Actually, Donnie made those rustic shutters, and gave me that turquoise glazed pot next to the door for our last anniversary. And I picked up those chairs at Ikea last year. So I guess we've done a little bit to help the front.
But that door! The color blends right in to the brick, and what is that color anyway?
I don't know what this color is called, somewhere in the putty family. Like Silly Putty
I chose colors for the door and the surrounding trim from Martha's line at Home Depot. I had it mixed in Exterior Latex High Gloss. I chose latex, because I'd have to shut the door that night, and couldn't wait for oil-based paint to dry. The grey is one shade lighter than we painted our shutters earlier this year.
I like the green a lot, and I wanted something that would work with the handmade ceramic house numbers I got Donnie for our anniversary last year.
I got them from Cirrelda on Etsy. Not sure if they are still making them, but it's worth checking out.
I considered a dark teal/turquoise paint color, but thought that might be too many colors on the door and stuck with the green.
To prep the door, I removed the doorknob and deadbolt, sanded with coarse sandpaper and my palm sander, and primed with BIN primer. (This is nasty stuff--really stinky and messy, but it covered well, primed perfectly, and dried super-fast.) I also read this post by the Thrifty Decor Chick, which was really helpful. (That's one of my favorite sites for DIY home ideas.)
I used a 1 1/2-inch Purdy sash brush for the insets, and a trim roller for the flat sections. It took about 3 coats to get the true color, waiting 3-4 hours in between. (The 105-degree Texas heat really cut down my waiting time here!)
Here's a tip: Save your old bath mats and door mats for painting projects. They make great drop cloths for small projects, and they don't wrinkle up and trip you while you're working.
You may wonder whether someone had my children out of the house while I was doing this project. Uh, no. Mostly they were inside trying to keep Esther away from the door. Mostly, they were successful.
But not always. She's totally neckid in the above photo, but I had to get the 2nd coat on right away, and she wouldn't let anyone else touch her. Thank goodness the door was small and each coat only took a few minutes to complete.
Want to see it all finished? First, let's look at the before, because I know you are hoping to see that old color one last time.
and...
What a huge difference a little paint makes!
So, what did Donnie think when he got back from his trip? He really like it. He said he couldn't believe I'd done it, and finished everything. (Which has not always been my M.O.) I think the trick to making your spouse happy with any DIY project is just to finish it. I put the numbers back on, the peephole back in, and reinstalled the door hardware just the way it had been before I started. I packed away the paint and brushes, and didn't move on to another project before all the painting was finished. (And believe me, I was tempted!) So by the time he saw it, there were no remnants of an ADD home-improvement job, just the improvement.
I asked him if we could make this work until we got to replace the door, and he said, "We don't even need to replace it now!" Aw, thanks hon!
So, by the fourth day of Donnie's trip, I'd done two painting projects, and my brain still would not shut off from all the other things I wanted to do before he got home. But you'll have to wait a little longer before you see those...
Linking to: BNOtFP,
