#231 - Buh Bye Black Door

I'm trying to catch up on blogs - this entry is from the week before Thanksgiving, but I hadn't edited the photos. 

I've finished my first project from the Young House Love book!  #231 - Paint your front door.  Truth be told, I've wanted to paint our front door for some time, but needed to convince Pete that it could be done.  Showing it to him in the book was all it took!

I picked the color several weeks ago - the day we were featured on YHL - but then we had a little cold snap and I couldn't start my project.

There are actually two colors pictured above.  I chose the one in back - Lotus Leaf by Behr, mostly because it was available in an exterior paint and primer combo.  The other one was a Martha Stewart color in a brand I can't remember.

I bought the special small foam rollers called for in the book, and some fine sandpaper for prepping the door.  I already had liquid deglosser and an angled brush on hand from some other painting projects I've done around the house.  Here's what our front door looked like before the first coat.  I had already removed the door knocker and mail slot and wasted about 45 minutes trying to get the doorknob off - if you have any suggestions, please let me know.  There were a couple of spots of caulk that hadn't been properly sanded before the previous owners painted the door black, so I sanded those down along with the area around the hardware before applying the deglosser.

 

Then it was time for thin and even coat number one:

Then, after the second and third coats dried, I put the hardware back on:

It was, of course, after 11pm by then.  I need to take a picture of the whole house in daylight hours so you can see the whole effect, I'll try to update tomorrow with one.  The whole facade of the house looks better.  It's much friendlier-looking, not so dark and dreary.  I also ORBed the heck out of the door knocker and mail slot, so that's another YHL project in the bag.

My only regret:  listening to the employee at Home Depot who suggested the satin finish over semigloss - I didn't have the book with me so I took her word for it.  I do wish it were a bit glossier.  But even in it's satin-ness, it's 200% better than the black!

I'm thinking I'll do #234 next - I've got an old birdbath that's practically begging to become aqua before winter.

UPDATE: Here are some before and after pics of the door. 

Before (old pics I found in iphoto) - note the brass door knocker and mail slot.   (and cutie baby girl on her first day of 'school')

and after:

We hope to have the trim of the house lightened up to match the new windows- a bone color  -and I'm hoping that we can make the storm door bone at that time.  Also, note Fiona photo bombing my shot.  And yes, we do still have our fall pumpkins on the stoop.  Hoping to make it more wintery this weekend.

Bonus pics:  photo of my first-ever fall mantle.  I think it turned out pretty well.  Ellie at dinner.