Simple & Sunny Door Makeover

It’s that time of year again, and I have a painting bug.  The exterior of our home hasn’t been painted in over 5 years, and it’s about time it got a makeover.  And thanks to CIL, we are tackling everything:  the front door, the porch railings and floor, the house trim and possibly the garage door.  This is no small undertaking, but it’s time…we don’t want to look like that house…you know the one.  So the first place I thought we should start was on our front porch.  This is the first thing people see when they come up to our home, and I want it to look sunny and inviting!  So guess what colour I chose to do this?  Yep.  Yellow.  Now you may think this is crazy, but let me explain.  Our porch does not see the sun.  Ever.  Not a drop.  So it can be very dreary.  And I thought why not bring the sunshine to the porch with a coat of paint?

Plus I have always had trouble with matching outdoor decor to our red door…the red just seemed to clash with everything I liked, including plants.  Now that the door is a light yellow the decorating possibilities for me are endless!  I can’t wait to shop for plants.

I’ve got big plans for this porch, so stay tuned for the final reveal…it’s going to be fresh & gorgeous!  So to kick things off here is the first part of our porch reveal…our front door after a sunny coat of paint:

Doesn’t it look so fresh and sunny?  It’s exactly what I envisioned.  Not too bright, but bright enough.

Now lets look at the before and after…everyone loves a good before and after shot:

Before  //  After

Both colours are great, but the yellow just suits us so much more!  And really this post isn’t about telling you to paint your door yellow.  It’s to inspire you to paint your front door, period.  So many doors are various shades of beige and brown and grey…which is great…but colour.  Oh colour.  It just makes people feel happy.  When I walk up to our door I just feel happy.  🙂

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And because we loved the colour so much we had to use it somewhere else…but where?  Ahhhh the deck door.  Yes.  Now don’t look at the peeling trim mmmmmkay?  Remember, that’s all part of our outdoor paint project plan!  Just look at the door.

This is what it looks like if you are standing on our deck.  Again this part of our deck gets basically no sun…so the door is like a little ray of sunshine.

But where I love this yellow door the most is in our eating nook.  Our eating nook gets next to no sun.  In fact, the only sun it gets is late in the day in the summer.  So majority of the time this little corner is dreary, which is why I’ve added the teal curtains, and why now we’ve painted the door.  So during these summer months the door is swung inside and it’s like a little ray of sunshine has been let in all day now.

I love it so much, I can’t even tell you.  Sometimes I just walk into the kitchen to look at it.  True story.

Oh and in the evening when the sun finally does come out?  Wow, gorgeous!

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Painting details:

• We used CIL Realife Ultra Premium Exterior Paint for Siding, Doors & Trim Paint with Built-In Primer, in Satin
• Colour:  Creamy
• Our door required 3 coats of paint to get the coverage we wanted.  Any time you paint a light colour over a dark colour, it takes an extra coat to get a perfect result, no matter what paint you use!

Practical Painting Tips:

• Make sure your doors are cleaned properly.  We always use a TSP/water solution for cleaning.
• Make sure the doors are dry before applying paint.
• Paint brush type:  we used a small foam roller, and a small foam brush for touch ups.
• Don’t press too hard on your foam roller or your paint will be applied too thick.
• Don’t worry if you get some stray paint on your door window or door handles, it comes off nicely.  Ideally, you should remove the door knobs, but I didn’t…I just remove stray paint afterwards.
• Follow the directions on the can for drying times.

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So like I said before, this post isn’t about me telling you to paint your doors yellow.  I just want to inspire you to add some colour to your home in unexpected places…it’s like a rush to have a bright and cheery colour in spots you might not think about painting!  But when you do get that paint brush out and add a splash of colour, it feels great.  Trust me.  😉

Have an inspired day!

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Disclosure:  I have been sponsored by CIL brand paint for PPG to write this post, but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.  Really truly.  I’m loving the transformation of CIL paint in my home!

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