Hello! I just wanted to pop in today to share a little DIY post. With Fall close upon us time is running out for outdoor updates to the home.
I recently noticed that our front door was looking pretty faded and needed a paint refresh.
I am very happy with the result and was pleasantly surprised with how quick and inexpensive this project was (like as in 15 minutes and for $15)!
Here is the Before. It was so faded that our black door almost looked navy blue
And the After.
So let’s talk paint. I was very concerned about getting a true black color and something that would hold up to all outdoor weather conditions. When I spotted THIS Gloss Black Enamel at Home Depot for only $8 I knew it would be worth a try!
And I’m so glad I did! The pictures don’t do it justice at all. It is a beautiful glossy black and it comes in several other beautiful colors too! We’ve gotten a lot of compliments from neighbors and friends about how nice it looks.:-)
Easy Steps to Painting a Door
(Some affiliate links used in this post for your convenience)
- Scrub your door down with water and a TSP cleanser if needed.
- Lightly sand the door with fine grit sandpaper. Sand harder in any rough areas.
- Apply painters tape around the door handle and lock as well as any other direct areas you don’t want paint to reach.
- Use a foam roller and foam brush to paint the door. My friend Kris at Driven by Decor created this helpful image below that shows the best order to paint a door.
via Driven by Decor
A foam roller helps the finish be smooth (THIS is a good one) and I use a foam brush to paint the insets of the panels and around the handle and lock.
I still need to install a kick plate at the bottom of my door. It had a brass one when we moved in that I removed (which left some unevenness at the bottom portion of the door) and I have yet to replace it with a silver one. All things in due time, right?
Let me know if you have any questions!
Are you guys getting geared up for Fall yet? If you want some simple Fall decorating ideas feel free to check out the post I wrote on the subject, HERE.
As always thanks so much for being here!:-)
Thanks for posting this tutorial. Our front door is black and I have not been happy with it since we first painted it 5 years ago. It was done professionally when we renovated, so I assumed it would last. But that wasn’t the case and we have had to paint it a couple times since then. I might try the paint you recommended when I do it next time. But I sure do love a shiny black door!
i agree, Colleen, there is something beautiful about a black, glossy door! I would definitely give this paint a try next time. It was just what I was hoping for (wish the pics did it justice). Hope you have a great week!:-)
Oh honey, I need help lol!! I painted my front door last year.. yea.. so I’ve had this problem a year. After I painted my door an unexpected rain storm came through and my paint ran. To be honest, I probably also painted it thicker. I’m new to the DIY stuff and new to being a homeowner. So my door has had this issue this whole time; I’ve been scared to try to fix it, because I’m scared I’ll make it worse. Any tips?? Ugh, this makes me sad lol.
Hi Jennifer! Don’t feel bad, all DIYers have DIY mishaps from time to time. I am guessing that the paint thickness and run has caused the door to have an uneven surface. I would suggest sanding down the thicker (or more painted areas). You can use sand paper or I just bought this electric sander (affiliate link) for only $15 and it works so much better than hand sanding. Once it is sanded to an even surface then you can go ahead and use the products and steps I shared in this post. Best wishes, Jennifer! Let me know how it goes!
MY door is not wood. Would this still work? We recently re painted our door but it did not holdup well at all.
Hi Shayna! Yes, my door is not wood either and it has held up great!:-)