We’re back as promised with the whole front door shebang.
First, here’s what we started with:
Yup, it was an old maroon storm door with three issues: 1) the grids didn’t match up with the six paneled door behind it, 2) it was always jamming, and 3) it didn’t latch closed very well, so it would bang open in a storm.
It was nothing but a nuisance to us, so we opted to go storm-doorless (just like we chose to do in our first house) since we didn’t use it once in eight whole months (we have a screen/storm door on the side of the house that we occasionally use along with screen doors in the living room and sunroom that we use a lot more often). It’s definitely not a choice that everyone would make, but we’re psyched to go storm-door-less so we can appreciate our awesome six-paneled solid wood door that was hiding behind it:
So off came all the hardware that held our slammy-jammy storm door in place. Then all we needed to do was spackle those holes and use some exterior paint to touch up the trim (thank goodness the previous owners left that in the basement for us).
Oh but before we did any spackling we got to the fun part: picking the paint color. We held up a ton of options in all colors of the rainbow (plum, turquoise, navy, lime green, and beyond), but kept coming back to a happy yellow color. Here are the final four contenders (they look pretty similar in this pic but they varied slightly by how much white or orange they had in them). After looking at them in all types of light (morning sun, afternoon shade, artificial porch light at night, etc) we ended up choosing the top one: Full Sun EB1-1 by Valspar’s Eddie Bauer Home collection.
But removing the screen door and spackling & painting the trim wasn’t the only prep task we took on. We also decided that our awesome original door knocker (which was rusting and peeling) could use some love.
So we carefully removed it with the hope of bringing it back to its former glory and reinstalling it on our bright yellow door when we were finished painting.
Then we sanded the paint around those areas, just to get everything nice and smooth.
We also opted to remove the rusting brass plate on the bottom of the door and spackle and sand those holes. We didn’t have one in our first house and prefer the uninterrupted look of one big boldly colored wood door (but it’s definitely another one of those personal preference things like nixing a storm door). Oh and we also took off our door handle and lock too – since we had hopes of sprucing them up while they were removed like the door knocker.
And now for a shot of sunshine in a can:
We mentioned that we chose Full Sun EB1-1 by Valspar’s Eddie Bauer Home collection as “the one.” So we talked to the paint pro at Lowe’s about what exterior primer + paint she would recommend (sadly none of which are no-VOC yet). She recommended Valspar’s Duramax since it has a built-in primer and is formulated to be extra durable since it’s exposed to the elements outside. So we had her color match our Full Sun paint chip to the Valspar Duramax stuff and grabbed a quart of it in semi-gloss finish for around $15.
Oh but before we applied a single coat we used a liquid deglosser (Next Liquid Deglosser by Crown since it’s non-flammable, biodegradable, and low-VOC) to remove any oil, grease, or other paint-adhesion-saboteurs (I’ve never typed that word, and I have to admit I liked it). Basically it’s a shortcut when you don’t feel like sanding something you’re about to paint (albeit not as thorough, but usually good enough to get ‘er done). You do definitely want to sand any areas that aren’t smooth before deglossing though (like the nail holes from the brass plate and other places we removed hardware or spackled) since liquid deglossers don’t smooth things, they just remove residue that might mess with paint adhesion.
Then it was time for coat one of our yellow primer + paint, applied with a small foam roller (to cut down on brush strokes) and a 2″ angled brush (to get into the frames of the six paneled door). Of course one coat didn’t do the trick, but for yellow paint going over deep maroon it was actually a pretty impressive showing for just one thin coat:
And four thin and even coats later (yes, there I go with the “thin and even” thing again), honey was looking miiiighty fine:
As in, I couldn’t stop staring at her and smiling. So glad we chose such a happy color to wake up our drab brick and cream wood-sidinged exterior. And it looks just as cute from the inside as it does from the outside:
Mmm, glossy yellowy goodness. It came out really smoothly, partially I think due to using good exterior paint, and partially due to those thin and even coats that were carefully applied with a small foam roller and high quality 2″ angled brush. Not globbing it on (and waiting for each coat to dry before moving onto the next paper thin one) is the key to no visible brush strokes when things dry.
Oh yeah, and you might notice the hardware is all sorts of spruced up. We’ll be back with a dedicated hardware-upgrade post full of photos and instructions when it comes to that part of the process (there are too many pics and not enough time to squeeze that in here).
In the meantime, here’s the door from outside (I couldn’t completely close it for pics because it was still drying – but if you paint something in the morning, by evening it should be all cured up and ready to close).
Isn’t our porch happier without the old broken maroon screen door + dark hidden front door combo?
Shucks, it just makes me giddy. And John loves it too. Oh happy day.
So there it is. A front door makeover that involved:
- checking out swatches taped on the door at all times of day (to ensure nothing would change from something we love in morning sunlight to something we hate in evening porch light)
- removing the screen door and spackling/sanding/painting those holes left in the door surround
- removing the hardware and sanding those areas to smooth them before painting
- permanently removing a rusted brass plate at the bottom of the door and spackling/sanding those holes
- thoroughly deglossing the entire door
- refurbishing the hardware (we’ll be back with all those details for ya soon)
- applying four thin and even coats of exterior primer + paint in semi-gloss for a nice shiny finish
- reattaching the hardware when the paint was dry enough (but not completely closing the door until evening, so it can fully cure)
Woot. Love it. As for the budget breakdown, whoop, here it is: one quart of Valspar Duramax paint in semi-gloss from Lowe’s: $15. Das it. Oh and if someone didn’t have spackle and a deglosser on hand those might be around $4 each on top of the cost of a quart of paint. We still have tons of paint leftover bee tee dubs, so a quart for a front door should definitely do it – even if you’re painting both sides of it (we left the back of ours white like our interior doors).
Have any of you recently painted your front door? Any plans to if you haven’t? Is it crazy that this is the fourth time I’ve painted a door in five years (and the second time I’ve gone with a happy yellow color)? It’s just so dang cheerful. Here’s hoping it spurs us on when it comes to about a million other exterior upgrades that we want slash need to tackle (including the possibility of painting the cream siding around the door, and even trying something with the brick exterior down the line). I guess time will tell where we’ll end up with that stuff. But you know we’ll keep you posted…
Update: There were a bunch of requests for some wider shots from the curb, so here they are. Remember that nearly everything else in the pics besides the yellow door might be on our change-that list down the line (so it’s all a work in progress)…
… especially the big barricade o’ bushes that makes the door nearly invisible from certain angles…
Wouldn’t the power to move bushes with the point of a finger be an awesome superpower? Methinks I’d pick that over flying and reading minds.
Vonda says
I LOVE IT! This post has really made me think about updating our front door. We just moved in on June 13th and haven’t even hung pictures, but I have to figure out a way to get the husband on board to change our “almost black/maybe blue” front door (and clean up the hardware while we’re at it)!
Heldy says
Absolutely beautiful! Love the pop of color.
Rebecca says
What a bright way to liven up your home! Wonderful and cheery!What are your plans with the storm door? I LOVE taking doors or windows and turning them into things, ie picture frames, art etc. I am sure you have something wonderful in mind!
YoungHouseLove says
We saved it with the plans to repurpose it somehow (and donate it if we can’t) so we’ll keep you posted!
xo,
s
Monique says
What a big difference! Yellow is one of my favorite colors and it really does add oomph to your front entrance.
Andrea says
Love, LOVE the yellow! Have you thought of painting the trim around the door black for contrast and to match the shutters?
YoungHouseLove says
We thought about it but like the idea of the door being the star and not having too much high contrast trim around it- at least for now. Who knows where we’ll end up!
xo,
s
Sarah says
love your new banner! it makes me smile! :)
Donna says
Love your door! I actually painted ours yellow earlier this summer, I looked at some of the same inspiration pics that you did.
We do have a storm door, which is a bummer, but with Oklahoma weather it’s just the way it is. The storm door is all glass though so you can definitely see my “decisive yellow” (Sherwin-Williams) door.
I am pretty sure I have the only yellow door in the neighborhood, maybe even the whole town!
Jill says
It looks awesome and so does the ORB hardware!!! You know what would be super snazzy???? If you painted your mailbox the same beautiful yellow and maybe the post white. I mean how purty would that be??????? :)
YoungHouseLove says
That could be cute. We have a landscape-expert friend who says mailboxes should blend in and not stick out too much since it might be considered an odd focal point compared to the front door/porch or some pretty flowers, etc. So we’re on the fence about letting our mailbox fall away, ya know?
xo,
s
Jill says
Ohhh yes! This is a very good point. I love driving down my street and seeing all of the mail boxes lined up in their different colors and styles (some are ugly and some are nice). I would love to see a happy yellow one pop up and greet me on my way home from work! ;)
Angela says
Ooooooh I love the new picture at the top of your site! Your house looks so much happier now!
Sandy says
Say what? You have a basement? (Sorry if I’m late to the party) Any plans? Man cave??
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you can check it out on our House Tour page. It’s very much a workshop for now (it’s rough rough rough down there- haha).
xo,
s
Sam says
Oooh, just noticed that you updated the blog picture with one of the new yellow door! Love the color even more when seeing the full view!
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
I’m a day late but just wanted to add another voice to the chorus of love for your yellow door. I’m blown away by how great it looks open against the grey walls and playing off of the yellow in the curtains.
Hannah says
Whoa! I love the yellow door, but I just checked in to see if the morning post was up yet, and I LOVE your new house picture at the top! So colorful and cheery! Looks awesome!
britt@knewlywifed says
That looks so cheerful! I would have never thought to paint a front door yellow, but it makes the whole house just look happy!
alison says
Such a cheerful color and you already switched up the photo in your header. When do you two sleep?
YoungHouseLove says
On weekends. Haha.
xo,
s
ashlee says
it’s unbelievable how that door makes your whole house pop. i absolutely love it. my front door is quite recessed – you can’t see it very well under the overhang and it’s shaded by the giant garage on the front of the house. my friend told me that recessed doors should be painted a bright shade to make them stand out more. what i would give to be daring like you!
Kim says
LOVE that you already updated the house banner at the top of the website! Yellow door looks great!!
Candace D says
It’s beautiful and I love that you took off the brass kickplate–I live in a condo so I can’t take mine off! : (
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
love the new header, it’s very eye-catching!
ljjasper says
Pretty much love everything you do…. until now. Is yellow REALLY the way to go? Is it the right yellow? Looks fine up close but from the street…. not so much.
YoungHouseLove says
The yellow door is just phase one of many (so of course it still looks crazy from the curb). We have about a million other curb appeal changes on the list. Our last house’s curb appeal makeover took 4.5 years, so I imagine this one might take just as long, haha.
xo,
s
stephanie says
This post is so perfectly timed! I’m painting our front door today and THANK YOU for getting rid of your storm door. I’ve been on the fence about ours for three years and I think I’m going to see how we like living without it. (It would need to come off to be painted anyway). Question: How long did you wait between coats? I’d like to get at least two in over my daughter’s morning (usually get a good four hour nap outta her!) nap today. I hope that’s not unrealistic!
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow, a four hour nap?! That’s amazing. We applied our coats about an hour apart, so you might be able to get 3-4!
xo,
s
Melanie says
Love the happy color and the ORB hardware. I can’t believe I’m saying this (I love me some white trim) but I feel like the door frame should be black now. It would really frame the door nicely and go with your black shutters/new hardware. Just my 2 cents when I saw your new header :) Love your blog!
Ashley says
I love the yellow door! It is one of the colors I’m considering for our new front door and now I have some more inspiration! It looks great with the new hardware too!
Kacie says
THAT looks soooo great! I’m totally sold! I am going to that exact color!!!!!
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/
Anna says
I love your white box planters which flank your door! I’ve got some scrap wood in my backyard…and I feel a new project coming…because you have inspired me…and because I can’t afford the ones Restoration Hardware offers.
Aimee says
Any tips for how to make the finish even? We used a gloss red paint on our door and at certain angles we get more shine than other places…So the paint color is even, but the glossiness is not if that makes sense. I’m probably the only one who can see it, but it bugs me. Any thoughts on how we could get it more even?
Love the cheerful door!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe try gently sanding the whole thing, thoroughly stirring your paint, and applying one more coat? Give it lots of drying time before you close the door and hopefully it’ll be nice and even.
xo,
s
Jordan says
Love the door! The yellow also looks so good with the curtains when opened. So pretty!
When I saw these ceramic animals on etsy this morning, I thought of you, Sherry. I hadn’t even read this post, but they happen to be yellow. :)
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/56007458 (though salt & pepper shakers may be a bit over the top…ha! didn’t see that at first)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/75556919/ceramic-pig-planter-vintage-design-in?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Image+-+http%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F75556919%2Fceramic-pig-planter-vintage-design-in&utm_content=etsy_finds_081611&utm_campaign=etsy_finds_081611
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh- so cute! I’m especially in love with Mr Ceramic Pig.
xo,
s
Leanne (Bride to Mrs.) says
I talked to my husband last night on our walk about possibly painting our front door yellow (our house is grey & white… super cute!) and he laughed and said no.
….I’ll have to work on him. ;)
Alyson says
I just finished painting my front doors last week. It’s funny, when you brought up the Pinterest challenge I was already working on mine. I’ve wanted to paint our front door since we bought this house 11 years ago. I thought red was my option, but I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it (obviously, since 11 years passed). Then one day I was looking at my pinterest and noticed how many turquoise front doors I’d pinned and realized, hey, I don’t even want red!
But ours wasn’t just a tiny little project. We had to replace the glass (from amber flemish textured to frosted) and I also had to hand paint all the little doohickies, twists and flourishes of metal on our storm door. Unlike all of you with central air conditioning, our front screen door is an essential tool here in the summertime for us. So it was a 2+ week project, started before you announced your Pinterest challenge and finished long after. But I love it! :)
Lauren says
LOVE IT! What a wonderful addition!
Karen F says
it came out so gorgeous, and the view from inside was such a nice surprise – as others have mentioned, it looks killer with your curtains!
Allen says
I’m sure I’m not the first person to suggest this, and I’m not going ready the other 400+ posts to make sure, BUT! The addition of an all glass storm door or even a screen door would allow you to keep your front door open which looks awesome in the dining room!
carry on
Annie W. says
Love it!! Do you plan to keep the shutters black?
YoungHouseLove says
Not sure. We have about a million future color scheme ideas for a lot of aspects of the exterior. But we’ll keep you posted if we ever make a decision! Haha.
xo,
s
Julie M. says
The yellow looks great. Though, when viewing the whole house view, I can’t help but think that the yellow door just looks floating on the brick exterior. If you look through your inspiration pics, you’ll notice that they are all framed by a white trim on the door frame. Would you consider painting the door frame a nice sharp white to help solidify the look?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we have about ten more phases to go when it comes to our house’s exterior. The yellow door is just step one!
xo,
s
Lisa Ornelas says
LOVE IT! I never would have thought yellow for a front door. It’s so charming,cheerful and inviting! Great job!!!
Trudy says
Perfection in the selection of paint and hardware! What about black trim around the door for depth to match the shutters?
Trudy says
…or black planter boxes?
YoungHouseLove says
Always a possibility! This is definitely stage one of a million!
xo,
s
lauren says
I love a good colored door. I lived in Scotland for a few years and I am moving back there in two weeks- I love all of the red and green and blue and yellow doors. LOVE.
Lauren @ See Parrot
Wom-mom Ethne says
Some days, I want my special powers to be a mute button for any noises/voices which annoy me.
Laura says
Love it! I could definitely see those planters in some ORB though…and perhaps without the twig emblem on the front…Just a suggesh! Oh, and maybe a lighter color on the shutters. Your facade has such potential and it’s so exciting to watch it all unfold in real time. Thanks for sharing.
Abby says
OMG! My front door is almost this exact same color. I think ours is called Egg Yolk though. Yellow looks just lovely with the red brick exterior! Great choice!!
alg says
Looks fantastic :)
Any plans for the shutters?
YoungHouseLove says
All in time! Haha. Read: we’re completely unsure what colors we’ll go with, but we don’t plan to stop with the door!
xo,
s
julie g. says
First, I love it!!! And the whole site looks brighter with the yellow door on the header. The only thing is, with that particular angle all I can focus on is the tree right in the center of the photo. Maybe you could take a shot at a slightly different angle. I know it’s hard with the bushes, lampost, etc. Please don’t be mad, I’m only letting you know because I care so much!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Julie! That darn tree is all sorts of in the way from every angle. Haha. We took about twenty pics and picked that one because we liked it best. But we definitely have other outdoor changes to make, so our header should evolve for the next few years!
xo,
s
julie g. says
Thanks for your kind reply and hopefully I didn’t get the middle paw from Burger. You all are so wonderful to share your progress and provide so many useful and budget friendly ideas for the rest of, I’d be sad to be banned.
As an aside, it’s still strange to see sweet Clara actually walking around when she used to be kind of “prop” in the photos!
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t it so funny to see her walking around? We’re still shocked because it feels like just yesterday when we were bringing her home from the hospital!
xo,
s
alg says
Sorry — I always sound all naggy. Just curious :)
I know how hard it is to keep up with everything… especially when you’re documenting it all & also have, you know, a life! My porch makeover is taking forEVER :-/
Anyhoo, door looks 1000 times better. Good choice & good work!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- no worries at all! We love you alg!
xo,
s
Carla says
Love the color and the old door knocker is fab!
I use my storm door to keep the cats from escaping while I’m bringing in groceries since it closes automatically behind me. Other than that I’d take it down too. I’m stuck with a brown door due to HOA rules. Pout.
Karen says
That does it, I’m painting my front door yellow! That is, when I have a front door that I can paint. And a house that is attached to it. Ah, some day… :)
Really love the pop of yellow though…I’m kind of mesmorized by it!
Ali says
Was thinking of you guys today when I was driving on Jahnke Rd and saw a similar black and white brick rancher, except their front door was electric green. Like eww green. Have you seen it? Your yellow is much, much better. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I don’t think we know that one. Now I’ll have to keep an eye out!
xo,
s
Shari M. says
LOVE, love, love the yellow! We just painted our front door BLACK. The outside of our house is taupe, so it really pops. And, it looks good when the door is open, because my interior is decorated in colors that work well with black. Like you, I too, am very “giddy” about my freshly painted front door!
Any ideas for me on how to paint the plastic part that is around the glass insert on our door? The paint didn’t adhere well at all and it looks awful! Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, can you remove it and use spray paint meant for plastic? Or try sanding it to rough it up and use primer and paint for better adhesion? Good luck!
xo,
s
Shari M. says
Thanks Sherry. I will suggest that to my hubby. But, I think he was worried about removing the plastic piece and having the glass fall out. I think sanding it and buying a diff. paint might be the solution.
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck!
xo,
s
marli says
so lovely & cheery. good job! =)