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Painted Doorways for a Splash of Color

The front of a home with a pale pink door, brick pavers, a black bench and black outdoor lanterns.

Painting your existing front door is a rewarding way to quickly refresh your home’s exterior. Painted doorways give the first impression of your home. First, use our Paint Calculator to easily determine how much paint you’ll need to do the job.

Do You Paint the Door Frame the Same Color as the Door?

You can paint the door frame the same color as the door if you want to make the doorway appear larger. However, you can paint the door frame or trim in a contrasting lighter or darker color to make the door stand out. This calls attention to an ornate door or decorative hardware. Most commonly, front doors are painted with semi-gloss exterior paint, as it disguises any imperfections and is easy to clean.

What Kind of Paint Do You Use on a Front Door?

You'll need to determine which type of exterior paint you have on your door before starting a project. Watch our DIY Basics video Do I Have Oil or Latex Paint? to learn how to tell the difference.

Most commonly, front doors are painted with semi-gloss paint as it's durable and easy to clean. There are lots of other finish options, but what's most important is that the paint and primer are for exterior use.

Different paint finishes can create different looks for your home. You can brighten a dark-painted door by applying copper or silver metallic door paint for an antiqued, but refreshed look. A matte front door can be warm and cozy, but the flat paint may be difficult to keep clean. It's a great option if you have a storm door that protects the door from the weather. High-gloss paint is bright and easy to wipe clean, but it can also highlight any bubbles or imperfections.

Good to Know

The steps below refer to painting an exterior door, but you can use this basic front door paint job process when painting interior doors too; just use the appropriate interior primer and paint.

Is it Better to Use a Roller or a Paint Brush?

A paint roller can help you cover a large area more quickly and more uniformly than a paintbrush. However, you'll likely also need paintbrushes for the edges, corners and curves of a door.

How to Paint a Door

Follow these steps to update your door with a fresh coat of paint.

For one primed, exterior door, you'll need at least one quart of paint. Check the label to make sure the pail contains exterior paint, not interior paint. Since your door will be exposed to rain, sun, wind and other elements, you'll need a flexible and mold-resistant exterior paint. The most common kinds of exterior door paint are acrylic resin or latex-based and with a semi-gloss finish.

Latex-based exterior paint is the most flexible type and is quite popular. It fills in larger imperfections on a door's surface and resists cracking and chipping.

Other exterior paint options include convenient all-in-one varieties, which eliminate the need for applying primer. Although less common, richly colored oil-based exterior paint is also available, which features a high-gloss finish that will make the design pop. Oil-based door paint is also significantly resistant to chipping and dries quickly.

Also, consider adding, or painting, trim to your front door to highlight a fun new color. Painted doorways add lovely detail and curb appeal to the front of your home.

Remove the door and all of the hardware. Wedge a chisel or flathead (or cabinet tip) screwdriver in the joints between the hinges and the top of the hinge pins and then lightly tap the screwdriver handle with a hammer until the hinge pins come loose. Pull out all the pins and then have someone help you carry the door outside to a pair of sawhorses. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the rest of the hardware, being careful not to strip the screw holes.

Outdoor paint can take some time to dry, so make sure that you have a temporary replacement to protect your house. You can use an existing storm door or even a large piece of plywood to close off the area.

Old wooden doors generally need sanding and priming. To get a smooth working surface, scrape off any peeling pieces and sand down the old paint until the surface of the door feels even all over. Start with a medium 120-grit piece of sandpaper and then work your way up to 220-grit paper. If the door still feels rough to the touch, finish with fine-grade 320-grit paper. Always wear a dust mask and eye protection when sanding door paint.

If the door has cracks, repair them by dabbing small amounts of caulk onto the cracks and working the caulk in with a putty knife. Let the caulk dry and then sand the repaired spots until they're smooth.

Get rid of any dust from sanding before priming. Vacuum away extra dust and wipe the door with a tack cloth. Dampen the cloth with mineral spirits to remove stubborn dust.

Once the primer has dried completely, stir your paint. Paint the door from the top down, using a wide brush for corners or crevices and a small roller for flat panels. Make long strokes with the brush, and clean any visible lines on the front of the door with a dry cloth. Just as with the primer, let each side of the door dry before turning it over to work on the other side. Add at least two coats of paint to the door, using three or more if you want to increase the color saturation.

Paint the door sections in this order: bevels, panels, center stile, rails and outer stiles.

Let your front door dry before reinstallation. Once the paint no longer feels tacky to the touch, replace all hardware and have someone help you reattach the door to its frame with the hinge pins. Align the hinges together while replacing the pins.

Tip

Consider adding a new door knocker or handle to match your freshly painted door.

Good to Know

Painting interior doors is a similar process that'll give your home a clean, new look.

How to Paint a Front Door

Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Painted Doorways for a Splash of Color

HGSW Tricorn Black

HGSW Wall Street

HGSW Glamour

HGSW Dark Auburn

HGSW Waterloo

Do You Paint the Door Frame the Same Color as the Door?

What Kind of Paint Do You Use on a Front Door?

Is it Better to Use a Roller or a Paint Brush?

How to Paint a Door

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