Saturday morning, I woke up and decided to paint the front door. I kinda envisioned getting it painted that day, but deciding on a color took an entire day. I have been pinning yellow doors like crazy lately because I think they look so cheerful, but once I got the swatches up, I just wasn't feeling it. And then I told Chris, "I know that I want green." The top one on the right is called Lemongrass by Behr and I thought it looked great with the gray brick, but I started worrying that it would be lost with all of our green shrubs. So, I declared once more that I definitely wanted a red door. Specifically the red right under Lemongrass, Bijou Red. Red is classic. Red definitely doesn't blend in, and if you didn't know it--I am a total sucker for red.
Earlier this week, you learned that we bought a new door and Monday night I got to work. I thought I would be done by the time the Bachelorette was over--wrong.
After two coats, it looked like this, and I settled in for the long haul. The long haul being 11 coats of high gloss paint in Bijou Red. And although I got frustrated and shed a few tears along the way, I honestly couldn't be happier with the results. Let's check out some befores and afters:
What a difference, right? Gah! We love it. And an added bonus that we didn't even think about was the extra light we gained indoors:
Speaking of pay, this whole project definitely cost more than we anticipated because we bought a new front door, but here's the rundown just in case you are planning on tackling your own door soon:
Front door: $197
1 quart of high gloss exterior Behr paint in Bijou Red: $12
4 new house numbers: $5.99 each
(these first three items I had a 10% off coupon for--score!)
New doormat: $6.97
Grand total: $200.47 (plus tax)
...and worth every penny in my opinion. What do YOU think?
Yes, it really says: Designer that knows a thing or two lives here.
ReplyDeleteThat looks great!! We recently went from Forest Green to White and though I'm doubting it'll be permanent it's nice having a nice clean (hopefully for a while) door!
ReplyDeleteI envy you and your red door!
Usgrahams,
ReplyDeleteI can see how white would be refreshing coming from a dark forest green. Paint is such an easy refresher, it's hard to get stuck on just one color for too long.
-Jules
I love the red! The style of the door is reallllly cute too! You did a great job!
ReplyDeleteIt's super cute!! It's totally worth it. I, luckily, already had a navy blue door so it only took two coats of the paint+primer. I love your new door!! I would love to replace my door with a door like yours. Time to save my little pennies! Thanks for sharing with me!
ReplyDeleteI can tell from the red door that someone cool lives here
ReplyDeleteGinger (aka my mom),
ReplyDeleteWell, mom. Chris is MEGA cool. Hahaha. Thanks! I don't even want to know what the dingy white door made us look like.
-Jules
Oh, and just for fun, I considered Lemongrass for the front door but went with Bijou Red. It's like we are front-door-paint-pickin'- BFF's!
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteYou joke!!! That's craziness. Door Bffs for life.
-Jules
love it!
ReplyDeletegreat choice of colour and new door!
cheryl xox.
That makes such a great difference!
ReplyDeleteCute blog, girl! Love it.
Sooo beautiful! Totally worth the money!
ReplyDeleteThe front door (and numbers and mat) look great! I love the color you chose. It really changes the way your house looks!
ReplyDeleteLove it! The funny part is that I saw your post on the Behr site and recognized the door right away!
ReplyDeleteHi, love your door!! Where did you buy such a beautiful door so cheaply??
ReplyDeleteWOW this looks so great!!! Red is a Bleep to paint....but a tip when going from white to any darker color is to first use a tinted primer. You can even ask the paint dudes to tint it pinkish so the red goes on in fewer coats. I did a buffet in a peacock blue and I also shed those tears when I realized I had to do yet ANOTHER coat. :) I'm DYING to paint my front door...but my HOA won't let me...wah! I'll just live vicariously through yours!!Great job!!
ReplyDelete-Lani
One Little Mustard Seed-
ReplyDeleteHome Depot! If you click on "Front Door" in the budget break down, it will take you directly to our door. We were floored at the price as well!
Diapers and Divas (Lani)-
Thanks for the tip. A tinted primer would have been a life saver. Surprisingly, I only used about 2/3 of a quart--but still. 11 coats is enough to make anyone shed tears, right?
-Jules
The red door turned out to be amazing. Such a lovely detail to the whole house. Great job.
ReplyDeleteFallen for your blog so I am def following and maybe youll visit me one day too. =)
thebookness.blogspot.com
YAY!!! I said this on the Remodelaholic site and now I can say it here!!!
ReplyDeleteSHUT THE FRONT DOOR! This is fantastic! It makes your home look bright and wonderful! you did a GREAT job! :)
Love the door you chose with the windows up top. The colors is great, too.
ReplyDeleteJust popping over from Remodelaholic.
I just found your post from YHL & love your red door! As a side note...the white piano is to die for! Details please. :) Love!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Pamela! We are pretty smitten with the piano, too. All of those details you can right here: http://chrislovesjulia.blogspot.com/2011/06/baby-number-2.html
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled over from YHL and have to say I love the red door. It really pops in the overall exterior shot!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful house...Nice place...All are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteRoman shades concord, ca
I just loved your door and im planning on buying and painting the same one! same color! what kind of brush did you use?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Brenda! You are so sweet. I just used a regular 2 inch Purdy brush, but in retrospect, I would recommend a small roller for extra smooth finish and then go over it with a brush. I think that would be a little easier than all that brushing! Hope it helps. I would love to see pictures when you get 'er done.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled over from YHL and have to say I love the red door. It really pops in the overall exterior shot!
ReplyDeleteYou have a new fan from germany....
ReplyDeleteI love the red door ,it feels like a bit of alice to wonderland,
big greetings
Thanks and welcome aboard! So glad you found us!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE it! Did you use a combination brush/roller? Also, someone told me I have to prime my door...Um, NO! I will not be doing that. WAAAAAAY to much work! The pop of color looks fabulous. Aren't you glad you did it?!
ReplyDeleteI just used straight brush. So glad I did it!!
ReplyDeleteYour new door would have looked great in any color - but the red is stunning! I linked to your post on my own red door story here: http://cherrybubbins.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-door-adventures.html
ReplyDelete:o)