Everything You Need to Paint A Front Door

I had been itching to paint our front door ever since we had our exterior trim painted back in May. I picked a color (Farrow & Ball De Nimes) and we applied for HOA approval (it's a long process and one we've had to do a lot...) that finally came in a couple weeks ago! I ran to Lowe's to grab my paint (I color matched the Farrow & Ball color to Valspar Defense Exterior Paint, and they nailed it) — as well as ALL of the other supplies I needed and got to work. I sanded and painted the door opened INTO our house (as opposed to standing on the front porch), and let me just say — I absolutely loved it while I was working on it. I couldn't stop raving about it. But then I shut the door, and... you could hear crickets. It's just not giving... what I had in mind. The moody blue just didn't go as well with the trim color as I imagined.

I repainted the door the same color as the trim, and I wasn't crazy about that either. I couldn't believe it, but I really missed the black! I'm a big fan of a "pop of black" in every room, and it feels like the front of our house needs this, too! Take three: Back to black.

Isn't she lovely??? I ordered a new brass kickplate, and I couldn't be happier.

My go-to painting supplies

The moral of the story? It's JUST paint! This is such a quick, impactful project that completely changed the facade of our home. If you're looking to paint your front door, there are a few supplies that are must-haves. One of the most overlooked areas when painting is prep... our door was cracked in several places so before painting, we used a putty knife and some heavy duty waterproof patching compound to fill those in. Here's everything else I used:

1. Lint Free Mini Rollers $6 A mini roller is key for painting sections of a paneled door! Make sure to get the ones marked for smooth surfaces to get a really even finish.
2. Valspar Defense Exterior Paint $25 One quart is plenty to paint a door, and I went with semi-gloss because even though my front door isn't super smooth, I still wanted it to be a little glossy!
3. Orbital Sanding Discs 180 Grit $9 I'll be honest, our door is not in the best of shape... I used my orbital sander to smooth as many imperfections as I could before painting. I used 120, 180, and 220, starting with the lowest number first.
4. Nylon Paint Brush $13 This 2" short-handled brush is my go-to for cutting in.
5. Handy Paint Pail Liner $4 My Handy Paint Pail is an absolute must have for painting projects! These liners make cleanup a breeze.

Other supplies I used:

• ScotchBlue Painter's Tape $5
• FrogTape Painter's Tape $18
• Drop Cloth $8
• Disposable Paint Tray $2
• DEWALT 120-Volt 3-Amp Orbital Sander $84
• Orbital Sanding Discs 120 Grit $9
• Orbital Sanding Discos 220 Grit $9