Spice Up the Front of Your Home

A painted front door is a statement piece for your home. Bright reds, yellows and blues let your house pop out from the rest of the neighborhood. This DIY project is simple to do, makes a positive difference, and spices up the look of your exterior. It’ll be a simple weekend job, but well worth it. Let’s learn how. Enjoy!

The Right Tools for the Job

Here’s what you’ll need to transform your front door:

• Screwdriver(s)

• Hammer

• Nail

• Paint Roller

• 2-4 inch paintbrush

• Putty Knife

• Exterior Paint

• Sandpaper

• Optional: Primer

Step By Step Process:

Step 1: Removing the Door

The first step you’ll want to take is removing the door from its hinges. This is done by removing the hinge pins from the hinges. Use a nail and a hammer to tap the hinge pins upward and out of the hinge. Doors are fairly heavy so you may want a friend to help you while you’re removing the pins.

Step 2: Prep Area, Coverings, Sawhorses

You’ll need a painting area, preferably outside, where you can paint and dry the door. You’ll want to lay the door flat on sawhorses to make painting easier on your back. Unless you’re not worried about paint dripping under the door, I would recommend placing plastic, towels, or old sheets under the sawhorses to cover the ground below.

Step 3: Remove Doorknobs/ Hardware

You’ll want the door to be as bare as possible, free of hinges, doorknobs and any other hardware attached to the door you don’t want painted. Removing doorknobs and hinges should be as easy as using a screwdriver. Once removed, lay the door flat on top of the sawhorses.

Step 4: Prepping the Door

If your door has old chipping paint, you’ll want to create a smooth painting surface for yourself. With a putty knife, remove old paint chips so a majority of previous paint coats are removed from the surface. If you’re painting an exterior door I would recommend using an exterior primer first. The primer will cover minor imperfections within the door. Coat the entire door with the primer like you would with a normal coat of paint.

Step 5: Painting Panels/Textures First

Now on to the outer paint. If your door has panels, ridges, or other textures to it, you’ll want to paint these areas first with the 2-4 inch paint brush. Do the same around the edges of the door as the paint roller works best of flat surfaces.

Step 6: Paint Roller

Using a small paint roller, apply a coat of paint to the flat portions of the door you didn’t cover with the paint brush. The panels and corners may have dried some since painting the ridges so don’t worry if the colors seem off at first. You’ll want to make an even coat of paint that doesn’t show any primer through. Stick to one direction when painting with a roller.

Step 7: Drying

Let the paint dry overnight before flipping it over to the other side or applying additional coats of paint. If the paint is sticky or moist to the touch, it is not yet fully dried. Once dried you have successfully painted your door!

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