DIY Home Renovation–Painting the Front Door

The 1956 Fixer Upper front door was white and it will eventually be replaced with a windowed door but for now, there’s paint.  There is nothing wrong with a white door, I am just ready to get bold with some color.  Besides, it’s just paint and it can always be repainted, right?  While shopping I picked up several color cards in the paint section and took them home.  I narrowed them down to a color that goes well with the red brick and  I am quite fond of and showed it to hubs.  He has color aversion when it comes to walls and doors so I was surprised when he nodded his head in approval.  I pounced on it and purchased a quart of exterior satin acrylic before he could change his mind.


I chose the water based paint because it has a shorter dry time and I think it is less stinky.   I chose satin because the door faces the setting sun and a gloss might blind somebody from the reflected light!  We were getting a rare rain when I took the finished photo.  I had to buy a second can because I mistakenly took the wrong color card with me to the store the first time and it was too dark. They probably would have taken the darker paint back but I have some ideas to use the darker shade on an outdoor bench and a planter or two.
 
Using a hand finishing sander I bought for under $20  I spent a couple of days gently sanding down the old cracked finish on the aged door.  I bought my own sander because I don’t like worrying I’ll mess up hubs tools.   I’m finding that owning my own tools makes me feel empowered and I am buying a tool box to paint hot pink soon!  There are more painting projects on my agenda…

Once the door was fairly smooth to the touch I wiped it down with an old dry towel and again with a damp towel then let it air dry while I shook and stirred the exterior acrylic primer paint.  I used a sponge roller to paint on several coats of the primer and let it dry the recommended time as stated on the can.  Primer was critical for me for a couple of reasons, I needed it to level out the cracked areas and to bind the new paint to the old.  I believe primer is the secret to a professional finish.
 I took a deep breath and put on the first strokes of blue paint.  I liked it!  Hubs is okay with it too!  I decided three coats  was a pretty rich color and let it dry.  The Monogram Door Hanger we made on Craft Sunday looks awesome on the new blue door, don’t you think?
What color is your door?