Welcome to my branched front door, barn wood bench and wood mat.
This post shares how I repainted my front door, made a reclaimed wood mat and a funky new reclaimed wood bench! (this post contains some affiliate links)
We are not kind to front doors.
Ok, the fact that the front door stuck terribly, and that I store my bike in the front entry did not help the cause.
I LOVED my front door colour (you can see HERE in Homestead Blue)… however I either needed to repaint it blue again or… how about a new colour?! You know, to help chime in with summer?
When my eyes first landed on Fusion Mineral Paint’s new green tone Bayberry, I KNEW that was the one. It spoke of all things nature.
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How I re-painted my front door
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.So I did a little finger painting along the frame and liked what I saw!
1. Clean door well.
2. Tape off any glass areas.
3. Scuff sand the existing door to give new tooth to the new paint.
3. Re-paint your door while the door is on the hinges. Or if you can, remove the door and lay it flat to repaint since that does make the task easier.
(I did not add a primer nor topcoat as Fusion MIneral Paint self-primes (as long as you prep correctly) and has a built-in top coat.)
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I then gave the entire door a good scuff with sandpaper to prepare it for the new paint. The door actually covered well with one coat, however I added a 2nd as an attempt to cover up some brushstrokes I left behind. Whoops.
Working fast against wet lines can be tricky on an outdoor windy day on a multi-panel smooth styled door.
Here are some more tips on how to paint a front door.
However, the most tedious part of painting this front door is removing / reinstalling the door hardware and taping off the glass panels. They take longer than painting the door itself!
But I tossed aside an evening bike ride to do it right. I even chipped and sanded at the door join until I could close it with one finger. Oh yes I did.
I was even going to get a new door set, because the finish on the touch pad panel was worn. Then I oiled it with a little bit of Miss Mustard Seed’s hemp oil, and ended up saving hundreds of dollars….
Because I got my beautiful door and hardware back! And then some.
I also added a little bit of branchy quirk, a new bench and a wood mat too!
So… allow me to show you around starting with the mat.
How to make a wooden front door mat
1. Four random planks were cut to desired length.
2. Each one got holes drilled into both sides of the two ends.
3. Twine was threaded through each hole, then tied together.
4. Welcome to my Home was created with Fusion Mineral Paint’s Coal Black (HERE on Amazon Affiliates) and two stencils from Funky Junk’s Old Sign Stencils HERE
Stencils used: Farmhouse – small and Welcome to my Garden
I didn’t sand the boards, so the grit of the wood could better catch dirt on shoes. I plan to just hose the mat off when dirty. Time will tell if it was a good idea or not, however it sure is fun to look at!
Do they make fuzzy wood?! That would be nice… maybe I’ll just shoot a really good image of it and have it transferred onto a front door mat. That might work…
Let’s move onto the bench!
World’s easiest rustic coffee bench
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1. Gather up one large plank for the top.
2. Cut four 3×3 posts to desired length.
3. Tuck the legs together under each side of the top plank. Screw from the top.
4. Secure leg posts together with random junk hardware.
Remember my barn wood haul? That board was waiting for the perfect project and this was it. I didn’t even have to cut it down!
Now I have a spot to place my (ahem) coffee when I juggle my packages while opening the front door.
This bench idea was inspired by super cool Cherished Bliss’ bench HERE.
Remember the big stick find during my bike ride? I finally found a use!
Nothing chimes in with nature like a good ‘ol branch. So I just staggered a few more around the front entry for that nature vibe.
My brother handmade this birdhouse so it’s very special to me.
Les is precise… he knows how big to build the sides and how large to drill the hole to attract a certain kind of bird. Cool, huh?
This thrift store found bird house is screwed to a plank acting as a shelf.
The branches were dry fit into place with some screwed to the ladder to help hold everything in place.
My front door went for a LONG time with no decor. Just an unwound water hose and leaves blown wild here and there.
Now it finally looks like somebody actually lives here!
Welcome to my branched front door, barn wood bench and wood mat indeed…
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Products used:
Funky Junk’s Old Sign Stencils
Fusion Mineral Paint’s Bayberry
Some other front door projects that may inspire you:
How to paint a Buffalo Check front door mat
An industrial front door in Homestead Blue
Donna, If I saw this entry anywhere…I would know it was to your fabulous home! Great job!
Haha, oh that’s funny!
Thank-you Jeanette!
How do you do it Donna. If I had to pop a few branches strategically at our front door the hubby would drag it away and use it as fire wood. You just have such an amazing touch and I love your welcome mat. If it doesn’t last a lifetime, then it will sure will get some character and you’ll do something awesome with the bits
HAHA! Oh you made me laugh out loud Michelle! My first tries with the branches were pretty hilarious. I actually carried them all back to the garage at one point giving up! Then I tried them one more time…
Or maybe it’s because I don’t have a husband to drag away my stuff? LOL
And yes about the mat, it’s great making easy stuff so when I tire of it, it can just be dismantled again for more stock!
Thanks for your kind words. : )
Donna – this front porch is you!! I love that color and everything including those beachy looking branches compliments perfectly. What a welcoming space that speaks creativity. Awesome Job!
The first thing I thought of when I saw those branches was how fun they’ll be to decorate for Christmas. I love Christmas.
Oh boy, I think you’re turning me into a junkoholic! Love your front porch!
Haha! Welcome to my world! And thanks. : )
Fantastic, I love it all!
Very beautiful and inviting entrance, but the new door color is gorgeous! It pops in a way the blue could not. Excellent job, as usual.
Love the new front door color.
I recently painted my front door with Modern Masters Front Door paint. Love that stuff!! 🙂
It looks amazing Donna. Love the whole thing!
How I love that bench you made for your front porch! I love the wood, the bit of paint on it, and the hardware is the jewelry! Super! Just love it.
Also love how the ladder color ties to the door and you have made it useful, holding a birdhouse. Loving how you repeated the branches on the ladder, as well.
What an interesting and welcoming porch. Nice.
I love the color of the door and your super cute bench.
I love all the old wood you’ve used in your porch decor. I especially like the bird house fastened to the ladder. I have some morning glories growing up an old step ladder by my garage and I have a birdhouse that doesn’t have anything to hand it with. Seeing yours on the ladder makes me think that my birdhouse belongs on that step ladder. Thanks for the idea!
I love all the old wood you’ve used in your porch decor. I especially like the bird house fastened to the ladder. I have some morning glories growing up an old step ladder by my garage and I have a birdhouse that doesn’t have anything to hang it with. Seeing yours on the ladder makes me think that my birdhouse belongs on that step ladder. Thanks for the idea!
Donna, sorry for the duplication! I guess I should go to bed now!
Ah Donna, your front porch is AWESOME!!! You came up with the perfect place for it. Kinda like it was waiting for you. An innovative use of wood for a mat! Yes! The bench and your description of how to leads me to think- -Yeah! Thanks so much for letting us to be able to visit.
Wow, everything you do has that especial touch of ‘you.’ — the mat is awesome and then I thought…’why didn’t I think of that before’ lol.
I love your blog!
love the idea of a wooden door mat and the way you added the string!
when you did the insta story about painting the inside doors…i loved the tips. it may have been the closet doors in your son’s room.
hope you get some little birdies!
Oh gosh, imagine my embarrasmen when I was more awake to read my comment. I wrote it when I was unable to sleep. I was referring to the large branch at your door when talking of the perfect place for it. Gosh, I love your porch!
Morning, I love your front porch! We go up to Door County Wisconsin and there’s plenty of birch branches on the ground. Next time we’re up there I’m grabbing some for my porch. I’m also going to try making the adorable bench. Thanks for all the ideas, you’re an inspiration!! Peace. Kim
Omigoodness, I love your wood door mat! I’ve been looking for something out on the porch in front of the door and haven’t found anything I really like. This one has me singing! Thanks for the idea – gotta give this a try.
I love everything about this! I love being unique and I have never seen anything quite like this. Great job. I really like that black trim around the whole door area.
🙂 gwingal
I Love your color combination for the door with those windows. Really classy.
Linda, Oklahoma
Like you, I don’t venture into green too often, but that door looks so great! Two questions: did you keep the door on the hinges? And, did you just paint on the front surface–not the door sides?
Hi Maisy, yes to both!
I removed the door handle and opened the door so it was ‘inside the house’ in order to paint it. This kept most wind off too.
And just the outside surface was painted. The door is white inside so I left everything else white. All that mattered is that the door looked green from the outside and it most certainly does! I adore it.
Thank you, Donna!! You have inspired me greatly, I keep thinking I need to wait for the perfect to day have to door off…nope, I am just gonna do it. I have an altogether different color scheme going–but I think my gray door is gonna look great against my yellow and white house!
Love this idea! How has the wood mat held up with use?
Hi Vanessa! It did really well! But once it started raining, I swapped it out for an absorbent type again. I think layering wood underneath with absorbent on top could be a really cool look! I think I may try that next!
Everything is so beautiful! I love ‘barnboard’ and recycled wood especially unpainted. I’ve been ooing and ahhing over everything on this page. I think I’m in love. lol
Thanks Kate! Anything antiqued or rustic certainly has my number! I appreciate the kind words!
Bayberry is the best color for a front door, it looks just gorgeous.
such a great choice! ann lee s
It is a very pretty green, chimes in so perfectly with outdoor foliage!
Man, I just love your style!
I may just try and make my own door mat! I love it and Bayberry is a beautiful green. It all looks amazing 🙂
What are the names and kind of paint you used for the frontier?
I like it very much!
Alice
Hi Alice! I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s Bayberry for the front door. And thank-you!