By Manasa Reddigari | Updated Oct 4, 2023 2:32 PM
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A: A fresh coat of paint can hide minor imperfections on your front door, defend it against harsh outdoor elements, and boost curb appeal in a big way. But to get these entryway assets, you can’t slap on any old paint. The best paint for a front door will have a blend of qualities that maintain its integrity and good looks in the face of stormy weather and scorching sun. You’ll want to consider paint durability, sheen, color, and suitability for the material of the door. Read on to learn how to pick the right products for your front door, plus color selection and application tips to ensure professional quality results.
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Every DIYer tackling a paint project should bone up on the different types of paint, suited to different surfaces and locations, as well as the basics of paint selection. Then consider the paint properties that best suit the surface of your front door, keeping in mind the durability of color and finish.
Front doors must withstand temperature fluctuations, rain, hail, snow, and dirt, which is why you should stick to paints that are formulated for exterior use: Only those labeled “exterior” or “interior/exterior” will be up to the task. These thicker paint formulas contain more resins, pigments, and resiliency additives than interior paints, which makes them resistant to staining, chipping, fading, and peeling. By contrast, interior paints can only tolerate light wear-and-tear.
Both dedicated exterior paint (used on top of a separate primer, discussed in detail below) and exterior primer-and-paint-in-one products are great options for the front door. Today’s combined primer-and-paint formulas often cost half as much as it would to buy primer and paint separately, and can provide equally good coverage in some scenarios. Using one of these products will also cut down the hours you spend on the project, saving you from applying the standard two coats of primer and allowing adequate dry time in between. Whether you choose to apply paint and primer individually versus an all-in-one primer-and-paint product should come down to the condition of your door.
A combination primer-and-paint product may be sufficient if:
Separate paints and primers are needed to improve paint adhesion if:
If you’re not using a combination paint-primer product, you’ll need to use a standalone primer that’s appropriate for the job before applying exterior door paint. First and foremost, be sure that the primer is labeled for exterior or interior/exterior use. Applying primer may seem like an unnecessary step, but it helps hide stains and covers the old shade, allowing you to use less paint for full coverage and vibrancy. Primer also gives the surface the proper texture and porousness, so the final results will hold up.
In most cases, either a water-based primer, like, Zinsser Bulls Eye Primer, or an oil-based interior/exterior primer (like the KILZ Original Interior/Exterior Primer) should suffice. If you’re painting a water-based coat over oil-based paint, you must use a bonding primer, which, as its name suggests, is specially formulated to stick to glossy and other challenging surfaces (things like chalk paint, glass, and tile). Behr’s Interior/Exterior bonding primer is a bonding primer worth considering.
Finally, you want the primer color to be as close as possible to that of the paint—use a light gray primer for a lilac door, for example. You can also ensure a perfect color match by buying a white primer and having it custom-tinted at the store to match your chosen door paint color.
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Exterior paints come in water- and oil-based formulations. Here are the pros and cons of each:
If your front door is made of wood, start the selection process by investigating the best paint for wood surfaces. Then narrow your choices, based on the ideal type of paint for your door, be it wood or some other material.
Exterior paints are sold in flat/matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss sheens, in order of the lowest to the highest luster. Semi-gloss is ideal for front doors, as it’s more wear- and stain-resistant than flatter sheens. It’s also more reflective, which means it easily wipes clean, highlights carvings or other architectural flourishes on the door, and provides an attractive pop of shine in the entryway. Semi-gloss will also mask imperfections better than a high gloss sheen, which can draw attention to divots, errant brush strokes, and other minor flaws.
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Without a storm door, awning, or a shady tree to protect your front door from direct sunlight exposure, UV rays can eventually fade its paint color. Front doors with east or west exposures are even more prone to fading. Fortunately, today’s exterior paints are often formulated with fade-resistant properties.
Look for exterior paints labeled “fade-resistant” or “UV-resistant,” which will include colorfast pigments and a higher volume of binders than ordinary paints. This allows them to retain a crisp color despite prolonged exposure to intense sunlight. While no paint is fade proof, modern exterior paints may only fade 1 to 3 percent per year, while older products would fade on average 7 percent a year in direct sun.
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While buying a fade-resistant paint will help color stay true, it’s also crucial to consider the light reflectance value (LRV) of the color. This value, rated on a scale of 0 to 100, indicates how much light reflects from the paint color when dry. The higher the LRV, the more light the color reflects, and the less likely the paint finish is to fade with sun exposure.
The LRV will be listed on the paint manufacturer’s website or on the paint chip, a card showing the range of colors available for a particular paint brand. Look for an LRV of at least 55 to ensure that your painted door reflects a fair amount of sunlight to retain color. In general, lighter, more muted shades, such as beige or mint green, have a higher LRV, whereas darker, richer colors, such as cherry red or navy blue, have a lower LRV.
Black paint, which often has an LRV of 0, depending on the brand, reflects virtually no light, meaning it will absorb most of the light that hits it and fade quickly. In fact, certain door manufacturers will void your warranty if you paint the door black because high heat absorption can warp the door. However, if your warranty will allow it and your front door is shaded, you might still find the color’s positive impact on home resale value worth the risk. The Paint Color Analysis survey performed by real estate database Zillow found that homes with black or charcoal gray front doors sold for $6,271 more than expected in homes around the country.
Traditional exterior paints are certainly more rot-resistant than interior paints, but they can still form a fair amount of mildew or mold with enough exposure to water and humidity. If you live in an area that gets lots of rain or snow, look for a paint that’s specifically labeled “mildew-resistant” or “mold-resistant,” like HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams’ WeatherShield Exterior Paint. These paints are formulated with antimicrobial chemicals that prevent mildew and mold from setting in for the period of years indicated on the paint container.
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While black and dark gray doors rate high when it comes to resale value, there’s no reason you can’t go bold! As you’re browsing through paint chips, weigh these paint-selection considerations.
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Consider this professional guidance when tackling your front door paint project for great-looking, long-lasting results.
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