Instant Curb Appeal – Painting Your Front Door
Sam Lutz • September 12, 2017
Painting your front door can give your home instant curb appeal, but doing the job properly is important. These tips will help you complete your project the right way.
Pick the Right Color
The front door is a color that can be bold and vibrant, even when the rest of the house is a tasteful, neutral color. Yellows, reds, bright blues and greens are all common colors people choose for their front door. If you’re not sure what the best color is for your front door, paint a few sample colors on a piece of scrap wood and hold the samples up to the door, or check out Benjamin Moore’s personal color viewer
to help you decide which shade is right for your home.
Gather The Materials
Before getting started, gather your materials. You’ll need:
- Microfiber cloth
- Household cleaner or vinegar and water
- Plastic wood filler
- Paint scraper
- Fine or medium grit sandpaper
- Exterior grade paint
- Small paint roller
- Angled paint brush
- Flat paint brush
- Tarp
- Painter’s tape
- Screw driver
Prep the Door
Before painting your door, you’ll need to prep the surface.
- Lay out a tarp below the door.
- Use the screwdriver to remove the door handle and other hardware from the door.
- Clean the surface of the door with a microfiber cloth and general household cleaner (or vinegar and water).
- Take some sandpaper and rough up the old coat of paint on the door.
- Use a fresh microfiber cloth to clean off the wood shavings.
- Use a paint scraper to scrape off any old, blistered paint on the door.
- Fill the holes, gaps and cracks in the door with plastic wood.
- Wait until the plastic wood is dry, then sand the plastic wood until it is seamlessly integrated into the surface of the door.
- Clean the door one more time.
- Apply painter’s tape to the parts of the door that you want to protect from the paint, like the edges.
Paint the Door
Once the door has been fully prepped, it’s time to paint. This is best done at the beginning of a dry, warm (but not hot) day. Humidity and temperature extremes can prevent the paint from drying properly. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions when trying to decide whether or not the conditions are right for painting your door.
Use the paint roller to apply paint to the flat portions of the door, then use the paint brush to apply paint to the small corners and hard to reach edges. Allow the paint to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions before applying the second coat. You may need to wait long stretches between coats, so take care to give yourself enough time to finish this project.
After Painting Tips
The front door may feel tacky for a while after the paint has dried. Sometimes this happens if a poor quality paint is used. It can also happen if the coats of paint are applied too thickly or if the second coat of paint is applied before the first coat is finished drying. Either way, tacky paint can cause the door to stick to the frame.
If your door continues to feel tacky even after the paint has dried, try taping wax paper to the frame, then close the door on the wax paper. This prevents the new paint from sticking to the door frame. The tacky feeling should go away within a few days.
Stop In At Ace Paint And Unfinished Furniture
At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we sell the tools you need
to paint your front door. To get started on your project, stop in at one of our convenient locations today!
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