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Many people come and go through their front door all the time. Many others enter and exit through the garage or back door leaving the front door unused. Whichever camp you fall into, it’s time to take a look at your front door and seriously consider painting it.

If you use your front door all the time you may find that there are scuffs, scratches, dings, or other minor damage that you should fix. If you never use that door, you may find that weather, animals, or visitors have left gifts for you. Door to door solicitors may have taped flyers to your door, animals may have built a nest or shelter there or maybe the sun has simply faded your once vibrant door and it now looks drab or worn out. Even if that’s not the case, you may want to look at your back door or garage door with the same eye for repair and  improvement.

In the northern climates, where winters can be harsh, the late springtime or early summer are an ideal time to paint your front door. You will want warm dry weather when you paint your door(s).

While you are looking at the door itself, you should also look at the trim around the door to see if it also needs paint or repair work.

Colors

When painting your front door, in most cases, you want to make sure your door stands out from the rest of the house. This may mean a contrasting color from the walls, or it may simply mean a compatible, but different color. Even a darker or lighter shade of the same color as your walls. You want your front door to be welcoming, but also easy to spot. Your guests should not have to hunt around to find the door. Now obviously, some people who live in a high crime neighborhood might want to make it harder for anyone to find the front door, but this is the exception to the rule.

When selecting colors you should first consult any rules that your HOA or neighborhood association might impose. Commonly with HOA’s it is required that you submit your color scheme for approval before you paint. They may have a very limited palette you are allowed to utilize. In this case, use the same color you use for your walls and make sure the trim is another color. This will set the door frame off from the rest of the house.

If you are allowed to select any color you want, then put some thought into it. What will work well with the wall colors? Is the trim color the same as the walls, or not? Take a look at some neighbors' homes and see what they have done. You may find the perfect color for your door has already been discovered by your neighbor.
If your door has patterns, designs, or inlays you should consider painting them a second color to make your door even more interesting.

Painting Your Front Door

If you have decided to paint the door yourself and picked out the color(s), then check with the weather forecast to make sure the conditions will be right. Remember that you will want to keep that door open while the paint dries.

Buy the Paint

Once you’ve decided on the color(s), you can buy the paint. Make sure it’s a durable paint that can stand up to the kind of abuse your door is likely to be exposed to. We like Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex from Sherwin-Williams, but any good quality exterior paint will likely do the job. You will likely only need quart for a typical single door. A 2-3 inch wide brush will probably do the trick. If you are changing from a dark color to a light color or painting over wood, you may want to use primer first or understand that you may need to use 2 coats of the paint. If you know it’s going to take more than one coat ahead of time, then you should use primer, as this is usually cheaper than buying twice as much paint.

Preparation

First open your door and remove any hardware such as doorknobs, knockers, signs or anything else that have been added to your door. It might be easiest to remove the door from the frame before you paint it. Especially if you have a lot of sanding to do.

Next, clean that door.  Little soap and water goes a long way. Just make certain that your door is clean and there are no oily or greasy spots. New paint might not stick well to a dirty or greasy spot.

If you have old paint that has peeled off or bubbled up, you should scrape it all off and smooth the surface by sanding it down. If your door is made of wood, make sure you have sanded off any sealant. You want the door to be as smooth and clean as possible before you paint.

Next apply painters tape to any parts you do not want painted. This comes in handy for windows or highlights you may want painted a different color.

Put down a drop cloth under the door. Apply your primer, if needed. Most primers will dry pretty quickly, but if you live in a moist environment, such as on a coast, you may want to let it dry overnight.

Paint It

Apply your top coat of paint. Brush it on with smooth strokes, make sure you don’t have so much paint on your brush that it drips down the door. You want a nice smooth finish.

Leave your door open as long as you can after you paint. If you close the door before the paint has dried, you risk the paint sticking to the door frame and basically gluing your door shut. If this happens, the paint will likely be damaged when the door is eventually opened. Try to avoid this situation.

Hire Excellent Painters

If this seems like a lot of work for just painting your door or if you’ve realized that you need a whole lot more painted than just your front door, you might want to hire professional painters to handle the job. We like Excellent Painters in Colorado Springs or anywhere in Colorado. They always do an excellent job. They have all the right tools, all the experience and knowledge they need to paint your home, or any part of it, correctly. They will do it much quicker and better than you are likely to do yourself. When you need something painted right, call Excellent Painters.