It’s been one year since we moved to Sammamish, WA {officially voted friendliest Town in the US} woot woot…and we haven’t been happier. We purchased what we considered to be our dream home, 4 bedroom 2.5 bathroom, 2 car garage and unbelievable amounts of closet space, especially coming from our tiny “206” Townhome ..this place certainly feels like a mansion. But I’m working hard to jam pack with all our junk 🙂
As Andy got ready to settle in and relax…i got started building my list of projects. There is no doubt Pinterest, Houzz and Young House Love are all serious accomplices to my DIY Addiction. Pretty sure I was pinning and idea-booking weeks before we even closed (bad juju…but we still landed the deal). Top on the list was the glaring Red Door – the whole house was very “country shabby” from the 80’s, nice…just not my style. So within the first month I got my plan set it was about the same time last year that John and Sherri {from YHL} {painted their front door Yellow} so I divulged every last tip and jumped into my first “425” DIY Project. I woke up at 5:30am for 4 days {approximately 2 hours of work/day} to sand and prime, and do 3 coats of Black Paint before Savannah woke for the day. Every minute of lost sleep was worth it….and i smile in satisfaction every time I think about how classic the freshly painted doors look. Yum Yum Yum.
Of course you can also see some of my other Pinterest Projects…chevron pumpkins and felt flower wreaths.
People have asked me for tips on the project so here’s my best shot…
HOW TO PAINT A FRONT DOOR and GET A SMOOTH LOOK:
- sand sand sand – I purchased an orbital sander {black and decker from home depot} and I couldn’t have been happier…its cheap and get the job done (wear a face mask)
- Use 80 grit sand paper for the first sand – hit every inch to ensure primmer bonds well
- Next use 220 grit to smooth out the surface
- Wipe clean to get all the dust off (again still get that mask on) a de-glosser is always helpful too – but i didn’t cause I got Lazy – geez it was 5:30Am give momma a break
- Use {Zinnser Brand water based primer} (i used oil on accident and i felt sick for days – the fumes are intoxicating – rookie mistake). Let dry – i waited a day
- Apply first coat. Trick to a brush free/streak free look is being extremely anal retentive and buying good quality paint and brushes/rollers. I used a brush to get the paint in all the grooves and crevices then used a door/cabinet foam roller (bought from Home Depot or Benjamin Moore) to roll on the paint. *** continually watch the drops and use one of those black foam wedges to blot up drops ***always brush in the same direction.
- Repeat as many times as needed – mine was 3 to get a rich look
And lets be honest…don’t fool yourself. I have some brushstrokes, especially when it gets really sunny…but I’m probably the only person who notices. But DIY’ing it was a hellova lot cheaper (under $150 for 2 doors) then paying someone to get it sprayed on…and I like the streaks – they are like birthmarks.