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5 Tips for Painting Your Front Door

Budget: $$, Entryway, Home Decor, Home Decor 101, One Day Project, restore, Tips
By Emma Chapman

Tips for painting front doorFront door paintIt can be intimidating to paint. It’s messy and can take a long time, especially if you need to use ladders or paint multiple rooms. But it can be really rewarding too! You can show off your personality through colors and I love having the little memory of, “Remember when we painted this….” Recently I painted my front door—and I love it! It was the perfect little weekend project. Here are my top 5 painting tips.

Front door swatches1. Take your time choosing the perfect color. If you can, take a few paint swatches home and tape them up to the door or wall you plan to paint. See how the colors look with the surrounding area. Think about how this color will look through the seasons. I choose a bold yellow for my front door because I wanted a bright accent to my otherwise neutral/wooden home.

2. Choose the perfect finish. Most paints come in flat (sometimes called matte), satin, semi gloss and high-gloss. For my door I choose semi gloss. I usually prefer flat because I like how it doesn’t reflect light. But for a front door semi gloss or high-gloss is a better option because it can be cleaned more easily.

Front door wipe down3. Prep the area you plan to paint. For me this included giving my front door a good wipe down. You don’t want to paint over dust or debris because it will leave bumps in your paint. When painting a dark surface to a lighter color (like a dark brown to yellow) it is a good idea to first paint on a layer of primer. I forgot to buy primer. Oops. No biggie, an extra coat of paint did the trick for me.

Front door tape4. Tape everything and watch your floors! Tape around edges and hardware. I choose to leave my door on its hinges as I painted. You could choose to take your door off, but be sure to hang up a thick cloth to keep flies out as much as you can as you paint. This is also why it’s a good idea to complete a front door paint job in the spring or autumn months; you don’t want your door open or off it’s hinges during months of super hot or cold weather. And be sure to cover your floors with newspaper or drop cloths as you work, especially if you have carpet. Painting can be messy but if you prepare then you can easily keep the mess under control and keep clean up time to a minimum.

Front door pizza5. Order pizza. This is essential for DIY painting projects, no matter how large or small. And you are absolutely required to order pizza if you have friends who are kind enough to help. Pizza + painting = a good time!

Front door before and afterSide note: To paint the frame or not? I choose to paint the frame/trim around my front door because I loved the idea of making the color pop and I felt committed to my color choice.  But you can totally choose to not paint the frame, making the door color a little bit subtler and it will feel a little more a part of the house. Just a preference choice—don’t be afraid to do what you want! xo. Emma

Front door painting fun

 

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