In this case, the fifth time was the charm. As in 5 coats later our front door looked fabulous, darling. In fact, the color is Valspar’s Fabulous Red and let’s just say the name isn’t an over-promise. Although if I were gonna do it all over again, I definitely would have primed over the existing black paint first. Check out my pathetic first coat:
But five thorough coats did the trick. Thank goodness I had some nice scenery to admire while I painted and painted (and painted). Check out our gorge flowering cherry tree in the front yard.
But back to the door. People may be wondering how we knew Fabulous Red was “the one”. Well, as soon as we held up the swatch next to our brick it was obvious. A bunch of our other red swatches looked too close in tone and intensity to the reddy-brown brick tone, and the last thing we wanted the front door to do was disappear into a sea of brick. So we went with the brightest, most dramatic lipstick red of the bunch. None other than Fabulous Red (in semi-gloss exterior paint for shine and durability). So for everyone who writes us asking if a brick house can sport a red door, the answer is “but of course… as long as it’s brighter and redder than your brick”. Check out our finished product:
Oh and look how purty a red door looks at dusk:
And we thought it might be helpful to share our exterior palate as a whole with you guys so here it is. To complement our all-brick facade we added tan trim (Valspar’s Lyndhurst Stone), some black paint on the shutters and door stoop (Glidden’s Dark Secret) and punched things up with a delish new red door (Valspar’s Fabulous Red):
Crisp, classic, and clean. Now if only our front walkway and landscaping felt the same way. Stick around to see a total front yard makeover as we attempt to capture the curb appeal that our little brick ranch deserves.
Kathryn says
Goodness gracious, I LOVE me a red door! It looks fabulous! We’re redoing our backyard this year, and I’m blogging about it, so I can’t WAIT to see what you guys do to your front yard!
Kimberly says
Beautiful door! 5 coats!! Yikes!
underwood-dc says
Looks fantastic! I’ll be going from white to red…I wonder if it’ll need less than five coats? Probably not! I can’t wait.
Beth says
Beautiful! Now it’s time to change the blog header :)
YoungHouseLove says
Underwood- You’ll probably need less than five coats but don’t be scared if the paint looks pinkish at first. On top of white it’ll definitely tend to do that for the first few coats. Just remember that paint darkens as it dries and keep going until it looks like the swatch- hopefully in about three coats if you’re lucky. Or you can speed up the process by getting a tinted primer as they suggest right on the Fabulous Red swatch. I guess I’m just a rebel. Either that or a glutton for punishment.
Beth- We’re dyyyyyying to change the blog header but are trying to be patient. The plan is to fix the path and the landscaping and then put up the new image. Stay tuned to see if we can wait that long…
xo,
Sherry
KK says
Knob, knob.
Who’s there?
Door knocker.
Door knocker, who?
Don’t you think a door knocker and new knob would be fab on your fresh new door?
KK says
Where are your house numbers? I LOVE looking at all of the style house numbers out there. . . There are so many interesting ones on flickr.com
http://flickr.com/search/?q=house%20numbers&w=all
YoungHouseLove says
Mmmm, thanks for the yummy house number link KK. And the knob knob joke was also much appreciated. I wholeheartedly agree about the knocker and new knob. As for the house numbers, we have some clean nickel ones on both sides of our mailbox. I thought about putting them on the door or on the posts of the porch but am a little scared to go number crazy since they already appear in two places. Maybe I’ll mess around in photoshop to see what looks good. Pics to come when I pimp my door.
xo,
Sherry
p.s. when we moved into our house the door was brown and had what looked like a bird house glued to the middle of the door and it had a little compartment in the box that you could open and close in case you wanted to “leave a note”- WEIRD!!!
Jennifer says
I must admit I had my doubts about a red door with the red brick, but it looks amazing! Clearly you were thoughtful when choosing a shade, and it paid off!
Marie says
The door came out great! I’ve had “paint front door red” on my husbands TO DO list for months now. lol I love, love, love the picture of your cherry tree. I’m sick with jealousy!
underwood-dc says
So here are my before and after pics of my front door with Valspar’s Fabulous Red paint! I couldn’t figure out how to change the order of the pics so the before showed up before the after. :-) I hope this link works.
http://flickr.com/photos/26423567@N05/
Sherry says
Whahoo underwood-dc! That is one fabulous front door. Thanks so much for sharing your pics!
xo,
Sherry
Kevin says
Thanks for the heads up on how many coats it may take. Can you share any tips on how you prepped the door and applied the paint? Scuff sand first, prime, take it off the hinges, brush or roller? Inquiring minds would love to know before we attempt our own transformation this spring!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kevin,
We actually could have painted the door in a lot fewer coats if we primed it first, but I figured we’d get a nice deep red color with the black paint behind it (as opposed to a potentially pinky-red door thanks to some white primer behind it. Of course a red tinted primer would be the best move (for fewer coats) but the ol’ five coats over the black background worked too, it just took a bit longer. There was no sanding or door removal, and we just used a wide brush to apply the paint (although a roller would also work- and might even make for a faster/smoother application). It’s really just a simple little project, although you’ll want to be careful around the hinges and the door knob to keep things looking crisp and clean- you can always tape them off for easy avoidance. Hope it helps! Happy spring door sprucing…
xo,
Sherry
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints says
Looks great! I found your site in the Do It Yourself Magazine. So glad I found you. I’m loving all of your how to’s.
Kim says
I love red doors. Our house is a yellow one with black shutters. Do you think the door would look good red? or should we go with black?
YoungHouseLove says
Great question Kim! Hmm, yellow and red and black might be a bit McDonalds (the red and yellow might be a bit clashy) but going with a black door isn’t as much fun as going with some punch of color. How about an eggplant color (which looks amazing with yellow and black) or even a gorgeous gray tone (you could go light like a cloud or deep like a slate grey tone). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Tran says
I actually used primer and it still took me 4 coats: http://homeowned.blogspot.com/2009/06/red-door-treatment.html
YoungHouseLove says
No way! I guess red paint just takes some work to get that rich deep tone. Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
shopgirl says
Do you have any articles on how to paint a window frame or a door frame?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Shopgirl,
Painting a window frame or door frame is pretty straightforward, just use semi-gloss paint so it’s wipeable and try to stay in the lines. We have found that using this brush really helps with control and keeping paint from bleeding onto the walls- and you get a better finished product than taping things off. Hope it helps!
https://www.younghouselove.com/how-to-paint-trim-like-a-pro/
xo,
s
Michelle says
I just want to thank you for picking out such a fabulous shade of red! I have a brick house with black shutters as well and painted my front door red last night. I LOVE it!!! I painted 3 coats last night and think one more should do it. Thanks for having such great taste and for sharing with all of us! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Michelle! I’m so glad the red that we chose worked for your house too. Isn’t it amazing what some paint on the front door can do to spruce up the entire exterior?!
xo,
s
Lisa says
Just wanted you to know I stumbled on your blog by accident and LOVE IT!!! The front of your house is almost an exact replica of our house. We are now using your exterior colors as our inspiration!!!! Thanks for all the great ideas!
Kathy says
I love your red door. I painted our blah brown wood door a couple of years ago, and I’m so glad the paint store girl encouraged me to get the tinted primer. But for 24 hours we had an ugly pink door (while the primer coat was drying) and our neighbors across the street looked at me like “what?! Are we going to have to look at that pink door every day now?” I think they were relieved to see it red the next day.
owen says
hey I know this sound dumb but do you paint the inside also?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Owen,
We painted the other side of the door white so it blends right in with the rest of our home’s interior doors. This way when it’s open (it hinges into the living room) we get a splash of red but when it’s closed the look is less punchy and more serene. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
owen says
thanks. I have this kind of red thing going on in my house. Each of the first floor rooms has some red in it. I will have to decide if this thing is something I want to look at inside the house too. I like the way the tile in the bathroom came out. I’m toying with the idea of redoing ours. Again thanks.
sheley says
I am excited about painting over my really awful purply-burgandy front door. I was anticipating having to remove the door to paint it, but it sounds like you did it in place. Were you able to close it at night?
YoungHouseLove says
Good question! We actually didn’t pull it all the way closed the first night (just about 99% closed, and we used the chain to keep it secure overnight while it dried. We live in a super safe neighborhood though so that might not be an option for everyone, in which case we’d say: wake up early and paint your door so it has the most daytime drying time possible before you shut it at night! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
linda says
your door looks fabulous! (pun intended!) as far as primer for valspar’s fabulous red… they actually recommend primer tinted grey (G2)…. we just did our laundry room in fabulous red, using the recommended primer and it came out beautifully in just two coats!
we did our front door in classic red… it called for G1 as the shade of tintable primer!
(anyone using valspar…. if a primer is recommended… which one is right there on the back of the color swatch!)
LOVE your blog!!!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the primer tip! So glad to hear it did the trick in your laundry room.
xo,
s
TwinJoys says
Love the red door (& everything else!). I have a brick house & was considering a mossy green (very tricky, I know…don’t want Christmas year round). I may have to look at reds now that I know it can work.
The reason I haven’t done mine yet is that I wonder if the edges should be painted or left white like the interior? I’m just visualizing a strange hard ‘line’ where the color stops (like wobbly, even with tape to guide me)…although I guess that’s inevitable unless the entire door gets painted. Being OCD & uber visually-minded can be a bad combination. :-)
Suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
The back and side of our front door is white and the front is red. We didn’t even tape it off, and it looks really clean. Hardly anyone sees the door from an angle to see the edge anyway but it’s surprisingly easy to keep the paint looking clean since they’re different planes. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jessica says
As a recent homeowner, I am so inspired by your blog and your beautiful home. I just had my home painted and decided not to have the painters do the front door in an attempt to preserve the original wood door from when the house was built in 1941. However, I am now having second thoughts as the house could use the pop a red door provides and the door shows its age with the layers of stain and grime. Do you think I should go ahead and paint the red door I have always wanted or preserve the wood door as is? I am so torn!
Thank you again for being such a inspiration!!
YoungHouseLove says
We would suggest sleeping on it a bit to see where you end up. We’re all about painting but we don’t really have an attachment to natural wood like many other people do. But because it’s something that’s very hard to undo we suggest giving it some real thought before picking up the brush. Although we think a pop of red on the front door is one of the best pick-me-ups a house can get. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Gina says
Inspired by you, I’ve spent the past two days painting 5 coats of red on my previous beige door, and now much to my chagrin, my cream brick house with beige trim now looks pink. I used more of a cranberry red. Do you think more of a brick red will made a difference or shall I give up on a red door?
YoungHouseLove says
The tone definitely has a lot to do with the success of your red door! We think you should hold up a ton of red swatches with more brick undertones to find the perfect hue. Happy hunting!
xo,
s
Eva says
Love your front door. We are in the market for a brand new one and want to go red as well. Now, I have a silly question for you guys: Did you use exterior or interior paint for the outside of the door?
We are in California and the door is under an awning of sorts, so it doesn’t get exposed too much to rain etc.
Thanks for the fabulous blog and congrats on your beautiful daughter!!!
YoungHouseLove says
We used exterior latex paint in semi-gloss (always use that even with an overhang since the moisture, heat, and cold still effect the door). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Eva says
Thanks so much, that helps a lot!!! Especially since we are heading over to Lowe’s right now to buy the door and paint!!!
Emily W says
I found your blog by searching for red doors! Love the door and painted mine the same shade :) Thanks a bunch!!
Heather says
This site is such a blessing you guys. Thank you for putting all your efforts in! So we just bought a brick rancher as well but our brick has more variations of orange in it than the solid red you seem to have. I’m painting the sides of our house that arent brick (only the front of house is brick) in the same color you used as the trim for your pallet – funny coincidence) and want to paint a red door as well. Do you think this brighter red will be good with most types of red/orange brick? The trim around the door will be the valspar lyndhurst stone as well….
Thanks for your advice on a red color with more of an orange brick tone.
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely think it could work! We’d suggest bringing the swatch home (along with a variety of others) to hold them up and see what works best. Goooood luck!
xo,
s
Ruth says
We sprayed our front door instead of painting it and there were no streak marks, looked like a factory finsih. Your door looks good but much better is you spray. Love your ideas!
Molly says
Hi John and Sherry-
Just wondering:
What do you do to the entrance as you paint a door? do you take the door OFF or paint it attached? just wondering how you keep the bugs/cool/hot air out if the door isn’t there, and how many day(S) project is this?
also:
is it “ok” to paint your front door one color, and the back door that no one else really sees from the street a totally different color, or should you keep the doors cohesive?
YoungHouseLove says
You can totally do different colors with a front and back door. And we painted our door while it was on the hinges (we lost a bit of air and had a few bugs but it was only cracked open for the most part and only fully open during painting). Overnight we kept it cracked and throughout the next day and then completely closed and locked it that evening. You could also remove the door and use a tarp to keep air in and bugs out if you’d like. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Heather says
So I painted the red door this wknd. used a white oil based primer and it took 2 coats of the red oil based paint – I went with the rustoleum pre mixed red paint Lowes sells in the spray paint aisle (its in a quart size can). Its a really close match to the fabulous red by Valspar when the cans open but the label makes it appear more cranberry…and costs half the price as a quart of fabulous red valspar. I love my door. I used the same trim color as you guys and I’ve gotten so many compliments. As I said in the last post – our brick is more orange red than yours and our mortar is more grey brown…but for anyone else with a different color brick and wondering if bright red will work – it does. Love it! Thanks for your site once again!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad it worked out so well! Thanks for sharing that info with anyone who has more orange brick than we do! It sounds like it’s gorgeous!
xo,
s
Michelle says
I hope this isnt a silly question (i tend to have many)I want to paint my door red, my issue and fear (after reading online about what could go wrong)is that I have a metal door. My door now is white but looks beat up and dull.
Should I be afraid?
YoungHouseLove says
No way- metal is really receptive to paint. Just be sure the paint on the door now isn’t flaking off or peeling (sand it down until it’s smooth if it is). You can also apply a thin coat of primer first (which will make the paint stick really well to your metal door and ensure that it looks glossy and fabulous for the long haul). Good luck!
xo,
s
Allie says
My husband and I just bought our first house a few months ago and it seems very similar to yours–it’s a 3 bedroom brick ranch. However, our brick is much lighter than yours, it looks as if it has a thin coat of white paint over the brick. The shutters and front door are currently white, which gets lost in the light brick exterior. We were thinking about painting them a charcoal grey–do you have any other suggestions? And do you think we should paint the door the same color as the shutters, or leave it white? I love your site and ideas!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Allie,
We love the idea of the charcoal gray shutters. It’ll really add definition and richness to your home! After you paint the shutters you might find that the white door blends in a lot (the front door is a great opportunity for a pop of color and contrast that is more noticable than the shutters) so we would suggest bringing home some paint swatches to see what floats your boat. Daffodil yellow, scarlet red, or even a rich navy would all look great with charcoal shutters. Good luck!
xo,
s
Allie says
Thanks for the advice, those are great ideas! I’ll be sure to let you know what we decide and how it turns out.
Joanne Peacock says
Hi YHL,
My husband and I just bought a two storey red brick house. He really wants a red door so we are on the hunt for the perfect colour. Since we live in London, Ontario Canada and don’t have a Valspar dealer near by I am hoping you could suggest a similar paint colour from Behr, Benjamin Moore or Glidden.
I have looked at have looked at Behr-Licorice Stick S-G-170 but I am undecided. Any help would be great!
BTW, I love the blog! It is full of useful ideas for home improvement and attainable decorating advice.
Thanks, J
YoungHouseLove says
Benjamin Moore’s Million Dollar Red is always amazing. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Eric | Flavorspaces says
This is my first time posting on your blog although I’ve followed you for awhile. I saw pictures of your red front door and red brick house, loved it, and thought I would give it a try.
I painted my door red before finding this post where you talked about the process. I got the exact same paint too, without even knowing at the time! What are the odds?
I love your blog. Keep giving great information, inspiration, and advice!
-Eric
YoungHouseLove says
That’s too funny! I love that we have matching doors!
xo,
s
Amanda says
My dad painted our living room red a couple years or so ago and it was taking him about 7 coats to cover the walls completely! He found out that the key with painting with red is that you need a special primer for red paint before you start the 1st coat of red. Most paints are white based but red paint is clear based so that’s why it takes so many coats to cover it up. There are a few other colors that are clear based also but I’m not sure what they are off the top of my head. :)
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting! We didn’t know about the clear base thing. Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
Sera says
My newly painted RED front door inspired by YHL looks amazing!!!(if i do say so myself) I’ve only been “travelling” with you guys for a few weeks but already i feel the need to introduce home decorating ideas from my “new mates” (that’s you guys by the way) to all my family and friends. Firstly all that ‘house crashing’ got me hooked and now i’ve just discovered the ‘mood boards’… can you recommend anything for YHL addiction?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so glad you found us!
xo,
s
Lisa says
This is making me soo angry.
Now how can a cute red door achieve that?
By inducing envy of course…
I’m living in Ireland at the moment, and although Ireland is great in many ways, it’s hell on earth for a crafty DIY loving person. A magnolia coloured hell on earth.
I wanted to paint my indoor stairs red- looked in all the DIY shops for red floor paint, and asked around. Nowhere to be found.
(The worst is that one paint brand display red painted stairs in an ad of theirs, but they don’t actually have a paint suitable for that. Awesome…)
I wanted to paint a wall red, not matte, but a satin matte red.
Nowhere to be found.
I want to paint our front door red. YEAH there are is an abundance of red outdoor paint. But guess what? They are ALL high gloss. Which looks cheap and garish, apart from showing every imperfection. I know it’s wet here, but come ON.
I spend about ten times as much time trying to find the products I want, than I do actually using them.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
Ugh! So sorry to hear your pain! Fingers crossed the perfect red paint finds you very very soon!
xo,
s
Lisa says
Thanks for your sympathy Sherry- mostly your blog just gives me great inspiration, it’s rare it induces the whiney moanies I just got off my chest :-)
After my rant I got off my arse and phoned the some paint suppliers- one of them had a finish option in their trade range I might be able to get mixed in a red- whoohoo red door here I come!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Crossing our fingers for you! Wahooooo!
xo,
s
mollie says
hey sherry!
getting ready to paint my front door from forest green to black. Does it matter if it was painted in oil based or water based? It’s an old door, and we just moved here recently so I don’t know which it is? Do I need to sand it first (didn’t sound like you did, right?) and prime in a darker based primer, then the black in semi-gloss exterior? Thanks for your help!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, if it’s painted with an oil-based paint you’ll need to prime with oil-based primer first and then follow that with semi-gloss or gloss latex paint. Or you can go straight to oil-based gloss or semi-gloss paint (it’s more fumey so we like the step of using primer to bring it over to the latex side of things). Oh and be sure to use latex or oil-based “exterior” paint, which is meant to hold up better to the elements. Good luck!
xo,
s
Tara_NY says
Did you take the door off the hinges before painting it? How did you keep it open as you painted? We have a metal door and I am nervous the paint won’t go on well.
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, we just painted it in place while open. Worked really well! Metal takes thin coats of paint really well so you should have great results!
xo,
s
Alison says
Love your site! I happened to find it while looking up “how to paint a front door red” because…this weekend I painted my front (white) door red and it didn’t go so well. After two coats (which is what I thought it would only need) it looked like your first picture, only the black parts are white, haha. So, I know I’ll need more coats. My questions are these:
1. Did you sand in-between coats b/c my door looks splotchy, darker in some areas and lighter in others. Someone suggested very lightly sanding before I do a third coat. Any thoughts on that?
2. Did you use a roller or paint brush. If a paint brush, any particular type or size? I used a 2-inch outdoor/indoor paint brush. I tried to roll and it was disaster so I immediately went back to the brush.
Thank you in advance if you’re able to help out! I love your door and hope to have a pretty one soon!
YoungHouseLove says
I wouldn’t sand. Just keep applying thin and even coats and let them dry and go in for more. Red just takes lots of coats! I used a brush (it was a 2″ angled brush). You also could try a mini foam roller if you like that better (should cut out brush strokes and apply thin and even coats for ya). Good luck!
xo,
s
Amanda says
I stumbled across your site a few weeks ago and am hooked. My husband and I are slowly making improvements to our 1949 ranch house and one of the first things we did was to paint miles of dark trim, doors, windows, and cabinets white. That was four years ago and we have had a lot of trouble with the doors sticking to the door frames and pulling the paint off the edges of the doors. We live in the humid south, which I am thinking could be part of the problem.
Have you guys run into any problems like that? And if so, do you have any tips for fixing it? My only idea is to redo them with oil-based paint instead of latex. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man- we haven’t had that issue. I would ask around at the home improvement store to see what they recommend (or maybe try googling it to see if any pros have tips for ya). Good luck!
xo,
s
Classic Red Door says
I love your red front door! We also have a red door and it has faded over the last 6 years since we built our home. I am having the door and trim touched up (our friend is a painter) and am finalizing the perfect red color but wanted to get your opinion on what color do do the sidelights? Right now our house is linen white (off white) with navy shutters and the red front door. We have sidelights next to the red door that are navy (like the shutters) but I’m wondering if they shouldn’t be off-white like the siding so the door really pops. The painter suggested red site lights but I think that would be too busy with the white trim. What do you think? Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, I wouldn’t go with red, and the navy sounds safe again but I like the idea of off-white best so the door pops. Good luck!
xo,
s
Erin Walsh says
That shade of red is perfect – our house is actually painted a shade very similar to your tan paint choice used for trim. Do you have any tips on painting a metal doors? Mine isn’t wood:)
YoungHouseLove says
Metal actually takes paint really well! Just apply it thinly and evenly (with a small foam roller to avoid brush strokes), and use primer if you want to skip a bunch of coats! Good luck!
xo,
s
Kim says
A couple of weeks agao I painted the inside of my front door with a couple of coats of Behr semi-gloss latex paint (after first priming it with Oil Based Kilz. I have decided that I don’t really like the color and I want to re-paint it. My question is: is it ok to paint over it with another brand (Valspar) of semi gloss paint, or do I need to prime it again first? Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
I would definitely prime again. Just one thin coat. Otherwise you risk the new color sliding and peeling off (since semi-gloss is a very slippery “base” for a new coat of paint instead of primer). Good luck!
xo,
s
Casey says
When we moved into our house 20 years ago, the door was forest green. Upon accidentally scratching the door sometime later, we discovered it had once been bright ORANGE. haha I would love to see that look come back!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love it.
xo,
s