If you’re not sure what color door to choose or you’re torn between a few options, let’s take a look at what might help you decide. From your own personal tastes to the existing colors around your home, you can use these tips to help guide you to the best door color.
We will also see how you can redo your door yourself and make other adjustments to up your home’s curb appeal.
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Your Color Intuition
You might be someone who thinks a lot about the colors you prefer in your existing color palette. From your wardrobe to your furniture to the accents you tend to purchase, you might know exactly what colors appeal to you. If not, now is the time to get started tapping into your existing color intuition.
First, think about the decor inside your home. While the interior and exterior colors don’t necessarily have to be related, tying the color of your front door to the colors you already use inside your home can be a great idea. It will appeal to your existing preferences and will also provide continuity in your home decor.
If you find yourself choosing the same colors over and over when selecting home decor, you are probably drawn to these colors instinctively. Different color palettes are appealing to different people. If you look at your wardrobe or at your existing decor, you might be able to notice patterns of colors you are drawn to and naturally prefer.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to colors. However, if you’re not sure about your preferences, you might begin to think a family member or partner with clearer opinions knows more than you. Remember, you will respond to colors differently than other people. It’s important to tune into your own reactions when presented with different colors.
Trusting your color intuition and tuning into what colors you are naturally drawn to is a great way to make sure you have a home with colors that are right for you. You might already know what colors you like the best; if you have mustard yellow decor throughout your home, you might be instinctively drawn to the light and happy feel of this color.
If you have big, patterned pieces in your home that you love, consider the colors that are inside the pattern. Extracting a favorite color from a patterned piece that you love is another way to help you understand what colors you like.
Existing Colors Around Your Home
You can also consider any colors that are already in existence around the facade of your home. Your roof shingles, for example, might come into play when selecting the right front door color for you. How the new door color will look with the existing color of your roof might help you make the final decision between a few top contending colors.
In addition to your roof color, consider any other accents around the door of your house. This might include light fixtures, mailboxes, railings, gutters, or anything else painted. You might also decide to paint over the existing color of any of these to create more cohesion in your renovation project.
See also: What Color Door Goes With a Gray House?
Color Psychology
You might also be interested to know that a lot of psychology exists around colors. There is a lot of research published showing how colors provoke different psychological reactions from humans. This can influence how we feel and what emotions we experience in the presence of different colors.
If you want to achieve a certain feeling with the entrance of your home, you might be interested in doing a little research in color psychology. Learning how warm colors like red, orange, and yellow can bring energy and life to a space might influence your decision when it comes to your home decor.
On the other hand, understanding how cooler colors like blue, green, and purple make a space calmer and more relaxed might change your mind and help you select one of these colors instead.
If you’re interested in an overview of color psychology and how it can be applied to home decoration, you can check out this informative video:
DIY Door Makeover
Once you’ve brought home some paint swatches and picked out the exact shade and color for your home, you might be wondering how to get started with your front door renovation. While you can always hire a professional, you might be excited about the prospect of redoing something in your home with your own hands.
You can repaint your front door on your own with a few essential materials and a few hours of your time. This DIY approach can help save you money from hiring professions as well as give you the satisfaction of completing a home renovation project on your own.
Clean It Up
The first thing you will want to do is get your existing entryway sparkling clean before you begin painting. Using a hose with a nozzle to gently pressure wash your front door and surrounding areas will help blast away dirt, cobwebs, and other debris. If needed, go in after with a sponge to clean out all the nooks and crannies.
If you feel like your door needs another round of cleaning, feel free to go in with an all-purpose cleaner and a cloth. A little elbow grease can ensure that every surface of your door is sparkling and ready to take on the fresh coat of paint.
If you have time, do this step the day before you plan to paint. That will give the surfaces plenty of time to air dry completely before it’s time to paint.
Paint the Trim and Door
Once your door is dry completely, it’s time to get started painting. If you are planning to paint the trim a different color from what you will paint the door, you will want to complete this step first. Remember to make sure you are using an exterior paint with the right level of gloss.
To get started, tape off all the exposed edges so you can paint without getting the new color where it doesn’t belong. Keep a wet rag on hand to wipe up any messes as soon as they happen and before they have a chance to dry.
If you’re trying to color match with an existing color, make sure to paint a test patch first and let it dry. The dry color of the paint will differ from how it looks in the can. If you like how the color looks when it is dry, you are ready to proceed with painting.
You can paint a swatch on a piece of tape, allow it to dry, and stick it up on the door or trim. This can help you get a full visual picture of what the final color will look like on your home.
Always make sure to give enough time for the paint to dry completely between coats. Two coats will make sure your color is as true to the manufacturer’s intent as possible. If you are painting the trim and door separate colors, give extra time for the new trim paint to be 100% thoroughly dried before applying tape to it for painting the door.
Remember to tape off the door handle and any other accents when it comes time to paint the door. When you’re ready to paint, start with the tricky corners of the inner rectangular areas that many front doors contain. Once you are sure that the paint is evenly applied in these harder-to-reach places, move on to the broader surfaces.
Remember, you can paint your door both open and closed. Utilizing both of these positions can help you get easier access to all the surfaces of the door.
When you’re done, remove all the tape and perform any touch-ups as necessary.
To see a full tutorial on how to redo your front door on your own, you can check out this video:
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