There is something about adding a splash of color to something to change the mood, or tone, or even the whole look of the room. Painting your front door is one of the number one ways to spruce up your exterior. What colors to use can be a tricky thing because when is well matched, it makes the house. When it is not, it can detract from your home’s appeal. Now that I have you sufficiently nervous about picking a color, let’s talk about ways to make sure you pick the right one. Here are some things to consider.
1. What style are you after? Are you after a contemporary, traditional, simple, or bold look? Typically, the deeper the tone of paint, the more dramatic your statement, and in most cases, the lighter the tone the more traditional.
2. Evaluate if you have warm or cool tones in the existing exterior. Even if you want to make a bold statement, matching a cool color of door to a cool exterior will add boldness in a more traditional way. By sticking within the same spectrum, you won’t have to worry as much about overdoing it. Matching a cool colored door to a warm exterior has the potential to be really bold and dramatic, but choose wisely. Matching a cool with warm has the potential to end badly. Picking a neutral (whites, blacks, or tans) will work for either and will grant the most traditional look.
3. When you have decided on a color…or at least think you have…test it. Paint samples are cheap and paint can change with different light so make sure the outside light grants the right hue. Most of the time you will end up changing your choice slightly when it’s actually on the door. I have a friend who picked a gray color for their exterior hardy board. Thank goodness they tested it first. They modified 3 times after getting up on the house and evaluating it from the street. Testing the color saved them from their house looking like a haunted mansion.
4. Before you paint…Prime!!! You can not skip this step! A good primer will give the a good even finish and make the color last longer.
5. Spray it on! Brush marks may be beautiful and desirable on canvas, but not on your front door. Your front door is the first impression people have of your home, and brush marks can cause unevenness and can cheapen the look you are trying to create. If you don’t own a sprayer, you can rent them at a home improvement store, or if you are lucky, you might be able to find the a great color in a spay can.
Well? Clear as mud? I hope some of this was helpful. I always find it helpful do some shopping around. Drive around your neighborhood and note which houses and styles you are drawn to. You may get inspired to do something you wouldn’t have thought about before. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
I am still confused….I have a multi colored orange and yellow and beige brick house…..I call it “corn cob house” with a medium brown roof. I had a lovely mushroom green color at first…then I switched to a dark rich purple elderberry but now I am tired of it. I don’t know if I could paint it a green blue. Any suggestions?
Hmm. Blue green would be totally doable. In fact, here is an example of mixing those tomes that I had in my houzz ideabook. http://www.houzz.com/photos/46624/Front-Elevation-Surfers-End-craftsman-entry-new-york. I think an olive green could be nice as well. Sounds like you’re on the right track. Let me know when you take the plunge into a new color. How exciting!
Our landscaping company stopped to look at my samples painted on the front door and said we should consider the color of the roof in choosing front door color. Ours is black with a dull red/tan brick, with a light kahki trim on door and windows. I’d like to try a more vibrant celery green or yellow- too much light color? Black is the color du jour here for front doors, and red seems to get lost with the brick.
Go for color! Sure, black is always classy, but it’s fun to mix things up and set yourself apart. I think either green or yellow could look really great with red brick and black roof. Make sure your samples are big enough to determine the right tone when you step away and look at it from the street. That’s the key. You need to see the overall picture of the house from a distance to really make a good choice. It’s worth buying lots of different samples to find the right one. Good luck!
Nobody’s talking about the inside of the front door, what’s cool to do the inside..same color as outside, same as inside? Any ideas?