How to Paint a Front Door for Instant Curb Appeal!

Products for this project received from Plaid as one of their Plaid Creators. All opinions are mine.

 How to Paint a Front Door for Instant Curb Appeal!

So back in April, I asked some of my neighbors if I could paint their front door. I don't like babysitting kids, I'm not great at bringing meals to people...but I knew I could paint doors. This is the front door that got them all going. Over the next few months, I'll highlight some doors I painted and showcase the amazing befores and afters. Check out this before picture:

 This door was obviously peach at some point (why people try to match their brick color is beyond me!) Then the door was painted brown. It had old paper stuck to it. There was a lot of chipped paint. Not only that, but there was cracks in the door that allowed daylight to shine through. Clearly the perfect candidate for a door makeover.

 So, what color to pick when painting the door? Complimentary color families always work well. So if the house is yellow, plum would look great. If it's orange, a shade of blue would be stunning. A red brick house would look amazing with a sage green or teal. My biggest suggestion is to NEVER try to match the brick or trim color...it's just off or too matchy-matchy. What color would you pick for this door?

 Melissa and I decided on a blue. I had 3 samples and let her pick. Ultimately she picked FolkArt Outdoor Sapphire. This paint is very thick, so we thinned it a little with water.

 I began by fixing any holes or cracks with caulking. Just press it into all the cracks. It does not take long to dry...nor does it need to dry completely. Caulking will not shrink as it dries, so it's the perfect Spackle. Then paint the entire door with Kilz Primer. Let's talk here for a second about primer. It is the worst. When you paint it on, it looks like a DISASTER! Don't panic. It's doing its job. I didn't need to tape anything off.

 Then I came back a couple hours later and painted around all the edges, hardware and detail places with a 1 inch paint brush. Then switched to a 4 inch paint brush and filled it all in. Brushing doors is great, especially if the door is in rough shape, like this one. Then they don't need to be sanded and some rough texture is fine.

 The first coat of paint always looks bad too. Don't be discouraged! Let the first coat dry for a couple hours.

 Then come back in and paint a second coat, keeping the brush strokes all straight up and down.

 Then let it dry and see if it needs a third layer. One thing I discovered doing doors is that not every door is created equally. Some of the doors I did needed just 2 coats, some needed 6. It's crazy!

 Once satisfied with the coverage--enjoy!

Doesn't it look amazing!

Such a simple project that took one day, makes such a big difference! The house looks completely fresh and bright. Instantly add curb appeal and a newness to your home with a bright front door!  

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