Create a Phenomenal Front Door for your Home Exterior
The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute
Allow the front entrance to your home to personify your distinct decorating style. Small details often make a significant difference in the way the front entrance to a home is perceived. Fashion a focal point entrance to the home by concentrating on the front door size, style and applied finishes.
Painted wooden doors can be color coordinated with existing exterior paint color schemes or blended with the regional landscape palette. Monochromatic color schemes (where the same hue on the front door is utilized in various tones throughout the entire color scheme) can highlight an exterior where the homeowner has opted to draw attention to a distinctive outside element such as a colorful flower garden surrounding the perimeter of the home.
Complementary color schemes such as red doors with green shutters can also create a dramatic focal point to the entrance of your home. (See Color Guidelines in DIY Design Center)
Always use a high quality paints and primers for these projects so your doors will look newer longer. If you choose a latex or water based paint, top quality, 100% acrylic exterior trim paints will have excellent durability and color retention. Top quality alkyd paints can also be used. These paints will have excellent adhesion, but may fade sooner.
In addition to the standard height of 6 foot 8 inches, oversized front doors are available in 8-foot heights or larger, with enlarged widths. Rather than incurring the price of a custom door, another option is to consider installing a standard sized double door, which creates the illusion of an expanded and dynamic entrance. Use high quality paint and following the color guidelines above, will further enhance the dramatic effects of these larger doors.
Front door fabrications (including various grains of wood and wrought iron) can be treated to a fresh coat of exterior paint, resulting in an innovative transformation through the use of color! Think outside the box when exploring color selections for the exterior front door. For instance, visualize not only traditional black on an iron door, but consider eye-catching newcomers such as antique bronze, pewter or burnished gold. If the existing fabrications are rusted or have flaking paint, consult Choosing the Right Paint in the DIY section for proper service preparation, primer and topcoat recommendations.
Interesting front door design details include squared or arched styles. Distinctive designs can be hand carved into the interior or exterior of wooden doors. Stained glass inserts can be set into wood to produce a unique design, as well as accommodating natural incoming light. Full pane glass doors surrounded by wood or iron are ideal choices for dark front entrances or homeowners desiring a greater abundance of light.
There are numerous creative ways to enhance an existing front door. By replacing existing hardware, the door style can be altered to spotlight a decorative finish or distinctive theme. Contemporary locksets and handle sets add beauty and elegance to the front entrance, converting an often-nondescript door into a stylish focal point.
Prior to tackling a front door makeover, do-it-yourselfers may wish to consider consulting appropriate sections of paintquality.com, shelter magazines and books, paint swatch cards or paint professionals for assistance with exterior paint type and color selection to ensure an attractive and quality phenomenal front entrance!
Visit several areas of The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute’s website for additional exciting paint ideas to refresh your home.
