Total Basset Case: DIY : How to Paint a Front Door (in 5 steps!)

Oct 3, 2013

DIY : How to Paint a Front Door (in 5 steps!)

Remember way back when I teased you guys with the idea of painting our front door?
Well it happened (forever ago it feels) and I've yet to blog about it.
(oh the horror!)

So without any further adieu...the painting of the front door.
(please excuse my various outfits in these photos, this was not a quick process and took a few days to complete.  Also I was headed out the door to go shopping in one of the final ones, clearly not in paint clothes.)
 Items needed:
Paint (duh)
Primer
Rubber roller
Tape
Sanding block
Small sponge brush
Vaseline (what?! I'll explain later)
Patience (optional)
Wine (not optional)
Four legged (sleepy) general contractor 

Step 1: Sand, clean and prep the door with tape.  Don't forget to cover your hardware!
Step 2: Paint door with 1-2 coats of primer.  We only did one coat and looking back we really should have done two.  Our door is metal and really absorbed a lot of the paint.
*Tip: use the end of the rubber roller to get the paint the indents and details of the door.
 Step 3: Allow primer to dry completely.  We left ours overnight to ensure it was really dry.
 Step 4: Begin painting! Use the end of the roller or the small sponge to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Be sure you let the paint dry completely between coats! Because of the nature of our door (metal) it really showed roller marks, especially if I started another coat before the first was totally dry (not that I did that or anything...). 
We ended up having to do 4 coats of the red.  I think this was due partially to the red paint, the metal door and that we should have used a second coat of primer.
BUT, I still love the way it looks...just fyi for next time, right?
Step 5: Here's where the Vaseline comes in!
Even if you think your door is 100% dry, this can come in handy.
Smear a small amount of Vaseline around all of the edges of the door before you close it.
(this was 3 coats in, we did one more after this)

 This is so that if the paint is the least bit tacky (or it's humid out) it keeps the paint from sticking to the weather stripping.

Isn't that a handy tip? I can take 0 credit for it because my boss filled me on that BUT it worked like a charm! 

Any questions, feel free to ask!
What do you think?

25 comments:

Pamela said...

Looks so good! Especially with the mums sitting out!

Casey said...

I love this! It turned out so so so cute! And that wreath is gorg. Also, I have been meaning to tell you this - I LOVVVVE that photo of you above where it says "Hi I'm Sarah!" Ridiculously cute, and you look gorg, and your hair looks gorg, and that shirt screams Sarah, and there is a cement Floyd in the background. Love it all around. Oh, and your skin looks amazing and I love your lipstick :)

The Nanny Saga said...

Cute! I love the red! I want to paint my door but I feel like I would also need to paint my shutters and I don't know how that is gonna happen lol.

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Lauren said...

Loooove that! We're tossing that idea around as well - did you guys ever hear of the direct to metal paint? Thought about trying that...

Darby Hawley said...

Sarah I love the red door; it looks fabulous! Thanks for the vaseline tip; that is so helpful!

Jen said...

Looks great! I love a red door and wish we could have one but we live in a condo complex and it has to be green to match everything else :( But someday I will have a house with a red door! I heard somewhere that a red door brings good luck. Oh and great tip about the vaseline!

Candice Williams said...

Gorgeous. Our neighbor has the cutest old huge house that's all perfectly white with a red door and it's gorgeous!!

Elisa of Fancy Free Me said...

The red looks great Sarah!! And your tip on keeping it from sticking is brilliant. Thanks for sharing!

Katie said...

Hey there stranger :)

It looks absolutely amazing. I cannot wait to see it in person. Definitely a huge difference!

Amber Marie said...

I bet that is quite the eye catcher in your neighborhood! Love it-great job!

Niki {Glossy Blonde} said...

We are planning on painting our front door, and this couldn't have come at a better time! Thank you for this!

Allison said...

I love the red front door! So cute!

Because of Jackie said...

Oh, I LOVE the red door with the big mums out front, very Fall:)

Sarah Tucker said...

This looks so good! I've always wanted a house with a red door!

Anne said...

Helpful! I wasn't sure whether it would be doable to paint the front door while it was still hanging... The vaseline trick is great though. Here's hoping I can get my dad to do this little project for me when he visits after baby :)

Yours turned out so great - love the color.

Caitlin said...

Looks great! We are about to paint our front door red, too... good feng shui and perfect for the holidays! I'd better get on it while the weather is still nice-ish...

Unknown said...

Love your door! Here's a tip that I learned from a local painter: have the paint store tint your primer close to the shade of your paint. You don't need nearly as many coats of paint that way. It just makes the whole process faster. And you are correct: when you use red paint on anything it takes more coats of paint. ( Even walls.)

Courtney B said...

LOOOOOVE your door! It looks so pretty! I can't wait until we own our home. I will definitely be painting the front door a pretty color, and using this tutorial to help me :)

Lobster Meets Peach said...

I know it took a lot of time and coats of paint but your door loves wonderful!

Kait said...

I LOVE IT! Sorry, just now catching up on my favorite basset. Looks like he did a stellar job painting ;)

Micheal Hussey said...

I love all details that you give in your articles.
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yoder178 said...

Great article! Just want to add that if you use porch and floor paint it will last a WHOLE lot longer and not look weathered after seeing all kinds of rain, sleet and snow, not to mention the sun. My door was done three years ago and still looks like it was just painted. Love it!

Unknown said...

I have a Navy blue steel front door. How many coats or prime and how many paint costs if I want to go back to WHITE? THANKS

Unknown said...

I have a Navy blue steel front door. How many coats or prime and how many paint costs if I want to go back to WHITE? THANKS

riaz said...

First remove the existing paint with a bottle Paint Remover, then primer,dry, coat with white, dry, coat again. And your done!