Give your aged exterior doors a refresh by painting the vinyl door sweep with this simple guide!
Previously, I documented the enhancements made to our two exterior doors.
- The interior received a rich dark gray hue, specifically “Raccoon Fur” from Benjamin Moore.
- We also incorporated attractive new hardware sourced from Schlage.
- The main entryway was beautified with foliage, a wreath, and fresh door mats.
We are still delighted by the change these doors underwent from their prior state:
To their current appearance!
However, one minor detail in this project I neglected to share earlier; initially, this wasn't even on our task list, but it quickly became necessary.
The front door features a vinyl door sweep fastened to the bottom.
I took it off to paint the door and immediately recognized its vital function for the door’s integrity…
Without it, outside air enters, and a whistling breeze can pass through.
Yet, after painting the door dark gray, the stark white door sweep looked mismatched!
Since the door's exterior remained white, buying a dark sweep seemed pointless (and I doubt they offer varied colors for these).
Therefore, I opted for a custom paint application, keeping the front white while matching the back to “Raccoon Fur” for consistency. It turned out perfectly.
Follow these instructions to custom paint a vinyl door sweep:
Materials required for painting a vinyl door sweep:
- Benjamin Moore Advance Primer (The primer type is crucial; confirm it adheres to the surface you are painting).
- Paintbrush
- Foam roller and its handle
- Your preferred paint color (I utilized Raccoon Fur by Benjamin Moore in pearl finish)
Step 1: Unfasten the door sweep from the door base by unscrewing it.
Be sure to keep the screws safe so you can reattach the sweep later. (You can ask me why this is so important…;))
Step 2: Clean the sweep completely using soap and water, ensuring all soap remnants are gone.
Remember, paint will not adhere well to grime or slick soap!:)
The third action is to apply primer to the door sweep side you wish to customize with a specific hue.
For this project, I chose to color only the reverse surface of the door sweep; identifying this side was simple because it featured the screw openings.
After the primer has completely set, as per the fourth step, apply the desired custom paint color.
(Please excuse the indistinct photograph; balancing painting with taking a picture in one hand is challenging.)
Because my foam roller already held paint from the front door, I utilized it for the door sweep as well, and the application proved quite effective.
The fifth step involves applying enough layers to achieve excellent color saturation, ensuring adequate drying time between each coat.
This paint adhered beautifully, needing only two coats for complete coverage.
Finally, in the sixth step, once the paint is entirely dry, reattach the door sweep by aligning the screws with their original placements.
Your door sweep should now match the door's color so seamlessly that it becomes virtually unnoticeable!
Furthermore, even if the door's forward face has a different shade, this custom color can harmonize with that too!
Explore these additional painting guidance articles:
- Method for Coloring Metal Doors with Plastic Trim
- A list of painting supplies needed for interior wall painting
- Considering painting an electric fireplace? Discover the procedure here.
- Front Door Transformation
