How to paint your front door (and add curb appeal)

I am so excited to show you guys how to paint your front door and add curb appeal to your home. When we first built our house, we painted everything really basic, neutral colors. All the walls were beige, and the doors and trim were all white. Our house felt clean and crisp, but it seriously lacked any sort of personality or curb appeal. We’ve done a lot of things to add charm and style to the inside of our house- like adding simple board and batten, building a ton of cute furniture, and adding personality with the things we decorate with.

how to paint exterior door

This post is sponsored by DecoArt. All opinions, photographs, and clever commentary are 100% my own. 

The one thing we’ve never really done is change up the OUTSIDE of our home. I’ve known forever that I wanted to paint my front door, but I’ve never got around to it. Honestly, I’ve been really scared to paint my door because I didn’t want to mess it up! It’s such a permanent part of the house, and the first thing people see when they come to our home. But the transformation has been so amazing! I wish we’d have painted our front door years ago!

how to paint front door

How to paint your front door

Choose the paint

To paint your front door, you’re going to need a paint that’s designed specifically for exterior doors. I chose DecoArt’s Americana Decor Curb Appeal paint because it doesn’t require a primer or a sealer. It’s also super fade resistant, water resistant, and scuff resistant- which I totally need with 4 kids. I also wanted something that would dry fast, because I didn’t want to take my door of the hinges and have to go without a front door for 3 days. (I started painting my door in the morning, and everything was dry and finished by early evening). The other reason I chose this paint is because of all the cute colors it comes in! There were so many cute color choices that it was hard for me to pick a color! It  I knew I wanted a bold color that was also classic and wouldn’t go out of style any time soon. It also had to pair well with my red brick- I ended up with Williamsburg Blue. And I LOVE the way it looks! You can get this paint at Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, Michaels, A.C. Moore, or directly from DecoArt’s website. It’s less than $20, and you’ll get enough paint to do both sides of an average sized door (16 oz). 

how to paint front door

Clean the door

Before you paint anything, you want to start with a clean surface, and this is definitely true with an exterior door. I actually used baby wipes- my go to cleaner of choice- and wiped everything down.

how to paint front door

Remove The Hardware

If possible, take the doorknobs off the door- Or you could simply tape around them. There’s no need to take the door off its’ hinges. Just tape around the hinges.

You’ll also need to sand any imperfections, scuffs, or peeling paint. I used a fine-grit sanding sponge.

Door Paint Prep

Paint the Door

Use a good quality paint brush- I used a 2 inch angled brush. Paint the grooves of your door first. Be careful not to leave any drips. This paint dries so fast, you’ll want to make sure there aren’t any drips or too thick of paint strokes in your paint.

After you’ve painted to grooves, paint the rest of your door with long, straight strokes. This paint will show brush strokes, so make sure you are aware of the strokes you’re using as you paint.

how to paint a door

Let Dry

Let the first coat dry for about an hour or two. 

how to paint front door

After the first coat dries, sand any drips or imperfections that were left behind.

how to paint front door

Apply Second Coat

Using the same technique, apply a second coat. Let that dry, and if needed, touch up any spots that might need a third coat.

Add Curb Appeal

After your door is painted, the fun part comes in! Add a wreath, a cute chair, and some accessories! My boxwood wreath and ribbon came from Michael’s- I picked them up while I was picking out my paint. 

how to paint front door

how to paint front door

how to paint front door

how to paint front door

how to paint front door

porch rocking chair

Painting your front door is such a quick and easy way to add curb appeal and beautify your home. I wish I had done this SO much sooner! It’s a change I won’t regret making.

I would 100% recommend this Americana Decor Curb Appeal paint. For less than 20 bucks, you can’t go wrong!

door paint

5 Comments

  1. I am also very curious to know how this paint held up for you. I have been debating between this brand and Modern Masters. Your door looks amazing!!

    1. It has actually held up really well! The paint hasn’t faded or chipped at all, and we have a west-facing door that gets blasted with the sun in the afternoon and evening hours. The one thing I will say is that I wish I had used a foam roller or sprayed the paint on, so I didn’t get brush strokes. I wouldn’t say I had a TON of brush strokes, but you can see a few here or there.

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