Your home’s front door, as well as other entry doors, face a great deal of abuse from the elements. Whether they’re being attacked by winter’s harsher climate and are subjected to a battering from rain, hail, snow and sleet, or the scorching summer sun has faded them to a shadow of their former selves, repainting your door is essential if you want to maintain the appearance of your property.
The front door is one of the first things that passersby and visitors to your home notice. It’s the focal point of your property’s facade and speaks volumes about how well you take care of your investment. Of course this becomes of paramount importance if you are thinking of putting your property on the market. Research has shown that buyers take between just 25 and 38 minutes when deciding whether or not they want to buy a new home – a surprisingly short amount of time when you consider it is one of the largest investments most of us will ever make. But that means that the decision is formed quickly – pretty much from the minute a potential buyer pulls up in their car outside your property. And it doesn’t take a real estate tycoon to work out that the more neat and tidy the exterior of your home is, the higher the likelihood is that someone will put in an offer.
Whether you want to sell your property or not, presenting your best face to the world – or at least to your neighborhood – is something every owner who takes pride in their home and who wants to protect their investment should do. Wooden front and entry doors can look stunning when they are properly cared for but it doesn’t take much for them to fall into a less than attractive, or even shabby, state of disrepair.
Of course, the other reason why you should consider repainting your front door is that it can give the outside of your home a fresh new look. If you don’t have the budget to get the exterior of your house painted, simply choosing a fresh color for your door will give your property a whole new lease of life.
The good news is that by simply repainting your front and other entry doors you’ll be able to upgrade your home’s appearance quickly and inexpensively. If you’re thinking of undertaking the challenge yourself, read on for a few helpful hints.
How to repaint your wooden front and exterior entry doors
- You can leave your door hanging, but if you want the best possible result, you will need to remove your door from its hinges. After all, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well as the saying goes! Once the door is off its hinges carefully lay it on a pair of sawhorses in your yard or in a space that has plenty of ventilation.
- Likewise, you could, at a pinch, leave the hardware attached but to achieve a professional finish, you should remove it all: knockers, hinges, letterbox, bell, knob, numbers etc. Then use painter’s tape to mask any glass or windows.
- You now need to clean your door. Use a wet sponge to do this and make sure it is done thoroughly. Once you’re happy with the state of your door, lightly sand the surface. Wipe again to remove sanding dust and let dry.
- Next up is priming. Don’t be tempted to skip this crucial stage – after all you’ve come this far, and primer really will help the paint adhere better to the surface of the door.
- It’s finally time to start painting! If your door has large flat areas, you can use a roller to paint these. For anything else, such as paneling, use an adequately sized brush.
- Once you’ve completed your first coat you’ll need to let the paint completely dry before adding a second. Again, this is not a step to gloss over, if you excuse the pun! A top coat will not only give you a far better finish but will protect your door against the elements for longer – therefore reducing the chances of you needing to go through the whole procedure again soon. Don’t forget that if you need to let the paint dry overnight (according to the time you started painting and the paint manufacturer’s instructions) you will need to secure your home. You can do this by screwing a cut-to-fit piece of plywood in your original door’s place.
- Once your second coat is completely dry you can remove the masking tape, replace all the hardware and rehang your brand new door.
If all of this sounds like a little bit like too much hard work and you’d prefer to spend your weekend doing something a little more relaxing – or fun – get in touch with Sharper Impressions Painting today and our team will be more than happy to give you a quote for repainting your external doors.