Monday, April 8, 2013

DIY: Painted Front Door

This weekend was beautiful, but tiring.  For a few weeks now, I knew that I was going to be doing some house projects.  D had been asked by his parents to help out with some yard work down at their house, so he was going to be there both Saturday and Sunday.  I had three things that I wanted to get done this weekend, and ended up getting to two.  The first project was to build a planter for some herbs. The second project was to make some baby blankets for a friend who is pregnant with twins, and this is the one I didn't get to.  Hopefully I'll have some time this week to work on them.  

The third project was to paint the front door.  Today, I'm going to walk you through the steps to painting your front door.  These directions only apply to wood front doors. 

Step 1: Choose your paint color.

My mom has a Sherwin-Williams paint fan deck, so I was going through the colors and found the perfect shade of purple for our front door.  It's called Concord Grape, and you may remember it from my Paint Floor Plan.  We love the way that purple doors look on homes, and we also thought that it would help bring out the purple stones on the front of the house.  

Step 2: Buy your paint and supplies.

I didn't want to go with a Sherwin-Williams paint, just for the sole reason of it's price, so I decided to hit up Lowe's, and take advantage of their color-matching services.  I brought my SW Concord Grape swatch with me, and they were able to mix me up a quart of Valspar high-gloss exterior paint in the matching color.

Custom Mixed Paint from Lowe's / Personal Picture
  
I also made sure to get some primer, paint stirrers, a paint brush, paintable wood filler, and some blue painting tape, because my front door has a window that will need to be taped off.  I chose to go with Bulls Eye primer, and made sure that it was water-based.  Please make note - if you are using a water-based paint, you have to use a water-based primer.  If you are using an oil-based paint, use an oil-based primer.  

Bulls Eye Primer from Lowe's / Personal Picture

Step 3: Prep your work space.

So, first up, setup your work space.  You should find a table or a work bench that will allow you to lay your door down on a level and sturdy surface.  You will be applying pressure to the door, so being sure that it is sturdy is absolutely necessary.  Level is important too, because you don't want to take the chance of paint pooling in low-lying areas.  Lastly, make sure that you have enough ventilation in your work space.  Paint fumes are not good for breathing, so having air flow is important - plus, it speeds up the paint drying process as well.  I set up everything in my garage on a work bench.  

Step 4: Remove the door hardware.

Next, remove the hardware from the door.  This includes all knobs and locks, and the hinges that attach the door to the frame.  You should only need a screwdriver for this part.  If you're not familiar with the way door hardware is supposed to be installed, take some pictures as you remove the pieces.  General Rule of thumb is to remove the latches (the parts on the side of the door) last.  For me, I removed the deadbolt first, then the lock, and then the large handle and knob.  


Door with the hardware on it / Personal Picture

Step 5: Repair/fill any holes.

For my door, I replaced all of the hardware and the locks when we moved in.  They were originally brass, but not liking the look, I went with a brushed nickel set.  The holes didn't match up perfectly with the existing ones, so I knew that when I was ready to paint the door, I would have to fill the unused hole.  

The hole that needed filling was the second from the bottom / Personal Picture

I used Elmer's ProBond Wood Filler, and made sure that it could be painted over.  I cut off the tip of the applicator, and pushed some into the hole. 

Elmer's ProBond Wood Filler from Lowe's / Personal Picture

Using a putty knife, I smoothed it over, but not completely flush to the surface of the door.  Since the hole went all the way through to the other side of the door, it was hard to make sure I was keeping as much filler in the hole as possible.  I also didn't want to risk using too little, so I over-applied.  I let this sit until it was the last thing left to be sanded on the door.  

Wood Filler and Putty Knife / Personal Picture

Step 6: Sand your door.

My front door was stained and polyurethaned at one point.  It had been done long before we owned the house - to the point that the poly was essentially dry rotted on the exterior part of the door.  If you are going to paint your door, it is smart to sand it, even if it hasn't been polyurethaned before, because you want to make sure that you have a smooth surface to work with. Sanding also helps remove all the oil and dirt that builds up on the door from hands and wind.  

Next, put a mask on so you don't breathe in the dust and sand down your door. You should also really use gloves to protect your hands, and so you don't get splinters under your fingernails like I did. (PS - As soon as that happened, my first thought was "OW!" followed by "I should take a picture of this for the blog. I ultimately didn't though.)  

Unless you are trying to get a very thick layer of paint or polyurethane off, you will only need a Medium grit sandpaper.  If you are going to paint over paint, you don't need to remove what is there completely.  You should be able to paint over it with just a light sanding on the surface.  The purpose of sanding is to get a smooth and clean surface so that your new paint layer has something to adhere itself to.   

Make sure that when you are sanding down your door, you follow the grain of the wood.  Sanding in the opposite direction from the wood grain will leave scratches in the wood, which will be visible, especially after painting or staining.  If you did use wood filler, check that it is dry before going over it with the sandpaper.  Refer to the instructions on the filler container if you are unsure of how long to wait.  

When sanding is complete, use a vacuum to get all of the residue off of the door.  Be more precise than normal, because you don't want any dust to get into your paint.  

Half vacuumed door after sanding / Personal Picture


Fully sanded and vacuumed door / Personal Picture

Step 7: Tape off your door.

If you have glass in your door, you will want to tape it off using painter's tape.  This will make it so much easier in the future for you to get the paint off.  Get as close as you can to the wood, and just tape it off, making sure that the tape is pressed firmly to the glass.  

Step 8: Prime your door.

If you have a raw wood door, like mine, or if you are going from a dark color to a light color of paint, it is important to prime the door before painting it with your chosen color.  

The process for priming and painting are the same.  Start with any decorative moulding that you have first, then do the inside of the panel, then all of the flat parts.  Make sure that you are going light and even with your brush strokes. You do not want to be able to see any air bubbles in the paint, but you also don't want too thick of a layer, otherwise it will be prone to being too tacky, never drying, and being dented or damaged by fingernails or hardware.  Don't forget to also paint the sides of your door, unless you don't want those the be the color that you choose.  

Also, as a cool little trick, use a large rubber band around your paint can to wipe your brush on.  This helps keep the paint out of the rim of the paint can.  

Rubber band around the primer can / Personal Picture


Door primed and tape around the window / Personal Picture


Full door primed / Personal Picture

Allow your door to dry according to the amount of time suggested by the brand of primer.  

Step 9:  Paint your door.

Shake up your can of paint, or stir it with your paint stirrer.  Following the same directions as with the primer, paint the door starting with the moulding.  Again, use enough paint that you can't see the primer or bubbles, but not so much that it is pooling or drying too thick.  

Valspar Custom-Mixed color from Lowe's / Personal Picture


Started with the moulding and moved my way out / Personal Picture

Once you have the whole door painted, leave it to dry, again, referencing the can for the most accurate amount of time to wait before coats of paint.  

Waiting for it to dry after the first coat / Personal Picture

Apply additional coats of paint as you think is necessary.  Remember, the more coats of paint, the darker the color.  

Paint coat number two / Personal Picture


Closeup of the color - Deep purple although most of the pictures make it look really bright / Personal Picture


Dry and ready to hang! / Personal Picture

Step 10: Hang your door and attach hardware.

To hang your door back up on the hinges, it is easiest to screw the hinges into the door, first. Then, attach the second part of the hinge to the door frame.  Have someone help you lift the door to match up the hinges, and then slip in the pins that hold them together.  

Attach your door hardware next, testing it out with the key to make sure that it works properly.  

Door hung back up with the hardware added (nighttime picture) - I forgot to remove the painter's tape! / Personal Picture



Door hung back up with the hardware added (daytime picture) - And I STILL forgot to remove the painter's tape! / Personal Picture

And that's it!  Easy enough, right?  

Just remember to read the can of paint fully before you start painting.  My cans said not to paint if temperatures were under 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which it was for most of the mornings this weekend, so this put me off schedule a bit.  If you're working indoors, this shouldn't be a problem, but I was in my non-insulated garage, so it did alter my plans a little.  

Next, enjoy your work!  I am so happy that I decided to do this, and already love the way that it looks.  I'm going to have to get some better pictures though, because these don't do it justice!

Final product! / Personal Picture

Did you paint your front door? How did the process go for you? Were you adventurous with the color like us?

14 comments:

Unknown said...

The stone are used in decoration and some times it gets stained. So you can adopt different method to remove it you can use various stone stain removal for the best result.

Rachael said...

The purple door looks AMAZING!! We'll be painting our front doors soon. I wanted a fun pop of color, but the boyfriend wants glossy black. Stopping by from WB!

xo
Rachael
http://homesweetharbor.blogspot.com

Mands @ Rhody Life said...

Thanks for comment about the door! We love the way that it came out. Also, thanks for stopping by! Hope you do more often!

window replacement pittsburgh said...

I am looking for some designs of different kinds of door, i want that it would look simple but elegant in style..your door is very simple, it would look good for the bathroom..

Kacey said...

Glad I found your blog...Been considering this color for our front door! It's either this or Izmir Purple, which is a bit brighter. Is the Concord Grape obviously purple from the street? I don't want it to look black but I also don't want it to be obnoxious. ;) Thank you!!

Mands @ Rhody Life said...

Hi Kacey - Thanks for stopping by! The purple is definitely noticeable from the street, but it's also not obnoxious. I have a storm door that hides the purple door a little bit, but even through that, you can tell that the door is purple, and not black. I think the picture in this post will help you see what it looks like from the street: http://www.rhodylife.com/2013/09/one-year-down-twenty-nine-to-go.html
Let me know if you have any other questions or are looking for any additional pictures!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Thanks for an informative list of what to do first before doing a paint job. Normally, people will assume it's difficult, but seeing your blog with pictures and reading the list, wow! You made it sound so easy! I hope to read more posts like this from you. Cheers!


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Daniel Bryan said...

Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info.
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Ana Kerry said...

Hi Mands, love to startup with a huge thanks for this fascinating and sophisticated stuff. I like your purple door. All the steps your explained to give your door new looks were very decor educative. Happy to know about Lowe's. The final look was really nice. Though getting information about Fiberglass doors was my main intention, I was impressed mostly getting touched with your DIY project.

Willy said...

Great home improvement article. This was incredibly useful read surely. The front door design and building process was really awesome. The various steps like selecting color paint, working space, removing hardware etc were very remarkable. The window color also looks marvelous. For trusted and affordable door items VR Windows and Doors might be the best choice for many guys here.

Olivia writer said...

Super supportive and pretty helpful project no doubt. I think no home owner will be able to ignore such kind of beneficial job. The DIY front door painting ideas and practical approaches you inserted on this page was totally passionate to me and hard to praise with the prefect words. Love your brilliant job. For replacing or installing door or windows you can take a tour to windows and doors aurora. Probably you won't be disheartened with their promised service offer.

Anonymous said...

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