Our front door had seen better days. Honestly, it was to the point that I was embarrassed to live behind that door. The budget wasn’t allowing me to buy my dream front door, so I refreshed the one I have!
I little bit of elbow grease, some patch, paint & I have a dreamy new front door! Can you even believe this is the same door for just a few bucks! This project is a do-able one day job for any beginner DIY’er.
Any good paint project starts with removing anything that is not glued on – this includes hardware, hinges, mounting plates, etc. Regardless of how well you edge with a paint brush, you will ALWAYS be able to tell if you took the extra effort to take it apart. I did not take the lion knocker off because it would have damaged the door to the point where I would not have been able to re-install it.
After the door was off the hinges, I gave it a good scrub. This door was power washed a few weeks ago & it did not come clean. I was surprised at how much a little elbow grease helped to get this door in better condition. Bottom right – After scrub : Top left – Before (above photo)
The door has some surface cracking in the original paint. If I were planning to keep the door for 5 more years, I would have removed the paint using paint thinner & a scraper. Because I wanted a more temporary fix, I filled the cracks instead. This exterior rated spackle patch went on with a pallet knife & was sanded smooth once it dried. Make sure you wait until the patch is COMPLETELY dry before you sand, or you’ll go through sand paper like crazy! After the clean & patch, this door was ready to be painted.
I’m using a Sherwin Williams product in SW9164 Illusive Green. I would recommend you use a paint enamel product to have a durable finish. These paints are typically marketed for cabinets, but are perfect for doors & high touch area. They are more expensive than a typical wall paint, but I promise it will be worth it. Look for a product that says “Water based – Oil Enriched” This will have an easy water cleanup but with the power of an oil based product. The door took two coats to cover. I brushed on the paint using a paint brush to get it in all of the small crevasses, & then I came back with a roller to smooth it out. I did not use a primer since the door had existing paint on it.
Make sure you let the paint dry completely before you hang the door back up. Slightly tacky paint will stick to the hinges & you will not be able to get it cleanly back off in a few years.
