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Painting The Back Of Your Front Door A Bold Color

Alternate post title: Paint Me Like One Of Your French Girls. Yes, much like Rose once begged Jack, the dusty blue back of our front door was just begging to be painted (ok, so Rose said “draw me like one of your French girls” but it’s close enough).

Foyer19

The new paint color of choice? The same happy teal tone that’s on the front of it.

Door21

There’s no hard and fast rule about carrying the color that’s on the front of the door back around to the inside of it (in our last two houses we chose bright colors on the front and plain old white for the back) – but for the first time ever we have sidelights and we want to draw attention to them. So bringing that color into the foyer via the back of the door is a fun way to make that door-and-window-combo into a nice little focal point in an otherwise neutral/classic space. We’re going for something like:

  • this (oh how my heart siiiiiings for that old Domino pic)
  • this (those dark floors, those light walls, oh man)
  • this (this door’s subtler, but there’s more color on the walls/runner than we’ll use)
  • this (there are no words except holy cuteness, batman)

You guys get the idea, right? White sidelights + a colored door = true love. And just as you might have guessed, the painting process was extremely romantic. Picture me and the door, just staring into each others eyes – er, panels? At one point there was steam on the sidelights and I slid my hand down it like this.

Titanic Hand

Visit website with painting tips for anyone else who’s planning to show their door some love:

  • If your door is super shiny/glossy (either sealed wood or semi-gloss/high gloss paint) you’ll want to use a liquid deglosser to wipe it down before priming and painting, but since our door was chalky and matte to start with, I could skip right to the painting step because we used the same self-priming quart of paint that we used on the front (Benjamin Moore’s MooreGlo paint in Blue Lake with a semi-gloss-like finish called Soft Gloss).
  • Whenever I paint the front or back of exterior doors, my favorite method is to start in the morning so the door can be open (just cracked) all day and has time to dry before you have to close and lock it at night.
  • I like using an angled brush to paint the entire door – although John loves a foam roller, so it’s a different strokes for different folks thing.
  • I have a certain order that I like for painting doors: first I paint the frames of each raised rectangle, then I paint the inside of each one as you see in the photo below. Then I paint the flat planks around and between them, always going in the direction of that plank (I pull my brush from top to bottom to do the vertical plank down the middle, then I go from left to right to get all of the horizontal slats, and at the very end I drag my brush from top to bottom to do those vertical parts on each side of the door).

Front Door Backpaint1

  • I wait for that to dry about an hour (or two if it’s super humid) and then I do the whole thing again, in the same order. Then I just give it the rest of the day to dry and lock it up at night.
  • I prefer to remove the hardware over taping it off, but Clara was having an off day and I worried it would add more time than I had to spare (I wasn’t sure she’d nap for very long) so that’s why it’s taped off this time, even though we took it off when we painted the front.

When the pheremones cleared paint dried, the back of the door was looking pretty fiiine. Admittedly it looks a little crazy with the yellow walls and the brassy fixture, but we’re just getting started in here, so we’re holding onto some serious faith that the other dozen to-do list items in here will make more sense of things as we go (remember this old saying?).

Frontdoorbackpaint33

It’s definitely a more welcome sight than this before picture though. Ah. We can breathe. And weirdly enough the ceilings feel about a foot taller.

Foyer Before1

This is my favorite after shot, just because there’s a certain man and child that I adore in the background. And those dark doorknobs and hinges aren’t half bad either.

Frontdoorbackpaint5

Next up? More painting! We have to pick a color for the walls (we’re sifting through swatches as you read this) and still have to finish painting the vanity in the half bathroom as well as – you guessed it! – paint the blue spindles on the stairs. Among about a million other blue-trimmed-and-wallpapered rooms that are on the list. So our fingers might grow around our paint brushes, but they say beauty is pain, right?

Want to see into the future? Here’s the wall color we picked for this room: Edgecomb Gray.

As weird as it sounds, the more sweat we pour into this house, the more it feels like love. It’s sort of like when you go through a harrowing experience with someone and it brings you closer. All of this painting is pain, but it’s bonding us like Jack and Rose.

I’ll never let go. I’ll never let go…

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Comments

  1. Paige @ Little Nostalgia says

    YES. That looks so fun and cheerful. You know what would look really dope on the walls? Light gray. YOWZA.

    We’re painting the front of our house soon, and likely the door, so I might do the inside, too. It really makes a huge difference!

    Reply

  3. eve says

    The steam, the hand, the door…hahahaha! That’s some Young House Lovin’! It’s the perfect “punch” of color for the foyer.

    Reply

  4. Momcat says

    I reaaaaally want to paint the interior doors of my house, but can’t quite convince the hubby that it would look awesomely amazing. We have an open floor plan where all the rooms open up onto one central space.

    When I redecorate, I’m gonna do it, JUST DO IT!! That’ll be in about…. oh, five or so more years…. Sigh…

    I love the teal interior door, and have you considered painting that hall closet the same? (Sorry if you’ve already answered earlier, I didn’t read all the posts yet). Happy painting!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Since there are three other doors in the foyer we like leaving the emphasis on the front door with the sidelights and letting the other doors be “supporting characters” in classic white :)

      xo,
      s

  8. Kim says

    Another vote for something with slight yellow/butter tone – that shade is just looking so good with the door and floor!

    Reply

  9. Kari says

    First of all I have to say I love this color. It was the color of my wedding dress. However, I can’t stop laughing that you went from one blue to another. It seems like you would be running from anything blue at this point.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Isn’t that funny? I think that’s why we initially wanted red or emerald for the front door but the blue swatch just ended up looking better.

      xo
      s

  11. Elizabeth says

    WOW! What an amazing transformation already! It must feel so much better to walk into your home now and be greeted by that light and airy space! I agree with everyone else that the yellow looks nice in there…

    Reply

  12. Katie O says

    I absolutely cannot believe the difference of the befores and afters of your house so far. Your ceilings look ginormous! We bought a pretty ugly house (thankfully I saw the potential, my husband only saw one bathroom (downstairs) and horribly textured walls), and it’s amazing to look back on what it was and what it is now (still only one bathroom… should have thought that one through).

    Reply

  14. Jordan says

    I looooourve this! The pop of color looks amazing! I have a question for you about door color. Is there a rule about painting the front and back of the door different colors? We have white sidelights and a bright yellow on the front (like your last one!) and as of right now the inside of the door (and sidelights) are white. I’ve been dreaming of painting the door a dark charcoal but I can’t figure out if that’s strange since its yellow on the front? Is that breaking some sort of rule?

    Reply

    • Debby says

      Dark charcoal on the back of a yellow door would look awesome! There are rules, but once you know them you can break them. My tip: make sure the charcoal tone you pick is the same tone as the yellow.

    • Debby says

      John & Sherry: I have a question for you… in your quest for new door knobs, and finding the winner with the back plate, did you come across a place where you could buy just the back plate (or escutcheon)? I don’t want to have to buy all new knobs, as I did that when we first bought our house five years ago (the knobs and hinges were all shiny brass- YUCK).

      Thanks.

      Debby

  15. Kristin F says

    Amazing how a little paint…ok, A LOT of paint…has made this house immediately seem like it belongs to you guys versus a house you were just randomly photographing. Love, love the color on the door. Have been debating this in our home and this just may be the push I needed.

    By the way, I also adore those slate floors. Very European to me, and you could really make it swaggy with accessories. They keep looking better and better as you remove the blue. Have you considered having a service like Stanley Steamer come in and see if that will brighten up the grout? Bet they’d look almost new then!

    Reply

  16. Kathy says

    so funny what you said at the end about it feeling like love…. for the last two years, I have had major buyers remorse about our house, legit, I hated it. But, my husband just finished fencing in our property, and now I feel a little bit of love for it. It’s kind of refreshing!

    Reply

  17. Katherine says

    Love it! I also love how you’re starting at the front of the house this time with your improvements and upgrades.

    Reply

  18. Carla says

    Some folks may have oil-based paint on their doors, so they would need to sand and then prime first. Can they use any primer, though, or is there one just for covering oil-based paint?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You can bring a bunch of swatches home and hold them up to see if any of them match or try to scrape some paint off the door and bring it to the paint store to have it color matched (they can scan it and tell you the formula).

      xo
      s

  21. Abbey says

    Looks great. I am curious to know if you will replace or repurpose the brass light fixture in the foyer. It actually looks like a pretty nice fixture, just probably not the finish that you want. At least it is not of the “boob” variety! We have tons of boob fixtures in our house, and you have ruined them for me now! (I forgive you).

    Reply

  22. Laurie says

    And now I have Celine Dion in my head. Thanks Sher!

    You know, now that the door is the proper blue and the trim is white, the yellow on the walls is looking very cute. I don’t know how it looks in person but in your pictures, it looks very fresh.

    Reply

  25. Michelle says

    Wow I can’t believe the blue trim you have in your house is the same exact blue we had in our first house. The previous home owners had painted everything blue just like yours did. I really hated that blue and unfortunately we never got around to painting it before we moved. We had other hideous projects we had to do before we could get to that. We got stationed in San Diego and had to move.
    I’m enjoying reading about your house transformation. It’s amazing what some white paint can do. The rooms look so much bigger. Are you keeping the slate floor? It looks nice now that the blue is gone.

    Reply

  27. Brenda says

    Love the way that color looks next to the windows! And I also love that this is at least the second time you’ve referenced that Titanic hand-on-the-window scene. :)

    Reply

  28. Cindy says

    Ah! It’s amazing how the blue being erased makes it look so entirely new and fresh!

    Have you considered Revere Pewter from BM in the foyer? Such a nice and neutral grey without any blue undertones. After months of considering grey above the white wainscoting in our dining room we found it to stay a true grey during all times of the day. My neighbors love it so much that two of them are now using it in sections of their homes as well!

    Reply

  29. Jessica says

    This could have been combined as one post with the post about painting the outside of the door. Half the text is copied and pasted from that post anyway, save for a few word changes and sentence rearrangements. As a former copy editor, wouldn’t you think self-plagiarism is as bad as plagiarizing another author? Just curious how that works. I’d get canned for sure if I did that for my freelance writing job. I do like the blue paint much better inside than outside.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have painted a bunch of walls and doors and trim over a number of homes and share the story and photos each time as we go! For example, we have spray painted a ton of things and include favorite tips each time to help people and save them from having to search old posts for them. Same for walls and trim and doors. That’s just the method that got us here so it works for us.

      xo,
      s

  30. Barbara says

    I have been following your work since just before your second house. My husband is constantly telling me that while I watch all your wonderful projects each day, our pace will never be as quick as yours. We are four years into owning our home and are slowly, (ever so slowly) trying to make it ours. We knew it would need a LOT of love, but so many crazy hurdles have been thrown in front of us – last years septic blowout (which was more of an implosion) was a HUGE set-back, even though we had it on our to-do list!
    Seeing your front door’s interior turn blue, and your new front foyer a paint job away from completion gives me joy, as I know that some day I will rejoice in that happening here.
    THANK YOU SO MUCH for the inspiration, for being a beacon of hope, and for listening.

    Reply

  31. Sally says

    Uh guys. This is basically the same post as the front door post. Even the bullets are the same information.

    Reply

  32. Stephanie says

    I can’t get over how great this foyer looks already! The teal and white = contrast that makes my eyes happy! I cannot wait to see the banister…walls…everything else…. :)

    Reply

  33. bethany says

    Looks awesome. Love that you referenced “the middle makes no sense” post…. I think that is some of your BEST advice ever. Would you believe I used that very advice yesterday with my hubby? I think its kinda a truism of life, extending further than just decorating. He is in the middle of some crazeballs business negotiations and “the middle makes no sense” advice works perfectly for where these negotiations are at. Thanks for the encouragement!

    Reply

  35. Deanna says

    I too like the yellow color on the walls. :-)
    I wanted to ask about your door hardware for your interior doors. Does it list somewhere where you got it?
    Thanks!
    We are in the middle of a remodel on a house built in 1969. Currently working on the master bathroom and ridding ourselves of a not so lovely circular shower insert that we have dubbed ‘the transporter”.

    Reply

  36. Whitney says

    How much paint did you need to cover the front and back of the door? Did just a quart do? We have a black door so we would prime it first.
    Thanks.

    Reply

  38. Bethany says

    Haha! Oh, man. Before even reading the rest if this post, I had to tell you: at first glance, after making the Titanic reference in the title, I read the first line as “the blue *rack* of our front door…” As in, you know, how Jack actually drew Rose. Ha! Oh dear. Had to share. Ha. Haha. Aidez-moi.

    Reply

  39. Stephanie says

    Stair spindle=baluster. A lovely technical term I learned while rehabbing my Victorian staircase. The foyer is looking light & fresh!

    Reply

  40. Marcie says

    Sherry, can you link to the original sources for your inspiration images? I haven’t been able to locate then, even with Google image search. I really like the lighting in ine of the photos and am interested to see if the original article contains product info. Thanks!

    Reply

  42. Emily says

    It looks amazing! What a difference painting makes. It already looks like a completely different house.

    I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while – how do you take such awesome photos? I have a Canon Rebel but every time I take photos of my rooms, they don’t turn out as good as yours. Do you have a special setting you use, lens, or photoshop editing technique? Do you use a wide angle lens?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks! You’re so sweet! We just shoot in A mode and adjust the exposure but it’s auto focus. In photoshop we pretty much just straighten or crop.

      xo,
      s

  45. Karen says

    Looks fantastic! You can really see where it’s going to end up (awesome), and the nice white trim makes it seems so fresh and bright, even with the yellow walls.

    Reply

  47. Jamie says

    I like the idea of painting the inside of the door a bright color. Do you have any advice on whether to paint it a bright color when the walls are painted a different color? My walls are like a light blue/green color so I’m not sure how it would look if my door was any color but white (as it is now).

    Reply

  48. Jennifer R. says

    Did you guys mention to the sellers that you are bloggers? If so, do they follow along and see how you are changing their once loved blue trim?

    I have always thought this would be interesting. People make design choices for a reason, ya know what I mean? We have kept in contact with our sellers because they are amazing; however, I always feel weird if I mention any changes we have made. When we moved in the living room was bright (like neon) greenish-yellow, we had a pastel green half bath, etc. We have changed so much! Some we can’t “hide” like curb appeal upgrades. I just never want to offend!

    Recently I had to email the sellers to ask about the trim paint color. I said we had to make a few touch ups from moving in…. um, actually we are painting over all of the icky brown wood living room trim and built ins. But they intentionally left them brown and had recently re-stained them…

    Interested to hear about any past owners (of houses 1, 2, or 3) that may have seen your blog?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Our seller’s agent told them we’re bloggers but we’re not sure if they read. The previous owners of our second house read though, and they said they loved “watching us do all the work!” Haha!

      xo,
      s

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