Painting is my specialty and I’m excited to share one of my favorite techniques with you. Today I’m showing you how to paint and distress a front door. I really love this look!
This is the time of year that we start thinking about what projects we want to tackle on outside of our homes. If you have been thinking about giving your front door a makeover I have a beautiful option for you! In the video below I show you how to paint and distress a front door and the results are fabulous! This method is a great way to make your door look fresh and clean but keep an antique, vintage look. You know that’s a combination that makes this vintage lover happy!
How to Paint and Distress a Front Door
One of the main features of curb appeal is the front door. It can add so much to the overall exterior look of your home. And, just like the interior of our homes, there are so many different styles and colors that we can choose from. I really love using this method because it gives such a beautiful vintage feel to any type of door and any type of home.
Even if you have a beautiful older home, a lot of times the door will have been replaced because the original one has withstood too much damage. And often the new doors are all one fabricated piece and not individual pieces of wood that have been crafted together. Whether that’s the case or you have a newer home with a newer door, this process lets you mimic that classic wooden door look.
Tips and Tricks…
In the video below I share some great tips and tricks for this process. One thing I really want you to know thought is not to be scared of giving this a try! If you don’t like how one part of the door turned out you can always go back in gently with the base coat and tone it down. Just start with a light hand when distressing and you’ll be fine!
If your door is wooden you’re job will be even easier because you’ll just follow the natural grains and separations of the wood. If you have a door that is not wooden though, don’t worry! Just find an image online of a wooden door that you love and you’ll see how the wood is patterned and be able to mimic it. Just beware, looking up vintage wooden door images is a rabbit hole, there are so many gorgeous vintage doors out there! Don’t worry, I explain how to mimic the wood in the video too.
Supply List
- Exterior paint in the shade for the door’s base coat
- Paint brush
- Painter’s tape
- Black exterior paint (semi-gloss)
- Paint pan
- Water
- Rag
Step by Step Instructions
- Start by taping off and painting your door the color you chose for your base. Allow the paint to dry before moving on to the next step.
- Next, use the painter’s tape to tape off the lines where the wood of the door separates. If your door is all one place then make it mimic wood by taping off where the wood pieces would be. (I show you this step in the video so if my words don’t make much sense here, don’t worry!)
- Now put a little bit of water in your paint pan then add a little bit of the black paint, you want about a 1:1 ratio. Use your brush to mix it, you want your paint to be nice and thin. Next, brush most of the paint off of your brush. I like to use a cardboard box for this step.
- Next start applying the black paint with a light hand, going with the direction of your wood grain (or how the grain would go). Do your horizontal lines first. Start at your tape and work outward. You don’t want solid lines here, you’re just adding what looks like wood grain. Use a rag to smooth out the paint if you need to. You want some heavy areas and some light. Again, you’ll see what I mean in the video.
- Once your horizontal lines are done you can start to remove the tape and then do the vertical lines. If your door has beveled edges be sure to hit the high points of the beveling with the paint.
The Wrap Up…
Whether you have a single or double door, a new home or an older one, you can use this method to beautify your front door. I love the look of this base color because it mimics burnished wood. But you can use any base color that makes your eyes and heart happy! I hope you love the results as much as I do. And, I would love to know if you try it!
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