UPDATE: The front screen door was painted too!
Some of you may know that Charles and I have gone back and forth on the color for our front door since the project started. He has been firmly set on white and I have been firmly set on black.
Since we couldn’t decide between black or white, we decided to look into a few other non-traditional, non-neutral colors. We discovered that a company called Modern Masters makes a paint specially designed for front doors. It’s called…wait for it…front door paint! There’s actually a Front Door Paint app (for iPhone and Android) that you can download to test out colors. After trying all 24 (yes, I may have gone overboard) of the colors, the paint color we chose was “Passionate.”
First, we sanded the front door with an electric sheet sander to smooth everything out and knock off any shine. Then we used sponge sanding blocks to get into the more detailed areas. (Isn’t my hubs the best model?!)
Pretty soon, our door was looking like this:
We decided to take the antique hardware off so that we could paint underneath it. This was actually a bigger decision that it sounds…with antiques, you never have any assurances that things will go back together properly after you disassemble them. Lucky for us, it all worked out.
After we finished sanding, we wiped down the entire door with a warm, slightly soapy rag. Just a couple minutes of dry time, and we were ready to paint!
We decided not to prime the door because we wanted the color as dark as possible. I was a little concerned that it would come out too “fire engine red,” so we just left the base black. Here’s a shot of the door after the first coat.
To be honest, I was a little skeptical about the claims for this paint: you only need 2 coats, it dries super quick, and it never fades. But we were pleasantly surprised! We started painting at the top of the door, and by the time we got to the bottom, the top was pretty much dry already. So we just gave it a few more minutes, then started with our second coat.
Amazingly, that was all we needed. And we still have well over half of the quart of paint left! We polished the hardware with a bit of brasso, and it made a truly remarkable difference!
Overall, we are so so happy with our new front door!
Next up, we plan to paint the screen door red as well. Because our front door has such a large window, you really can’t see the red from the street with the screen door closed, so we think that painting the screen door will really make the house pop. (Side note: the porch floor will be painted a dark gray to match the paint color of the roof…which is going on this week!) And since we have so much paint left over, maybe we’ll hit the side door and back door as well.
Modern Masters claims that the paint will never fade, so I can’t wait to see how it holds up! Don’t worry…I’ll keep you posted! :)
This post was sponsored by Modern Masters. All content and opinions, as always, are my own. Front door paint is available at selected Lowe’s and Ace Hardwares as well as online via Amazon or the Modern Masters online shop.
Perfect solution to the black or white dilemma. Red! It looks great!
Excellent choice! I love the color!! I can’t believe it only took two coats. Very impressive.
You should have known you could never go wrong
using red,
So true! ;)
OMG! I am so glad you went with red. When you posted a few weeks ago asking for suggestions I instantly answered RED. And that was exactly the shade I had in mind. You guys rock.
I think you chose the PERFECT color! So classic and yet FUN – way more fun than black or white :D Goes well with the house — love it :)
Thanks, Shanti! I’m a neutral lover and red was a bold choice for us, but I love it!! :)
I always thought red was a neutral! :D
LOVE IT so glad you choose red
Love how this turned out! The red makes such a great impact!
Love your red refinish!!!!!
Best red ever! Love your door and that color is perfection :) Thanks so much for linking with Twirl and Take a Bow! ox
Thanks so much for linking up at Teach Me Tuesday. Your post was greatly appreciated! I hope you will come back and visit tonight at 8pm CST.
http://3glol.net/2014/06/23/teach-tuesday-3glol-9/
Have a wonderful day!!
Your door looks so great!! I would love to paint ours yellow… I think I just might after seeing yours! Would love for you to share it at our link party on my blog please (or any other DIY project). It looks fabulous!
This is a great transformation. The red brings such a welcoming pop of color to your front door. I would total knock on your door to sell you something. Kidding! Thanks for linking up to the Be. YOU. tiful link party. I am featuring you at this weeks Partay. So come on over, grab a button and brag a little.
I love your door! The love red! Pinned. Thank you for being a part of our party. I hope to see you tonight at 7 pm.. It is always a pleasure to have you! http://loulougirls.blogspot.com/
Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Oh I love how the red turned out! Our door is currently red but this week we are changing it to black for a fresh update. Stopping by from Show me your stuff. You can find me at http://www.simplyhaleywebb.blogspot.com
Neutrals always looks good but having one beautiful pow of color is great. The red you use is perfect. You “SLAMMED” it! (hahahaa)
Love it! Our front door is red too. The first coat looked sickly hot pink but after a few coats the color looks awesome! Thank goodness!
~ Ashley
I was a little unsure after the first coat too, Ashley. But I think it turned out great! :)
Love this. We posted about painting our front door because it was metal… and half brown/half teal. It had to go black STAT. (I think I just made a rhyme).
http://houseofbennetts.com/2014/04/10/grape-street-painting-a-metal-front-door/
I love the red for your house. ADORABLE.
Thanks again for sharing with the Merry Monday Link Party team! Hope you come back next week! – Treana @ http://houseofbennetts.com
Hi Sara! We picked this as our feature from this link party! Come check it out tonight!
Oh so wonderful! I just love it. I wish we could paint our now black door red, but we have strict HOA rules and red front doors are not on the list of approved! Dark green is…so that’s my next choice. This is just gorgeous!
Dark green sounds lovely, Libby! I’d love to see how it turns out!
Looks wonderful, LOVE the color! Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY…
Blessings,
Cindy
What a delightful blog you have, and what a lovely, new red door! Thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!
Alison
Nancherrow
Thanks so much!! :)
It looks great! I think the screen door will look good painted too, and I love the color you chose! We just painted our front door black (it was white) and it makes a big difference. Julia
It’s amazing how much just painting the front door can change the whole look of your house, Julia! Thanks for visiting! :)
It looks lovely in red. Great to see the stages shown
What a great compromise…I think the red is so striking! Thanks for linking up with us at Best of the Nest!
This turned out great! Perfection!! Thanks for sharing. You are one of the features at The Round-Up from the Before & After Wednesday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link so you can check out your feature. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2014/07/the-round-up-from-before-and-after.html Hope to see you again at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
I so want to do this at my home and I love red front doors. Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I’ve pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board
Great door! Thank you for sharing this post at City of Creative Dream’s City of Links on Friday! I appreciate you taking the time to party with me. Hope to see you again this week :)
I love the red. It is a perfect color choice for your front door. Thanks for sharing at Project Pin-it.
xoxo
Denyse
I loved your Tip Me Tuesday link . {thanks girl!}
Would you like Tip Junkie to feature your blog post to over 200,000 creative women? If you upload this blog post into your Tip Junkie craft room using at least 2 images, 2 steps, and blog post URL then I can easily feature it in my RSS feed, home page, and all my social networks instantly. {squealing with delight}
~ Laurie {a.k.a. the Tip Junkie}
http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/how-to-add-a-craft-room-project-on-tip-junkie/
Shazam!
Yes my question is what is the best to use on steel front doors. I would like a dark brown the will make it kook like wood grain. Can someone tell me what colors to use.
Love your red front door! Just strikes of confidence and style!
I love red!
Can you use spray paint on a front door?