sort of a "use local people, not these evil, greedy out-of-towners" thing going on right now to a limited extent... obviously there are not enough local people to go around, and I think most people know this and don't give a crap WHERE their contractor is from, as long as their house can be put back together with the expected level of quality and in a reasonable timeframe.  If you have good references back home, you'll be fine.

The biggest problem you'd have is with housing you and your crew.  With so much of the housing in the immediate New Orleans area wiped out, finding a place to stay is going to be very difficult.  Maybe an RV (if you can find a place to put it)?  Another option, if you want to stay and work the area a while, would be to get down here and buy a damaged house (one that has minor flood damage, or a tree on the roof) whose owner is looking to flee the area, fix it quickly, and live in it.

edit: one more thing... expect very high labor costs.  There are stories of contractors roaming around looking for roofing and sheetrocking crews on jobsites, and enticing them away from their current employer with offers of much higher pay.

--Mike

Quoted: I'm a builder.  My painters demount the doors after they are hung.  Paint the jambs in place and then spray the doors propped up against a wall with a tarp behind them.

Thanks, that sounds like a pretty good plan too... I'll keep it in mind.

--Mike

I find a place to run a stout cord above the tops of the doors, then use some wire or other means to connect the tops of the doors to the cord.

God, this is hard to explain......use a high-running cord, strung in a place you can spray.  Use that cord as a means of holding the doors upright from above.  So now you have some practically free-standing doors you can easily walk around as you spray. They can dry in place, too.

I am also a builder and the way we do it is similar to Imteam's process, however we stand them up in the center of a room, in a zig-zag pattern:

                                                    /\/\/\/\/\/\/

with hinges off and blocks under the door.  Attach the tops with strips of wood and screws.  Very stable, you do not get overspray over the walls, and all sides and edges (except the bottom) are accessible, so no moving or flipping required.

Have fun!

Steven

Quoted: I am also a builder and the way we do it is similar to Imteam's process, however we stand them up in the center of a room, in a zig-zag pattern:                                                     /\/\/\/\/\/\/ with hinges off and blocks under the door.  Attach the tops with strips of wood and screws.  Very stable, you do not get overspray over the walls, and all sides and edges (except the bottom) are accessible, so no moving or flipping required.

Now that's a neat idea!  I also like the possibility of doing it inside, to avoid the hassle of having to deal with bugs and other little bits of debris landing on the wet paint.

--Mike

Quoted: I am also a builder and the way we do it is similar to Imteam's process, however we stand them up in the center of a room, in a zig-zag pattern:                                                     /\/\/\/\/\/\/ with hinges off and blocks under the door.  Attach the tops with strips of wood and screws.  Very stable, you do not get overspray over the walls, and all sides and edges (except the bottom) are accessible, so no moving or flipping required. Have fun! Steven

Yup.....take out your air nailer and using a 1x2 put a 1 1/2" finish nail in the top of each one. It will hold it securely yet be easy to pull out when your done and leave a very small hole in the top.  Make sure you keep each door at roughly a 45* angle, if you try to squeeze them too close together it will be difficult to  get even coverage with the sprayer......

Quoted: I'm a builder.  My painters demount the doors after they are hung.  Paint the jambs in place and then spray the doors propped up against a wall with a tarp behind them.

+1
Mine do the same.  They take an 8 peni and tack a 1' 1/2 piece of wood to the top of the door and use it to space the door from the wall.  When they're done with one side they spin the piece of wood to the other side of the door and paint it.  You just lean em up against a wall and let them dry.