Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Painting the Front Door

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

Hello there! I'm glad to have you here! 

The weather has been pretty nice, so, Thank You Mother Nature! I can finally get something done! 

The front door has been on my list of things that needed painting. It's bothered me since we built our house. It was white while the shutters were black.  I felt it stuck out like a sore thumb. Basically, I've wanted a black front door for three years. 

In this photo, you can see how it just looks so, well, white. 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

Here too, only dingy white. Kinda lame, right? 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

And on the inside, I was as non-plussed. 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

Obviously, I was all in for painting the door. However, I wasn't so sure about Big A. But to my surprise, when I mentioned painting the door, he agreed. And, even more surprising, he even helped tape (I hate taping). 

Like a good wife, I sat on the sofa, 
and gave him helpful taping hints. 
He really liked that.

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

Taping around the hardware was a pain. BUT to save you some time: I've since seen a tip to use tinfoil to cover hardware. Shame I didn't see that before because here's what we came up with: 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

Pretty, huh? 

First, I primed the door. The door was white anyway, so I pretty much just put the primer on as quickly as I could. 

When the primer was dry, I painted the first coat of black and let that dry. It didn't exactly look fabulous at this point ~ more like frightening. So, I admit, I had a tiny panic attack that this might turn out to be a disaster. 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

Because I couldn't wipe it off at this stage, I kept painting, and after two more coats and I was done! 

Once there were a few coats on, the door looked great! 
(We also hung a new screen door.)

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

A couple of painting tips:
  • You don't need to take the door down, you just need a step stool.
  • Start painting in the morning so that the door will be dry by bedtime, and you can close and lock your door!
  • Clean the door and wipe it down before you paint or prime.
  • Once the first coat is on, paint slowly and try to avoid brush marks and drips.

  • Use a FABRIC drop cloth. If you step on a drip on a plastic drop cloth, you will track it through the house! 

  • Let the paint dry really well between coats. 

  • Use semi-gloss paint. Doors get dirty, and this is easy to wipe down. 


 Here is another (faraway) view: 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

Here is the indoor view: 


Here is Winnie ~ happy with the new black door! 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

All and all, I'm super happy with the new painted front door. It doesn't stand out, and I barely notice the change from inside or out ~ but I feel that's a good thing. It means it looks natural and therefore it doesn't catch my attention.

That's what I tell myself anyway. :)

So what about you? What color is your front door? Did You paint it yourself? 

painting the front door, painting doors, paint doors black, black front door

I'd love to know what you think, or what you've been up to, so leave me a comment and say hello! 

Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter! (Above) 

If you would like to join in some fun link parties, head on over HERE



23 comments:

Rachel Kathy G @ onlinesisterhood said...

I love the color Julia! I think it really brings the door to life---but as you said, not stand out too much! It looks great..found you this morning at whatever goes wed. Have a great week----see ya around.

Unknown said...

Thank you Rachel, I'm so glad ou stopped by! Julia

Sherri S. said...

I think it looks much better black. Flows better with the co!or of your home :-)

Hope you are having a wonderful wee...Blessings!
~Sherri

Unknown said...

Thank you Sherri! I'm now painting the side door black too! LOL! Have a great week too, Julia

Amy at Ms. Toody Goo Shoes said...

What a difference! It looks so much richer in black! I love black doors. I think they are so elegant. I did paint my own front door -- from green to red. The first red was a disaster, but then we found the right red, and I love it!

Unknown said...

Amy, I love colors for doors too ~ there's a street in our area where every door is a different color - it looks so nice! Thanks for stopping by!
Julia

Abby Lawson said...

Oooh looks beautiful! We are thinking of painting ours soon, and this just confirms to me that it's a good idea! I popped over from Creativity Unleashed-- thanks for sharing!

~Abby =)

Kim said...

Our door looks very similar, and as much as I'd love to replace it, I think painting is a better choice at this point. I love the way your black door turned out!
Found you at Creativity Unleashed!
Kim @ pinspiredhome.blogspot.com

Erlene said...

I love the new door color. Very sleek.

Unknown said...

Abby, it was way easier than i expected! I will be looking for your blog post when you do yours! Julia

Kim, definately cheaper than replacing the door, and it made a big difference. :)

Thank you Erlene!

Julia

Unknown said...

Your door looks great! I love the black. Perhaps, I may change my door color. Red? Or is that out now? Maybe. We'll see! Smiles!

Unknown said...

Elizabeth - I think you should! Red looks so nice ~ I just couldn't convince my husband... LOL! I'd love to see your door if you do paint. Julia

Unknown said...

Your new black door looks amazing! That is a huge difference!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Carrie! Julia

Unknown said...

Thank you so much Carrie! Julia

Thrifty Southern Pilgrim said...

It looks great. I did the same thing to my door and it completely changed the entry. Our door was similar in that it had the glass on the top part. The only difference is that I painted the white trim black, that you left white, around the glass. Have you thought about painting that part black too? Either way, it looks good :-)

Julia@Happy House and Home said...

Hi Kristina, funny, but that was a little disagreement my husband and I had! He wanted to keep that part white and I wanted to paint it... I might paint it yet!!! Thanks for stopping by! Julia

Ashley @ 3 Little Greenwoods said...

Love it! Our front door is red (my favorite color) but the inside is still white. I'm thinking that might get changed very soon! ;)

Thanks so much for sharing your creativity at Show-Licious Craft & Recipe Party! Can't wait to see what fun projects you link up next Saturday!

~ Ashley

Ellen, the Bluestocking Belle said...

I have black double front doors and I love them! I had a red front door in my last house, which was fabulous. But this house looks best with black. I think front doors should make a statement, don't you? Yours looks great!

Julia@Happy House and Home said...

Ashley, I like mine from the inside too - I did the outside and inside to save having to do it twice, and I'm glad I did!

Ellen, Thank you! yes, I agree, a color makes the door pop!

Thank you both for stopping by!

Julia

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

Your door looks great and this reminds me I need to paint both my front and back doors! Love the black. Thank you for sharing it and your cute herb planters at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a great weekend!
Blessings, Deborah

Holly said...

Thank you so much for joining Fluster's #CreativeMuster linky party. It was a lot of fun to co-host this week. Hugs, Holly

Unknown said...

Deborah - What color are you painting your doors? I can't wait to see!

Julia