DIY Front door makeover: Painted pretty
Is your old front door looking less than inviting? Here’s how to add instant curb appeal with this easy painted DIY Front door makeover.
When walking up to a house, the first thing we see is often the last thing on the “to do” list.
Triggered by the need to replace a broken garage door, the search began for the perfect front door paint colour to replace the tired old builder green.
Before you start a DIY front door makeover
First of all, before heading to the paint store for samples, there are some important factors to take into account to ensure you love the end result.
Things to consider: Start by taking a good look at your existing brick, siding and garage door. Unless you are planning to change any of them beforehand, they must in the end, be able to work cohesively with the new front door paint.
In our case, we were limited by 2 things; the red brick (which we love) and the new deep grey garage door that had just been installed.
While there are countless front door paint colours to choose from, the same can’t be said for new garage doors. The selection is very limited and consists of mostly grey, beige, black and white options. Although old garage doors can be painted, the last thing I wanted to do paint our brand new one.
Choosing a front door paint color
Secondly, gather inspiration pictures on Pinterest or Houzz. Maybe even take a walk through the neighbourhood to discover brick and door colour combinations that catch your eye.
Inspired by our love of boating, I took a cue from all things nautical and began researching various shades of blue.
After several hours researching navy paint colours, it came down to 2 finalists; Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy and Sherwin Williams Naval.
Both choices have deep moody depth of colour but in the end, I preferred the black undertone that the Hale Navy offered.
What’s more, having recently updated the Front porch curb appeal, I wanted to make sure everything was tied together to create a welcoming front entry.
Here is a helpful list of HGTV’s colors to paint a front door
Check out these handy Peel & Stick paint samples. They are reusable too! (hmmm…I think I have another project in mind lol)
How to paint the exterior front door
Gather your supplies:
- TSP or degreaser,
- primer and paint
- painter’s tape,
- an angled brush
- a small roller (I used a foam roller for mine),
- a drop cloth and some rags
Steps:
1. Clean and prep:
Clean it up: The first step to a smooth finish is to make sure your door is clean. I wiped mine down with TSP then rinsed it with water and allowed it to dry.
Tape it off: Following the cleaning, it’s time to tape things off. Here is where painter’s tape is your friend. For a clean paint edge add painter’s tape all around the window trim.
Q: Should I take the door off to paint it?
Dealer’s choice really. I decided to keep my door on its hinges while painting, so I also applied painter’s tape around the hinges.
2. Prime time:
Next, apply a coat of primer. My preferred process is using an angled brush for the inset panel corners, followed by a roller for the raised parts.
This will ensure good adhesion for your new paint colour. Remember to allow primer to dry as per product recommendations.
Pro Tip: When painting with a dark colour, use a grey tinted primer instead of white.
3. Apply Paint
The final (and most satisfying!) step is applying the beautiful new colour. I used the Benjamin Moore Aura outdoor paint in a satin finish. A quart of paint and a quart of primer is all you need.
To prevent drips, apply thin coats of paint and remember to brush/ roll in the same direction for a smoother finish. In order to reduce brush strokes, I like to end by rolling everything with the sponge roller.
In addition to Hale Navy for the door, I chose Benjamin Moore Grey Mist for the trim. It looks more like a cream than a grey and is a better coordinating colour than a bright white.
Furthermore, to ensure full coverage, I repeated the brush and roll process for both coats of paint. Before it was fully dry, I removed the painter’s tape to reveal a perfectly clean edge.
Note: builder grade doors aren’t perfect and even the smoothest of foam rollers might still leave a little texture behind.
FYI, these easy steps are similar to my recent interior front door makeover.
See Better Homes & Gardens tips on how to paint an exterior front door.
DIY Front door makeover – Finishing details
Hardware: Because the old door had a fresh new look, it was then time to add some new bling in the form of a brushed nickel handle and lock. (Bonus: we found it in the clearance section of our local Rona!)
Decor: The front entry is a great place to switch up decor seasonally. For this project, I added flowers to the door, a layered mat and some stone sculptures (from HomeSense).
In the end, this was a simple weekend project that completely transformed the look of the front door. Now we have a much more eye catching and welcoming entry for a fraction of the price of replacing the door.
We can finally cross this off the “to do” list and move on to the other 100 projects still on the list 😉
More DIY ideas
If you liked this DIY Front Door makeover, you might also like these other DIY projects.
