Maintenance and recoat cycles

Repainting fire doors on a sensible cycle

Fire door with intumescent seal carefully masked before repainting the surrounding door leaf.

Fire doors take heavy daily contact and often show wear faster than surrounding joinery, but they cannot simply be treated like any other door when it comes to repainting. Intumescent seals, certification labels and door gaps all need care during any repaint, or the door's fire performance can be compromised.

Questions we are asked about this

Can any paint be used on a fire door?

It is important to use a coating compatible with the door's certification and to avoid coating intumescent seals or certification labels, so checking the door's specification before repainting matters.

How often should fire doors be checked as part of decorating work?

Whenever the surrounding corridor is being repainted is a sensible trigger, alongside any separate fire door inspection regime the building already runs.

Does paint build-up genuinely affect fire door performance?

Yes, excessive build-up can affect closing tolerances and door gaps, which is why controlled preparation is worth doing rather than simply adding another coat indefinitely.

What must not be painted over

Certification labels and plates need to remain legible and should never be painted over, and intumescent strips around the door edge must not be coated with standard paint, since this can affect how they expand in a fire. Recognising these features before starting is the first step in any fire door repaint.

Certification labels kept clear and legible at all times
Intumescent strips masked off, not coated with standard paint
Door gaps checked and not reduced by excessive paint build-up

Coating build-up and door tolerances

Repeated repainting without removing old material can build up enough thickness to affect how the door closes within its frame, which matters for a fire door's performance. Where build-up has become significant, controlled preparation to reduce it is worth doing before another coat goes on.

Fitting fire doors into a wider repaint programme

Fire doors are often on communal routes that already get regular attention, so it makes sense to check and repaint them within the same visit as the surrounding corridor, provided the specific fire door precautions are followed rather than treating them identically to a standard internal door.

Inspect intumescent seals and labels at every corridor repaint visit
Use appropriate coatings compatible with the door's certification
Record fire door checks separately from general decorating notes

How we work on this

We mask intumescent strips and keep certification labels clear rather than coating over them for a tidier look.
We check door gaps and closing tolerances where paint build-up has become significant before applying another coat.
We record fire door observations separately from general decorating notes so they reach the right maintenance record.