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.
Tonya says
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! I love it, as in I’m mildly obsessed with it!
Diana says
Love, love the yellow door! I believe you’ll be inspiring many to paint their doors yellow too!
Erin says
It looks so cheery and welcoming now!!
But I couldn’t live without my storm door. We literally open the front door from the time we get up until we go to bed at night. But my house is so small, the light really makes our house feel more open…plus the cats and dog like to sit there and watch the world go by. :)
Sofie says
So. gorgeous.
Matthea says
I *did* just paint my front door! It was showing wear, and even some extra not-the-right-color paint from a minor spill of my own doing more than a year ago touching up the trim. *shamefacedly downcast look for waiting so long to fix error*
I was surprised to find that our exterior door was painted flat or almost flat. And then as I looked through the previous owner’s paint can collection, I was surprised to find the door was painted with INTERIOR paint. What the…? So I took that paint to Home Depot and had it matched to exterior, got home, washed the front door to get off dust and pollen and bugs and stuff, and started in on a panel. But it was the wrong color. Dark blue, yes, but not the right dark blue AT ALL. This interior paint I’d had matched was in my garage, left over from the previous owner’s something, but whatever that something was, it was NOT actually part of this house. Why? Why leave us paint that doesn’t go with anything?? … So, back to Home Depot I went to gather paint chips to bring home to match, in hopes of avoiding a purposeful chipping of this elusive paint color. No dice. I did not pick the right dark dark blues. So… I did peel some of the paint off. And took it to Home Depot. And it was not a big enough chip to colomatch (they need a quarter size, and I had only a dime-ish). So I walked my too-tiny chip around to all the dark dark blues and found one that was really really close, and had them mix me up a semi-gloss quart of THAT in exterior paint, and NOW I have a gorgeously repainted front door. From the curb now the house looks better but you can’t really say why unless you know :) …and it must’ve worked because now suddenly we have renters! Hooray! Next project: regrouting the tiled shower stall. Yikes. I have a contractor in mind, because I think taking out the old grout is a scary business, but it must be done, according to the tile gurus at Home Depot.
Good job, YHL! Love your inspiration for my own improvement projects! Someday I’ll finally paint that chair, and those bookshelves… someday…
Patty says
LOVE, LOVE the yellow…how happy! Yellow flowers (mums as fall approaches?) would look fabulous…and perhaps black paint, matching the shutters, for the planter boxes? Would anchor them and set off the hardware…
Rebecca says
I’m looking forward to seeing what you decide about the brick. The photo of the yellow door from inside is really great (those curtains!). But I’m not loving the header photo. Because the tree cuts the shot in half, it kind of looks like two different houses (a brick shuttered house next to a cheerful cottage).
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah- we have 99 curb appeal problems, but our yellow door ain’t one. Just have to catch the rest of the house up with the door! Haha.
xo,
s
Christine B says
Yellow > Red.
Love it.
We want to paint ours ORANGE once we actually paint the entire rest of the house. Wish us luck!
Annalea says
And speaking of painting, I just bought a Wooster Shortcut brush (I think you blogged about it before . . . it’s this one: http://www.amazon.com/Wooster-Brush-Q3211-2-Shortcut-Paintbrush/dp/B002YC06T2/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1313640939&sr=1-4), and everytime I see the box, I think of $herdog, ’cause it’s got a “Shergrip” handle. ;o)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I couldn’t love that brush more!
xo,
s
dalis says
I can just see some pillows on that front bench with a pop of bright yellow. And maybe even some sunny yellow annuals to give a nod to the door! We have a similar door that I painted periwinkle.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh, I can see that too. Love it!
xo,
s
Brandi says
Lovely! Were you able to do the whole door in one day and reattach? We REALLY need to repaint our badly faded black door (note…very hard water from the hose+cheap black matte paint by the builder=chalkboard)but can’t fathom being doorless overnight or longer.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I started around 8am and had them back up by around 3pm!
xo,
s
Melanie says
Whatever you guys did to the website – thank you so so much! Its not slow anymore. It was so hard to move around. I know you were having some issues so it looks like its moving great now.
YoungHouseLove says
Yay! We were having crashing issues for the last few days and it was killing us. Thankfully after about 80 hours of freaking out we got to the bottom of it. Holla!
xo,
s
Nellene says
You’ve inspired me to paint our door before winter arrives! I love your yellow color choice. Not so sure I can get the hubby or homeowners association to jump on board though. I’m going to use your house example to show how it looks better than it sounds…we’ll see!
Felicity @ Our Little Beehive says
Did you guys have any drying issues with the humidity? I painted our doors last fall and dangit if the front door didn’t peel off a HUGE chunk of paint earlier this summer! I think I’ll be pulling the door off the hinge, scraping, sanding, deglossing and whatever else is available again this fall. Please keep us posted on whether you get any sticking around the weather stripping over the next few months.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh nooo! So sorry about the chunk! We didn’t have humidity issues but we were lucky to paint it on a reasonably cool day (and our door isn’t in the direct sun since there’s a front porch awning that sort of blocks most of it most of the time). I think a huge secret might be the right paint and the thin and even coats of paint thing. It just helps it bond well (the right paint comes in handy for that too). We have opened and closed ours a lot and I actually expected it to stick a little or look rough where it hits the doorjamb but it’s nice and smooth!
xo,
s
kristinrose24 says
I’ve been out of the blog world loop for about a week, since I’ve had guests at my house. So I’m just getting to read about your front door makeover. But, just a couple of days ago I was talking to my Mom about how I wanted to paint my red front door yellow. She told me she liked the red with the brick. I told her I wanted something brighter and sunnier. Now I know it works with the colors of my house (same red brick and white siding as yours). Thanks!
Terri says
Thank you for posting this. It’s amazing what a difference a newly painted front door can make. I painted our very neglected front door this spring. Our house is a tannish yellow and the front door was a chocolate brown. I decided to give it a little face lift with Duramax. With a blossom from our hydrangea in tow, Lowe’s color matched it perfectly. Now I have a beautiful front door that’s hydrangea blue. It makes me smile every time I come home.
Although, we recently discovered that our home was not primed before it was painted. Since we have to repaint the whole thing anyway, we’re changing the color scheme. Our happy blue front door will soon be coral, but just as happy.
marissa says
I don’t know if you know this already, but your dining room curtain fabric was made into a slipper chair over at Urban Outfitters! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that so funny? Love it.
xo,
s
JustJinny says
Hi! First time reader here (I found my way from {the bear naked truth}).
I have, in fact, been thinking about painting our front door. Last year we re-painted our house and trim, replaced window screens and bought a new glass door.
Our current front door is white..fiber-glass, I think, with standard issue ugly brass hardware. I want to paint the door red. But I’m not sure where to start on a non-wood door. Is there anything different to be done, prep wise, on a “naked” fiber-glass storm door?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we’ve never tackled that. I would definitely talk to the paint pros at your home improvement center to see what they recommend. Good luck!
xo,
s
Ann Marie says
Ah, you guys inspire me. :-) I love it! I’ve been toying with the idea of a bold plum color for my front door. Right now the siding is grey (which has to stay) and the shutters and door are burgundy. I need an update! I haven’t taken the plunge yet because I can’t figure out what to paint the shutters if the door goes plum…
YoungHouseLove says
Deep charcoal gray? That might be nice for shutters on a gray house with a plum door!
xo,
s
Ann Marie says
I had pondered charcoal gray – but the hubs was not feeling it. Time to pull out the old Photoshop magic trick! :-) Thanks!
Someone says
I love it – it’s so happy to see!! I especially love how it plays so nicely from the inside too. Great choice!
DEB FINN says
Prediction- All over the U.S. Lowe’s and Home Depot and
Sherwin WIlliams will have numerous customers over labor
day weekend requiring about “Yellow” paint for their front doors. You should hold a contest . Have every one who
went yellow send in their before and after pics and let us vote on the biggest improvement!!
LOVE YOUR STUFF
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sounds like fun! I hope there are more yellow doors popping up. They’re just so darn cheerful!
xo,
s
Debbie says
Wow, looks great and it’s just the right pop of color. I’ve been thinking about painting our plain, white door some kind of yellow color and I think you convinced me!
Melissa says
Your chihuahua is adorable! :D
Emily says
We just went yellow too, albeit not as intense (Benjamin Moore – Hawthorne Yellow) Our double front doors get heavy use, (walking in or out with arms loaded, the tendency is to kick them open and closed) so we really needed to keep the kick plates, which were beat up shiny brass. We removed them, sanded them down, primed and spray painted with the same oil rubbed bronze that you use, plus added two coats of clear gloss spray paint on top for extra protection.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a great idea!
xo,
s
orangesugar says
Love the color. I really want a parkway from crestview doors (http://pinterest.com/pin/29570083/).
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh, so much fun!
xo,
s
Cindy says
I just painted our front door as well – went with teal and painted the house numbers too.
http://sothecooksaid.blogspot.com/2011/08/front-door-makeover.html
YoungHouseLove says
So bright and fun!
xo,
s
Savvy in the City (Katy) says
My parents just moved from Raleigh to Richmond (Windsor Farms) and I love all the colored doors in their neighborhood!
Katy (aka Savvy in the City)
Jamie @ Urban Dwells says
LOOOVE it. I’ve been thinking of going bright orange for our 1942 cottage, you have given me a bit more courage… if only I can convince the hubs ;)
laura k. says
OMG this yellow door is beyond gorgeous. It really makes your exterior looks so polished and chic. LOVE LOVE LOVE
Mary says
I’ve actually been wanting to paint my front door (yellow too). It appears to have been painted at least once before, and some of that paint is flaking off. How should I go about smoothing it out before I paint? Should I strip the old paint off first?
YoungHouseLove says
I would probably just sand it down until it’s smooth (wearing a mask and being careful that it could be lead paint if it’s old enough) and then use a primer + paint made for exteriors/doors so it has nice grip and adhesion. Know that paint won’t fix any not-smooth areas (you’d think it’ll fill holes and low points, but it doesn’t – so be sure to get it smooth before painting or the semi-gloss paint will actually accentuate any divots or marks. Good luck!
xo,
s
dani says
we recently painted our front door – we used exterior paint but still have major issues with the paint getting chipped, especially around the lock where we have keys out etc. I didn’t use a primer – is that the problem? the door is not wood underneath, its probably plastic of some kind, but the previous paint color didn’t have the same chipping issue. so sad to go to all that effort and have it chip immediately!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, you definitely want to sand and use primer if it’s plastic, just to help get a strong bond. Good luck!
xo,
s
Angie says
You’ve inspired a front door overhaul at my house! It was actually triggered by my breaking the storm door and realizing just how terrible the other door looked (very sun damaged). Anyway, your post was very timely for me! I’ve spray painted the hardware nickel and am on the third coat of Cranberry paint (four coats of paint total with the primer. Ugh.). Your door looks so pretty it made me want upgrade mine as well. Here’s hoping I don’t need another three coats of Cranberry…LOVED the post!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds gorgeous! Good luck!
xo,
s
Carolyn says
Just attempted painting our front door this weekend with Behr’s primer and paint in one (which is what the guy recommended) with the same high-density mini roller …. I think I am four or maybe five coats in and it still doesn’t look finished. Gahhh. Not sure if it’s the primer and paint in one thing or the foam roller, but it is looking rather patchy. Seems like the foam roller wipes off the paint kinda easily. Maybe I’m not using enough paint? I’m crossing my fingers all it needs is another one or two coats. It’s dark blue over a white door, so you’d think it would be easy peasy. Oh well …. perfect example of what you think is a mini project taking waaaaay longer than expected!
YoungHouseLove says
It sounds like maybe you’re not giving each coat enough drying time? It should be allowed to cure a while between coats so the roller doesn’t wipe any paint off. Thin and even coats are key, so I definitely wouldn’t try to put more paint on that roller. Also going from white to any dark color is actually quite a process (usually taking around 5+ coats) so maybe you’re just a coat or two away from perfection! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erin says
are y’all going to keep your box hedges? we have them along the front of our little ranch and i don’t like them, but i’m afraid that wripping them out would cause a big hot mess.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll probably transplant some and craigslist some.
xo,
s
Meredith says
I’m painting my front door yellow this weekend! I have lovely gold hardware that will not look so lovely with a yellow door. I searched your site for more info on spray painting the hardware. Could you tell me what color you used? Is it ORB or black? And any special technique or recommendations? Thanks for inspiring me to finally paint my door! Your door is gorgeous!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/08/how-you-like-them-handles/
xo,
s
Meredith says
I found your spray painting hardware post! Great info! So happy I found it!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad! Good luck!
xo,
s
Cate says
We decided to paint our front door. We had been talking about it since we moved in a couple months ago and I realized if I didn’t do it soon it would have to wait til spring.
We painted it a happy orange color (Tiger Stripe by Behr). We love it. Sometimes we wonder if the old owners drive by and have opinions about the changes we’ve made. The orange is definitely more of a statement than the white/forest green it used to be!
There are quite a few boring doors in our neighborhood, but we don’t mind standing out a little :)
Megan says
J&S,
I’m a big fan of your blog and all your amazing house updates and decor!
I’m taking on the project of painting the front door, garage, and shutters for my mom. I’m just curious what kind of brushes you use for your exterior painting? I’m planning on painting this weekend and I’m anxious lol! I saw you used a foam roller for the front door, would that work for a garage door as well? Any experience painting shutters? Please help!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I’d do a foam roller or a regular big roller for the garage (make sure it’s for smooth surfaces) and then a small 2″ angled brush for the shutters and doors.
xo,
s
Melanie says
Same process for a non-wooden door?
YoungHouseLove says
I think this process works on a metal door too, but not sure about a plastic one (like laminate). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Stewart says
I have 2 quickies: 1) did you paint over the hinges as well or did you tape those off? 2) what did you do about the bottom edge of the door (the one closest to the floor)? left it brown?
YoungHouseLove says
We just left the hinges as is since they’re so old they sort of look oil-rubbed bronze, so I painted around them (taping them off can help if you’re worried your hand isn’t steady). The bottom edge of the door stayed the old color (whatever that is) since you can’t see it or access it to paint it! Haha.
xo,
s
Abby says
Love love the door! Read this post a month ago and can’t stop thinking about it. I totally want to paint my front door. As well as my back door, which is used 99% of the time. I have a white house and detached garage. My garage has red trim, so I keep going back o using red. I do use my storm doors a ton in the spring, summer, and fall to help air circulate in my house. My concern is that the red won’t look o great when opened. My living room is a brown, called chaps, with eggplant furniture. My kitchen is red and brown. Both doors are beige, I want to take the leap, just wondering about the door when opened or painting it a slate gray was my other thought. I’ll take any ideas! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
A red door sounds like it’ll complement everything you have going on inside and out! It doesn’t have to be matchy-matchy wit the living room, but brown and eggplant look great with red! And of course the red and brown kitchen will work with the red door too!
xo,
s
Abby says
Thanks foe the confidence! I’ll share pictures when I take the plunge!
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck Abby!
xo,
s
Jamie says
Thanks for the inspiration! I did it! I took the plunge and painted ours a beautiful yellow as well. Check out the transformation here…
http://www.mainemommy.com/2012/04/first-house-on-rightor-look-for-yellow.html
Thanks for the inspiration!!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Looks great! And that pic of the house burning is intense. Wow!
-John
Nicole says
Hope I’m not being repetitive, but did you use a drop cloth or painter’s tape? I didn’t see any drip marks on your floors either. Maybe you’re just that good?
PS love your blog!!
YoungHouseLove says
Nah, I’m crazy. Haha. I think after 5+ years of painting we have pretty steady hands. Drips definitely happen, but we’ve learned that wiping them quickly means they come right up (wood floors are sealed, so even if the drips dry they can be popped right off afterwards- sort of like congealed puffy paint.
xo,
s
Becky Hayes says
Love the color!
The yellow would look good on your 2 plant containers on each side of the door, the bench, and the shutters, too! … and some yellow flowers in the yard.
Do you get the idea I like yellow??? Ha ha!
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!!
xo,
s
Suzanne says
Love what you did with the door. Need to brush up on that stuff you used to clean it before painting. Sad that I can’t take that storm door off your hands (they are almost a necessity where I live) because I just love it. Thank you for the totally perfect tutorial. Your front door needs other yellow friends/accessories….planters?
Carol says
Looking forward to watching your reconditioning of the door knocker and hardware. We just replaced ours.
ann nelson says
You should paint the posts on the front porch black. This would tie EVERYTHING together and look fantastic, taking it up a notch. The posts need to be the same dark color as those shutters and your lamp post. You will not believe the dif it will make fro the curb. I love the door. I painted my Mom’s door that color two years ago. She loves it and so do I. Repost with black posts. You will see I am right.:)
Jacy says
I read through the comments, and I’m pretty sure this wasn’t asked: is there a need for sealing the paint? Or is it like painting the outside of your house and the exterior paint just doesn’t need it?
Thanks for giving such a detailed tutorial!! I’m going to be doing this soon! We have a grey house that just looks blah, and a bright cheery yellow door is just what it needs.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, it’s just like exterior house paint (it is, actually) so it has all the built in protection it needs, so there’s no sealer necessary. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lexxi says
Hey Sherry,
You could have orbed that bottom brass protector. That would have been awesome too. You guys rock!! Also, I think adding some small happy yellow flower accents next to or in the pots would rock in the spring. You guys are amazing. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Such a fun idea!
xo
s