Yesterday I mentioned that the sorry state of our house’s trim forced me to pick new paint colors. You know I love a good painting project, but painting exterior trim is not on my list of favorites!
After meeting with the designer at my local Benjamin Moore store, I chose Yellow Marigold for the door and Charcoal for all the trim.
The Basics of How to Paint an Exterior Door
I decided to ease into the job by starting with the front door. It turned out to be a quick and easy transformation. Here’s how I did it:
1. Watch helpful video tutorials on how to paint doors.
I started by watching this helpful video that walks through each step of painting a front door.
Update: I later painted a metal exterior door with plastic trim. You can read & watch how that process went by clicking here.
2. Clean the door and sand it lightly.
Then I got busy. First I emptied the whole entryway and cleaned the siding around the front door with a broom and a garden hose with a sprayer attachment. It was amazing how much better the entrance looked without all the cobwebs and dirt on the siding!
{I also learned that if you spray plenty of water in that area, it runs down the foundation and into the basement… Lovely.}
Next I scrubbed the door and trim thoroughly with TSP, let it dry, sanded it lightly with a sanding block, and taped around the door handle. (I think the picture above was taken after I finished sanding.)
3. Use a good quality primer.
I tested the door and discovered (no surprise) that it had been painted with oil-based paint. My talented Benjamin Moore paint consultant had suggested Aqua Lock Primer would work even over oil-based paint, so I used that as my primer, and I was thrilled that it didn’t need to be oil-based!
With all that prep done (Whew!), it was time for the fun part!
4. Paint the door panel edges first with a brush, then roll on the rest of the paint.
I completely dropped the ball on taking pictures of the next few steps. I was just too busy painting! I painted the trim first in Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal (low luster finish), and the door in 2 coats of Yellow Marigold (semi-gloss finish). I followed the video’s advice and used both a foam roller and a brush on the door.
So, after all the details, here’s a reminder of where it started:
And here’s how it looks this very morning!
I just love it!!
It’s every bit as happy and fun as I hoped it would be.
I still have lots of plans for this area, including a new light, a doorknob, and maybe a few decorations. But for now, when I come home after a long, exhausting day…
it welcomes me in,
and makes me smile!! :)
