The BEST Black Front Door Paint Color

You guys have NO IDEA how excited I am that the EXTERIOR of our house is on the project list this year. We spent 3 years updating the interior little-by-little and there's still more to do but we're finally at a point where we can focus on the curb appeal, and I'll be straight up with you - our house has NONE. I haven't touched the exterior AT ALL. Well I redid the back patio last Spring, but that doesn't count. 

It's difficult to make a 1991 desert landscape, tract stucco house with off-white paint and a peach roof glamorous - but we're going do our best to polish this turd and after painting the front door, I have hope!

I mean, just look at this front entry before... 

Front door before being painted black

Sad.

I'm sorry you can't unsee that now, so let me apologize by showing you some exterior progress...

Painted front door in SW tricorn black

The project was just as tedious as I expected it to be, and that's probably why I put it off for 2 years, but it was worth every sweaty second. I was waiting for the weather to cool down to tackle this project and it was still in the 70s in December so I figured that was as good as it was going to get and went for it. I was right - it's still in the 70s! January is usually our coldest month, albeit, nothing like most other places but it has only dropped below 70 degrees a handful of times. Does anyone back East have a spare room I can rent for the Summer? 

Annnnywayyyy... let's talk shop.

Painted front door in SW tricorn black

After I deglossed and scuffed up the door with a scotch brite pad (same method I used on my kitchen cabinets), I used a quart of Behr's Interior/Exterior Alkyd Satin Enamel paint for this project. I had Home Depot color match to Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black (SW 6258). I chose this color after researching black doors and clicking on multiple photos that used that color. This was my first time using that specific type of paint by Behr, but my husband restores arcade machines (which you can see in my laundry room) and LOVES that paint so he recommended it and I went with it. I liked it, but it's not good for impatient people like me. My husband possesses the patience in this relationship. I'm notorious for recoating something before the recommended recoat time and I've had no issues - until this paint. I recoated too early and it was a disaster. It was so streaky and uneven so I ended up having to do a third coat (which I waited weeks to do), and it was a lot more even. 

I also tried using a brush for the first couple of coats and it didn't work out well so I went with a foam roller for the last coat and it went on so much better and didn't leave any texture. If I wasn't so lazy about taping off the exterior I'd have sprayed the door because that's sure to lay a beautiful coat every time, but unfortunately taping is my least favorite part of painting so I opted for a method that ended up taking much longer. I definitely recommend spraying if you have the supplies and patience. 

PAINT SUPPLIES:

MAKE MAGIC:

  • Remove hardware
  • Lightly sand or degloss the door
  • Wipe down thoroughly with a damp cloth to remove any dust and residue, let dry
  • Tape off any areas you don't want to paint
  • Paint any cutouts and smaller crevices using your paint brush first
  • Use the foam roller for the flat surfaces of the door being very careful not to go back over the same area too much as it will leave marks (or better yet, spray it all - LOL)
  • Apply 2-3 coats and make sure to abide by the recommended dry time between coats
  • Once everything is dry, re-attach the hardware and enjoy your beautiful new door!

I ended up replacing the foyer light and door hardware as well because that brass stuff had to go, and the products are linked below. 

If you've been thinking about how to update your curb appeal, then this is probably the quickest and least expensive update you can do! If black is not your thing, then check out my friend Megan's beautiful BLUE door over at TX Sized Home for some inspo in color! Next on our list is getting the exterior of the house painted but we will NOT be taking that on ourselves - that is one project we will hire out. 

Make sure to pin your favorite image so you can reference it when you're ready to paint your door. Or better yet, if you subscribe to my blog then that's the best way to stay up-to-date with DIYs like this!

XO,
Christina

Comments

Girl it looks fabulous!!! I love Tricorn Black! Your doors totally change the exterior of your home. #curbappeal #goals

Thank you so much, Megan! xo