Colour match your draught proofing without losing your weekend.
Our white aluminium Draught Dodgers look neat just as they are, but sometimes you want them to disappear completely into your joinery. Maybe your doors are cream, or heritage green or a very specific colour that your door seals just have to match.
The Good news: you can paint the white aluminium Draught Dodgers.
Even better news: painting aluminium Draught Dodgers is much easier than painting timber ones.
We know this because we have painted more Draught Dodgers than we care to admit.
Aluminium vs Timber: Why is aluminium easier
Timber Draught Dodgers can be painted beautifully, but they are a bit more effort.
With timber, you need to:
That is because the little timber fibres tend to stand up after each coat. If you skip the sanding between coats, the finish can feel rough and look a bit ordinary.
Aluminium is much more civilised. You do not need to undercoat it the same way. You just need to prepare the surface properly so the paint can grip.
In this video, Maurice shows you exactly how to paint aluminium Draught Dodgers so you can colour match your joinery neatly.
What you are painting
You only need to paint the visible surfaces.
That means:
- the broad front face
- the small visible edge
You do not need to paint every side of the aluminium stick. Once installed, most of it will not be seen. This is excellent news for anyone who enjoys doing the actual useful amount of work, and not one bit more.
What you will need
- White aluminium Draught Dodgers
- Scotch-Brite pad or similar scuffing pad
- Clean cloth
- Oil-based enamel paint
- 25mm paint brush
- A rack, blocks of timber or supports to hold the Draught Dodgers off the bench
- A clean, low-dust area for drying
Maurice uses Dulux Super Enamel in the video, applied with a 25mm brush. Always follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions for drying time, ventilation, cleanup and recoating.
The simple three-step process
Painting aluminium Draught Dodgers comes down to three steps:
- Scuff the surface
- Clean thoroughly
- Paint and let it dry
That is it. No undercoat, repeated sanding or tiny timber fibres standing up destroying your beautiful paint work.
Step 1: Scuff the visible surfaces
Use a Scotch-Brite pad to rub the visible aluminium surfaces. You are not trying to gouge the aluminium. You are simply taking the shine off. The surface should look dull, not glossy.
Scuff the broad face and the small visible edge. This gives the paint something to hold onto. If the aluminium is still shiny, keep scuffing. Paint does not love shiny surfaces. It likes a little grip.
Step 2: Clean it properly
Once the aluminium has been scuffed, wipe it down thoroughly with a clean cloth. You want to remove all the fine dust and residue from the surface before painting. Do not rush this bit.
If you leave scuffed-off particles on the stick, you are basically painting over tiny bits of mess and hoping they behave. They will not. Wipe it down several times until the surface is clean, smooth and dull.
Step 3: Paint the Draught Dodgers
Set the Draught Dodgers up on a painting rack or support them on small pieces of timber so they are raised off the bench. You want them steady, but not sitting flat in wet paint. Use an oil-based enamel paint and a small brush. Apply enough paint to create a smooth finish, but not so much that it runs.
The goal is:
- even coverage
- no bare patches
- no thick blobs
- no heroic paint puddles
Paint the broad visible face and the small visible edge. Then leave the Draught Dodgers somewhere safe to dry.
Drying matters
Oil-based enamel can take a while to dry, so give it time (especially in cold weather). Put the painted Draught Dodgers somewhere with minimal air movement so dust does not stick to the wet paint.
This is not the moment to paint next to a sanding bench, a dog bed, a sawdust pile or a doorway everyone keeps walking through. Let them dry quietly….yes, quietly. That’s what Maurice said, paint appreciates calm. 😀
Before installation
Make sure the paint is properly dry before installing the Draught Dodgers. Dry to touch is not always the same as fully cured, so check the paint instructions. If you install them too early, you risk marking the finish. And after going to the effort of colour matching your joinery, that would be deeply annoying.
Can you paint timber Draught Dodgers too?
Yes, but timber takes more preparation. Timber needs sanding, undercoat, more sanding, first coat, more sanding and then a top coat. That is because the timber fibres can lift after each coat, so sanding between coats helps achieve a smoother finish. If you want the lowest-effort painting option, aluminium is much easier.
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