Let’s Take This Outside–A Front Door Refresh Worthy of all the Heart Eyes

When we moved into our house a little over two years ago, we really never dreamed we would be remodeling basically….everything. To be honest, the house hunting process was so depressing that we were just happy to find a house we liked, could afford, and was in the right location. Paint colors, cabinets and flooring were the least of our concerns.

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But, two short years later, almost EVERYTHING on the inside looks completely different. You can see plenty of before and afters here.

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However, the outside….well, it’s been…let’s see…what’s the right word for this?? Um, neglected?? Have you ever wondered why I literally NEVER show you pictures of the outside of our house?? Well, now you know…YIKES!

So this spring, we decided it was time to improve the curb appeal. And it started with the front door.  Here’s what we were working with:

.I oftentimes refer to my dad as a “bull in a China shop.” I’m starting to realize he passed this onto me. Moving furniture in and out of the house over the last two years has taken a toll on the front door. Scratches and paint chips everywhere. (You can see them all if you zoom in.)  Oh, and you know that tree slice fall wreath I have??

Yeah, it scratched the paint right off the large majority of the oval trim on the top of the door. NICE. Helpful hint…use felt pads if you make one for your door 😉 You’re welcome.

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So it was time for a fresh coat of paint. But, instead of going with the original red, I wanted to switch things up a bit (surprise, surprise, right?) and chose to do white and navy.

.Disclosure: I received paint from Sherwin-Williams as compensation for this post. All views and opinions in this post are my own. However, I would highly recommend Sherwin-Williams paint whether I was compensated or not.

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Because my door was in pretty rough shape, first I sanded down all the loose paint and places where it had chipped. Then, because I live in west Kentucky, I wiped off the layer of pollen that had started forming on the door (how nice of spring to bring that as a welcome gift…). You want to make sure your door is clean before you paint it. Trust me!

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Then, I primed the door. If you have a door like mine, you want to paint in this order.  First, the outline of the decorative panels, then the actual panels, then the horizontal parts and last, the vertical side areas.  PS, I could have/should have taped everything off.  Here’s the deal.  The previous owners got paint ALL OVER the vinyl trim around the door.  So instead of replacing all the trim, I carefully primed over the red that was on it.  I was afraid if I left it, it would stick out against the new white.  That’s why I didn’t tape.  Since the vinyl is such a light color, unless you’re looking for it, you don’t notice it.  One day, when we replace the door, we will replace all the trim too.  But not today…

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Now to the good part…the COLOR! I was so eager to see the navy on the door, that I painted it first. I used SW Anchors Aweigh (SW9179) for the door and SW Extra White (SW7006) for the trim and sidelights.

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Sherwin-Williams recommended using their Snap Dry paint for my door and sidelights because it literally dries in minutes. How did they already know I was the most impatient person in the world?? It’s like they looked deep inside my soul and found my worst personality trait and made a paint just for it. Or, they just knew that everyone is impatient when painting their doors, so they made the perfect solution. That’s a lot more likely…

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I painted my door in the same order as the image above–the border of the decorative panels first, the actual panels next, all horizontal areas, then the vertical side areas. I quickly learned that you have to work fast since the Snap Dry paint dries so fast. It’s completely dry within an hour, but mostly dry within minutes.

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To avoid “mixing” brush stroke directions with half dry paint, it was easiest (and cleanest) to work in one area at a time, then come back to it after it dried. For example, after I painted the decorative panels on the doors first, I painted the bottom horizontal piece, then the middle, then the top. Then, when it was time to paint the vertical sides, I started at the bottom, because by that time, the paint on the bottom horizontal piece was already dry, so my brush strokes wouldn’t “mix” and make a mess.

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I used three coats of paint on the door. In between coats on the door, I painted the sidelights and trim with the Extra White. Because everything dried so fast, I was able to complete the whole door in just a few hours.

.It really helped brighten up my front porch and my new spring wreath looks awesome against this gorgeous color.

What a difference a little paint makes!! AMIRIGHT?! The navy was definitely a nice change. I’m obsessed with navy lately if you haven’t already noticed.

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I added some more color to the porch with ferns and a new front door mat. You can find the tutorial to build these modern louvered planters here. You may have also noticed that we changed out our door handle (affiliate link to it here).

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Oh and remember me telling you about the Snap Dry paint was awesome because of my lack of patience?? Well, it’s also nice because we have a herd of spoiled cats that hang out with us everywhere we go and they like to go inside (but aren’t allowed). Luckily, I could shut the door shortly after painting to keep them outside with me 🙂

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They’re our official welcome committee, so it’s best they stay outside anyway 🙂

.By the way, just in case you’re rough on your front door like me, I’ve moved several pieces of furniture in and out of the house since painting the door and even with the bumps and scrapes, the paint didn’t scratch or chip. WIN!!

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So what are you waiting for? Go grab some Sherwin-Williams Snap Dry in your favorite color (like Anchors Aweigh!) and get that door painted in a snap!

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Stay tuned for the other changes we are making to the exterior!! You won’t believe the before and afters!!

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Until next time, happy DIYing!