Front Door Repaint 1.0
Even before we moved in, I planned on putting my own stamp on the front door. I think it personalises the house and makes it feel like your home as it reflects your personal taste. I think my parent's having a beautiful front door didn't help matters!
1. Preparation
I started by washing down the door, scraping away any flaking paint. I then taped off around the windows and gave the whole door a light sand with a fine grit sandpaper. Be sure to give it another wash down to clear away any dust. As I was changing the door handle I filled in the holes using expanding foam and putty filler. I also used a clear sealant to fill in the cracks/gaps between the beading and the door- as can be seen in the picture of me scraping away loose paint.
2. Primer
I applied two light coats of Zinsser 1-2-3 primer. After speaking to a lovely lady in Colourtrend futher into this process, I now know you should apply;
1. Primer
2. Undercoat
3. Two coats of colour.
(I did use an undercoat later when I needed to change the colour)
Colour 1: RAL 7032
After lots of research I thought I had found the perfect colour. But in hindsight, what is the perfect colour for someone else's door doesn't necessarily mean it will suit yours. Our cream windows have quite chunky frames on the corner of the bay windows which is very close to the door. This means they are quite dominant and I found the first colour RAL 7032 'Pebble Grey' wasn't strong enough next to them even after two coats.
Colour 2: F&B French Grey
After trying out some more testers, I thought French Grey (by Farrow and Ball) looked well with the cream windows. After giving the door a light sand, I applied one coat of Colourtrend colour-match of French Grey in an eggshell finish.
As you can see from the picture here on the left- there wasn't much of a difference between the RAL 7032 and the French Grey.
It was a stronger colour and had more green to it but again, once you stood back and looked at it with the cream windows, I didn't feel it was enough of a contrast. I wanted the door to be the focal point.
It was back to the drawing board!
2. Final Colour: Fleetwood's 'Monet Dark'
After receiving paint charts from Fleetwood, I spotted a colour 'Monet Dark' that was close to Farrow and Ball's 'Pigeon' but had more of the green tone that I was looking for. Again, I got a tester pot first and tried it out on some lining paper. I was much happier with this shade
3. Undercoat
I gave the door another sand and this time took the expert's advice and applied a water based undercoat to ensure this final colour would not chip.
I always give any coat at least 24 hours to dry as the weather was verging on too damp for painting.
These are the ideal conditions for painting courtesy of Promain;
Ideal air temperature of between 12 and 35 degrees cent.
Overcast cloudy conditions
No risk of rain during the application and drying period
Maximum of 80% Humidity
The substrate must be a minimum of 3 degrees cent. above the dew point
8. Hardware
Changing the door handle was quite a challenge. As the door had a multi-locking system it meant our choice of handles were narrowed to uPVC style handles that allowed you to lift it up in order to then be able to turn the key to lock it.
I wanted a polished chrome finish and unfortunately our current door handle didn't come in this finish. Luckily, I came across The Door Handle Company who have a huge range of beautiful door furniture.
The important measurement we needed was that between the door handle and the barrel for the key. Ours was 92mm so we could filter all the handles in that size and find one we liked!
Choosing the knocker was easier, as we didn't have one on the door so didn't have to match any existing holes. I went with a long straight one to match in with the shape and style of the door handle.
The letterplate was another challenge. Again, this was because of the existing one that was on the door meant our opening was wide but not tall. So we had to cut the opening in the door bigger to allow the plate we bought to open inwards.
9. Finished Product!
I have to say I am delighted with the finished result. It was alot of work with all the colour changes but it was worth it to get it right. It's the first of many changes we plan of our new home but this was an important one. We fell in love with this house from the moment we saw it but now it feels more like 'our house'. I pull into the driveway after work and love seeing my own stamp on an already beautiful house. It says, "Welcome home!"