Bold Choices for Distinctive Doors - Changing the Color of Your Front Door

Choosing the Right Color

The color of a front door reveals a lot about the personality of the inhabitants of a house.  The door is the first thing that welcomes visitors and prospective buyers into the home. Make a great first impression by choosing the perfect color for your front door.

What color is your front door?  Is it the color you want it to be?  If you could paint it any color you wanted, what color would you paint your front door?

Too many people just accept a color picked by their builder, or the former owner, and don’t stop to consider how much it contributes to the overall feel of your home.

Here are six suggested colors for your front door that will give your home curb appeal.

1. Red: You can't go wrong with a classic red, and this bold hue in particular looks great with homes clad in white, blue and grey. Try it in a high-gloss finish to make it extra eye-catching.

2. Indigo: This mysterious color is very eye-catching. It will change shades of lighting, and look totally different from morning to night. It's dramatic and dark, but also crisp when paired with bright white trim.

3. Orange: Nothing makes a statement quite like refreshing orange, and this not-to-be-missed color will draw people right inside your home.

4. Black: While you may argue that this is the opposite of a stand-out color, a freshly-painted black door commands attention, looks great, and will add some some gravitas to your home’s entrance.

5. Lime Green: This is a very bold option and won’t be to everyones taste, but it adds a striking, modern feel to any house and will really makes the front door pop.

6. Yellow: Rejuvenate even the the most tired-looking facade, go for a bright marigold. There's no other color that will make you happier after getting home from a long day at work.

Take your time choosing the perfect color. If you can, take a few paint swatches home and tape them up to the door. See how the colors look with the surrounding area. Think about how this color will look through the seasons.

Don’t forget the importance of the finish! Most paints come in flat (sometimes called matte), satin, semi gloss and high-gloss. Semi gloss or high-gloss are the best options because they can be cleaned more easily.

So now that you have got your shade lets get ready to paint

Getting Your Door Ready

Remove the door before painting. Use a screwdriver to remove the hinge pins and then remove the other half of the hinge from the door, so that paint won’t get on the hinges. Remember the front door will be heavy once the hinges are no longer holding it in place, so get help to lift it onto some sawhorses.

Take all other hardware off the door, including the door knocker and the peephole, which is usually two snap-together pieces. Also make sure to remove the doorknob. Usually, this involves taking out four screws, two that hold in the latch and two that hold the doorknob itself.

Sanding & Priming Your Door

Wooden doors need to be sanded and primed. If you paint a new coat over an old paint job, it will result in an uneven finish. To get a smooth working surface, scrape off any peeling pieces and sand down the old paint until the surface of the door feels even all over. Start with a medium 120-grit piece of sandpaper, and then work your way up to 220 grit. If the door still feels rough to the touch, finish with a fine-grade 320-grit paper. Always wear a dust mask and safety goggles when sanding.

If the door has cracks, repair them by dabbing small amounts of caulk onto the cracks and working the caulk in with a putty knife. Let the caulk dry, then sand the repaired spots until they're smooth.

Applying Your Paint

Apply paint and primer in a dust-free area so that no particles ruin the door surface.

You can brush your paint and primer on but you will always get small marks where the brush has applied the paint, so to get a really professional finish you should use a sprayer.  To get the most precise and detailed finish possible you should use our vFan Spray System.

You will find that the vFan, which works with any standard compressor in addition to our portable 150 Feet of Energy, will give you an accurate and precise application and ensure the paint and primer are applied precisely.

Keep your movement smooth - Steady as she goes

Try to be as even and consistent as possible with your hand movement, do not hesitate at the end of a pass, so as you begin to spray make a full sweep and turn back and follow all the way through to get a really smooth matching coat.

Here’s a handy video to give you some tips for your spraying technique:

Add at least two coats of paint to the door, using three or more if you want to increase color saturation.