Painting the Inside of our Front Door
I don’t love our front door. In fact, I kind of hate it.
It’s not ugly… it’s just not my style AT ALL. I would love a more modern and simple door like this one with a really classic style. The decorative glass does not compliment our interior style and I wish that this door let more light inside.
A new door is just not within our budget though. So I had to figure out a way to tolerate this one for a while.
When we purchased our house, the front door was a dark maroon color on both sides and if you know me, you know that’s just not my jam. The entire house had really vibrant or dark colors painted on the walls (there was one big wall painted a chocolate color and the foyer and hallways were painted a bright blue). We have since painted all of the walls throughout a bright, un-tinted white.
Last summer just after we moved in, I painted the outside of the front door a soft, light blue. But the inside of the front door was still bugging me. It sticks out like a sore thumb when you’re standing downstairs because it’s the only dark colored thing in that part of the house.
Knowing that I was able to tackle the outside of the door and the screen door in just one day, I decided to take on the inside of the door!
I used Kilz Adhesion as my primer (first coat) on the entire door and sidelights. This primer helps paint adhere to hard-to-paint surfaces. I wasn’t worried about the paint sticking to the fiberglass door but I also knew that this would help with durability immensely.
I then used Behr Marquee’s semi-gloss interior paint in un-tinted bright white. This is a tip that I always use in every home we live in - I never use tinted or colored white. My go-to white paint is a simple, un-tinted brightest white.
I know that all of the professional paint people swear by everything Sherwin Williams but I’m here to admit that I haaaaaate it. I have used all brands of paint - Behr, Sherwin Williams, Glidden, Valspar, Benjamin Moore and even some really random ones - and there is no paint as crappy as Sherwin Williams. I hate it. I hate painting with it, I hate the way it applies, it peels, it’s terrible. So, paint snobs can laugh at me but if you’re just an everyday kinda person… go for the mid-high tier types of Behr brand paint.
I taped off the windows and the bottom of the door frame. I wasn’t too worried about the trim because I figured I would paint that anyway and again, I always use the same color white!
I had two different brushes and I purchased a tiny foam roller for the flat parts of the door which was very helpful. It came with its own tray.
The next step was slapping on some of the Kilz Adhesion. I was careful with this to cover everything but not focused on an even application or eliminating the splotchiness.
I let the primer dry completely overnight but that’s entirely unnecessary. I think it would be best to allow at least an hour between the primer application and paint but again, just follow the instructions on the canister and balance what is best for you. I needed to take a break and tackle some other things so I figured it couldn’t hurt to let it dry overnight.
The next day, I came back and did 2 coats of the Behr Marquee paint (allowing 90 minutes to dry between coats).
I’m in love with the way this looks. I don’t love this door but this swap does allow me to ignore it a little more until a new door is practical for us! I’m happy with the way that it turned out!
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