Painting A Wooden Exterior Door Black
Painting A Wooden Exterior Door Black
I love a beautiful black front door, don’t you (remember me painting mine?)? And this party link is not only informative but beautiful! Actually, I have to admit that I like both versions both the before and after, their door is just beautiful to begin with! But look at what Christa from Modern Vintage Interiors just did:
This house was one of my inspirations from our summer trip:
Houdini himself couldn’t get the Safe-T-Lock off, and I feel much safer knowing that. I sanded, primed, and painted with an interior/exterior paint. Twice. The first paint was SW All Surface Enamel. It went on rough, even with the paint sprayer, and I couldn’t stand the smell. It is the stinkiest water-based paint ever.
I also don’t like the smell of Behr Paint and Primer.
But I like lacquer thinner.
It’s complicated.
I sanded it smooth again, and used SW Solo semi-gloss and it went on smooth. Phew. I didn’t topcoat it with an exterior urethane because here in the desert, the heat will cause it to wrinkle within a year.
Here it is after spraying the final coat (Tricorn Black). It looked great, but we talked about it and decided to rub through the edges a bit. (I used a razor blade to be very exact and to get through the primer).
If you do this after priming and painting something, some of the white primer will show through, and/or the wood may not be as dark as you want it, so remember this trick and just stain the edges with a brown marker or wood touch-up pen. If you use a wood stain, it will affect the sheen of the surrounding paint, and will not coat the white as well as a good old fashioned marker. Or, you could rub through the primer, then again after the paint is on.
Before:
After:
I realize it seems strange to paint a perfectly okay wood door. But this house is full of wood, and it needs some different finishes to break it all up. (I am aware of the over-use of black in this spot, which needs to be balanced.) Still need to make a frenchy pillow for the antique chair.
She did a great job don’tcha think?
Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.
>Thank you so much for the feature!
>Great how-to!
IMO, that awesome black door would really pop with a brass handle & lockset. And I'd be tempted to punch it up with a scuff-resistant kickplate at the bottom too.