How to repaint a front door… industrial blue style
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I have wanted to repaint my front door forever. Here’s why…
The door before
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Welcome to my very scratched up burgundy door. It was this colour when I moved in.
Over time, I attempted to add a glaze to it to give it some dimension to buy some additional time until I figured out if I was going to repaint it or replace it…
And I even got a new push button lock for it!
But in a nutshell…
While this colour is actually pretty, it did nothing for the colour of my home
The brick around the door is orange-ish. And it didn’t even play all that well with the siding tone. It really was a hot mess.
I tested the waters by painting the molding a complimentary tan colour to the siding, but it wasn’t working.
So I let this combination sit for a long time until it came to me… I had already repainted most of the house trim a gorgeous warm black / deep chocolate custom colour (inspired by my cat’s tones!)… so why not try that with the trim around the door?
Which would then separate the door moreso allowing a fresh new colour to pop… now what colour would that be?
And then this little blessing dropped in the mail, which changed my mind in a quick, hot second!
My new shipment of Fusion Mineral Paint arrived, and in the box was this luscious Homestead Blue.
About Fusion:
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Fusion Mineral Paint is a self priming, self levelling, no top coat required furniture paint that is ok for outdoors as well so I was anxious to give it a try on my door!
How to repaint a front door:
Supplies I used:
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Blue Door Paint – Fusion Mineral Paint in Homestead Blue
Tsp or a cleaner (I suggest to use Fusion’s phosphate-free TSP!)
High grit sandpaper (to scuff sand)
Shop for Fusion products from a local merchant HERE
Visit my entire Amazon affiliate store curated with all my fav paint supplies!
How to repaint your front door
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1. Clean your front door well, to remove all surface contaminates.
I cleaned my front door with soap and water, then rinsed it off well because I didn’t have any special cleaner at the time. But I do now!
Fusion carries a Phosphate-free TSP version, which I recommend. You dilute it with water, and there’s no need to rinse it off either. A container will last you a long time!
2. Scuff sand your surface, then remove dust with one more clean.
Doing a light scuff sand ensures a smooth surface offers nooks and crannies for the new paint to stick.
3. Give your pint a good shake.
Look at that beautiful blue liquid gold… you can just about hear it glug while I shake! I want to drink it!
4. Pour paint into a clean container.
While many dip their brushes in paint containers, I like to pour paint into a fresh container to keep the pint contamination-free.
Then wash the Fusion lid and clean the pint rim before closing it. Fusion has incredible bonding power and your lid may stick if you don’t.
Tip: I now drill a large hole into a new pint lid when I first receive it, then cover the hole with masking tape to create a pouring spout of sorts. It works amazing!
I was so anxious to try the paint colour, I did a test first! And fell completely in LOVE! So right after this…
5. Tape your door window edges with masking tape and remove door handle.
6. Paint window framework first as a separate entity.
7. Start from the top of your door, and work down, so you are always painting against a wet edge. This ensures perfect blending.
If your door has deeper panels than mine, I’d suggest to paint them first, then surrounding them immediately as you work your way down. The key is to maintain a wet edge for perfect blending.
I personally only required 1 coat as the coverage was that good! You may wish to add a second coat.
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General painting tips with Fusion:
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- Do a surface test first to ensure you’re going to achieve the desired results.
- Don’t delay the project once you start. Fusion dries quickly, especially outdoors.
- Maintain a wet edge at all times for perfect blending.
- Paint drying too fast? Use Fusion’s paint extender or spritz with water as you work or wet your brush with water prior.
- Don’t want brush strokes? Try a microfibre roller. Option: remove texture with a brush.
Wow! What a difference! The door turned out positively dreamy in Homestead Blue!
But let’s fix up that frame around the door now and allow that beautiful blue to pop!
I decided to use my house trim paint so it was an exact match.
But this paint tone is close to Fusion’s Chocolate with perhaps a little black added. Or use Fusion’s Coal Black.
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Trim paint and colour I used:
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Custom tone – blackish brown
Cloverdale Paint (sold in Canada)
Covercoat Flat / 02204 N (neutral base) with B 11y / C 1y8 / I 1y8 / 02204
The repainted door reveal
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THEN BAM! I had this gorgeousness in front of me! Isn’t it a complete stunner?
The darker framework perfectly set the stage for the Homestead blue door. Just gorgeous!
Why Homestead Blue?
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Blue is on the opposite colour wheel of red, so they compliment each other. But the key is intensity too. The tone of the brick was close to the tone of the blue.
I love how the blue cools down the warm brick.
And the brown-black trim colour really frames both the brick and the door beautifully.
It’s a stunning combination!
And then I treated the side windows like an industrial showcase of sorts. That brown – black demanded it!
Here’s one trinket I found at the Chelsea Flea Market while visiting New York! The tin above was only $10, so it needed to come home with me.
A couple more propellers / blades on the other side sealed the deal. They are from Granny and Grumpas, and reader Sandy, from THIS post!
From… abandoned house burgundy…
To this gorgeousness!
Seriously, how can such a little amount of paint make such a big difference?
But the MUCH bigger question… why did I wait YEARS to do this?!
Quite possibly, because Fusion wasn’t born yet. 🙂
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HERE is a post by Melanie of Lost and Found Decor, using Homestead Blue on her front door too. She offers some sound prepping, and prior cleaning tips. She’s also a trained Fusion paint merchant, so she knows what she’s doing. Listen to HER! 🙂
So if you were wondering how to repaint a front door, I hope this tutorial offers you the confidence to pick a colour and go for it!
Besides… it’s only paint. And you can change it up next season for the price of a new pint!
I do… see below where I repainted my door in Bayberry next!
What colour is your front door? What would you like it to be?
Find what colours Fusion Mineral Paint comes in HERE
And find a merchant near you HERE
p.s. and make sure to get that brush!
Disclosure: Fusion sent complimentary paint for this project and since I was so thrilled with it, I wanted to write about it! All opinions are my own. I proudly endorse Fusion products.
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Other Fusion painting posts you may enjoy:
Learn how I repainted my door in Fusion’s Bayberry next!
How I prepped and repainted a headboard with Fusion
See how I used Fusion’s Stain and Finishing Oil on an Ikea shelf
Learn how I paint pillows with Fusion
Visit all my MANY other Fusion painted projects HERE
Your entry is beautiful and I love your choice of colors. The blue is the compliment to the orange/brown bricks. Absolutely wonderful transformation. Way to go Donna! Another project well done!
FlowerLady
Hey I recognize that metal container! It looks great on your beautiful new door. The blue with the black was an excellent choice 🙂 Now I’ve gotta go do mine.
Love, love, love your door! The shade of blue is awesome and the black-brown trim looks so industrial. It appears that the blue and black-brown echo some of the shading of color in some of the brick. I wonder if it looks that way in person. Wonderful choice and paint job! Have a great day!
Hi Donna,
The door looks great and thanks for the paint tips….I have a question…… Why did you switch to another type of pant for the door trim and not use the fusion brand there as well?
Pat
Hi Pat!
The house trim is already done everywhere else, so I didn’t want to start over with a new colour / new paint for that part, just keep using it.
But I’ll truly admit, I hated working with the house paint compared to Fusion. The coverage and flow just isn’t the same. Fusion has very special properties I love that other paints just don’t seem to grasp even close.
LOVELOVELOVE what you have done with your door and trim! Have been looking at colors and couldn’t quite make up my mind – after a while they all ‘swam’ together and just quit looking. Love the colors you have chosen for the door and am seriously considering the ‘Homestead Blue’ you chose. I have brick on my house that looks a whole lot like yours – but would just love to know what paint you chose for the trim. May I ask what paint and color you used? LOVE IT!
Thanks so much –
Barbara in TN
Hi Barbara! The blue is gorgeous! Just the right amount of muted without being bright.
I’ll add the trim info to my post, but here’s what I said to another commenter…
The brown – black was a totally custom colour. I actually brought in a picture of one of my cats and said, “I want this!” haha I just picked a deep brown and had them darken the dickens out of it. The paint is Cloverdale Paint sold in Canada, called Covercoat Flat, 02204 N (neutral base) with colour numbers B 11y / C 1y8 / I 1y8 / 02204
LUV!!!!! Please, do keep us up to date on the wearability of this paint.
I love it! Great minds obviously think alike 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing my post also and for your kind words–hopefully I will be as knowledgable as you say I am 🙂 Enjoy your lovely new front door!
Donna – is this a new color? Doesn’t show up on the link of the colors so assume so. I really love the color. My exterior must have something done to it this summer and this may be the perfect color. Your entry way is seriously awesome now.
Omg! Gorgeous!!!
And I can’t believe you don’t LOVE the brick. It’s perfect. Especially with the new door color.
The paint totally changed my mind, Sia, now I adore it! 🙂 Just gotta work with what’s there, for sure!
W.O.W. – how beautiful! The dark brown trim really ties in your bricks to the beautiful blue door. It reminds me of a take on the robin egg blue and brown that is a classic and always stunning. It’s funny that just before visiting your blog, I was looking on Benjamin Moore’s and Sherwin Williams’ websites for how to paint vinyl siding. I’ve hated the color of our house since the day we bought it, but it’s vinyl sided and 10 years ago we were advised not to paint vinyl. Now there’s special paint for it and I’m dreaming of what it would look like in a different color……
The best projects are done in pjs!!! It looks wonderful!!
I have that same door and hate to paint all the window divisions. I will never buy a door like that again, lol. Wow paint that covers in one coat sounds like a hit. Love the new color!
I LOVE IT!!!!! Looks amazing…..good job. 😉
Love that blue. Love the brick. I am painting all my windows right now. No fun, like your door. Doing a file cabinet next. Maybe I will use that blue.
Wow, it’s seriously fabulous. Just awesome. I have a back door and trim to paint so this post came at the right time. Thank you!
Donna, your door is gorgeous, and I especially love the junky eye candy!
Please let me know if Fusion paint is available in Quebec. I didn’t see it on your site.
Many thanks,
Fern
Hi Fern! Thanks!
I searched the Fusion site, and sadly didn’t see any findings in Quebec. BUT if you put in the town you desire, they will show up!
http://fusionmineralpaint.com/where-to-buy/
At the bottom of my post, I included the above link so one could search their given areas. I hope you can find some!
Ohhh Donna ,this is such a welcome post! Your door is gorgeous! I absolutely love what you have done! Yes,it makes a woman proud…..
We have 2 of ,the ugliest doors I have ever seen,on our manufactured house. I am ashamed of them, thankfully no one can really see them. There’s so much to do here I don’t know what number priority they should be. You made it sound easy and fast! We just ” remodeled”our itty bitty closets,which reminded me of your laundry room fix! It is so good to be connected to you again! Love the door…hmm wonder if there is teal or aqua in this paint? Can it be bought at local HD or Lowes? Nicely done my friend!
Hey Bernice! There are teals and aquas in this paint, but it is only sold through individual merchants, not chain stores. But they are everywhere… may be one in your hometown too. 🙂
Wow!! Stunning door and trim, just loving it!! I want to repaint my cement porch and stairs, what is the name of the color of trim paint you used. You said it was a brownish/black color!! Thank you for your help. loving your posts!!
Hi Janet, the brown – black was a totally custom colour. I actually brought in a picture of one of my cats and said, “I want this!” haha I just picked a deep brown and had them darken the dickens out of it. The paint is Cloverdale Paint sold in Canada, called Covercoat Flat, 02204 N (neutral base) with colour numbers B 11y / C 1y8 / I 1y8 / 02204
Wow what a wonderful transformation!!! It looks like a totally different house! I’ve been thinking about painting my front door this exact same color but I have a question. My house has lots of redwood siding (emphasis on the RED), so do you think this color would go with it?
Hey Teresa! I like to look at a colour wheel and grab an opposite colour if you wish for a contrast. I wanted to tone down the red of the brick so I knew blue would be cool.
Do you have a picture of your home? Feel free to share it on my FB page and ask the question, FBers love to chime in with advice!
What a transformation! A fresh coat of paint changes everything. What you did here enhances the door and windows and makes them look new again. White trim is usually my favorite, but your choice of black makes a much improved statement. Go, Donna! Maybe it was the PJs.
HAHA! Yes, I think PJs indeed are to thank here! The best brainstorms come when I’m not overly prepared… thanks for the kudos! I can’t believe this is my door! 🙂
Hello Donna,
Painting is one of my least favorite things to do. But, a fresh coat of paint is one of my favorite things, too. I appreciate the information on Fusion. You have a large, wonderful entry space. The new door color really draws the eye. Consider multilevel and larger accessories. While the propellers are great, displaying them together on a table or shelf would give them more visual weight and interest in front of the brick. It would be wonderful look. You have a pallet bench to the right of the door. Maybe you could try a pallet and metal creation for the display. Your DIY skills are amazing. Gather your plants togehter on one side, also in containers of of varying height. Use a recycled tool box for the smaller plants, but have one with more vertical height to balance the shelf you are going to create on the left. Upsize your light to a large lantern so your beautiful blue paint and door are more welcoming by night, too. You have such a creative flair and great ideas. I don’t want to step on that. But I know I sometimes need a “nudge”.
Nancy, I adore your ideas! I plan to get new lights and beef up the decor around the door… eventually. This was a first step and easy to implement while the paint was drying on the door! haha
Really excellent color choice!! Blue and brownish-black look awesome together. And the way they compliment the brick is just fantastic! You really have an eye for these things!!
Very pretty! Is Fusion paint low in V.O.C.s by any chance?
Yes, it sure is Kathy!
Hahaha! I’ve also often run outside all excited and painted something while in MY jammies as well 😀 I swear the neighbors must think I’m crazy!
Love your door! I know I’ve seen those little Fusion bottles somewhere and assumed them to be little craft/sample sizes… I’ll now have to look for both the Fusion paint and brush now as I’m a paint (and good brush) fanatic …Mom always said that you can get the biggest change by painting vs crying over not having the money to remodel.
We have the exact door in a very similar color from 1980. We need to repaint it and were unsure what color to use. After seeing your post, we may just repaint it the same color.
A question that I have struggled with — do you leave all of those windows bare on the inside? Or will you hang curtains or something else?
Hi Brenda! As crazy as it sounds, I leave them bare. The entry doesn’t look into the rest of the house so I’m cool with it. I actually had the frosted window panels removed and put in clear instead to allow more sunlight in! 🙂
Bare sounds great though I feel like I’d be on display if I left mine bare. Thanks for responding!
My front door is school bus Yellow and I want to paint it RED. How much paint does it take to paint just the door? I do not see any retailers close to me so i will need to order on line. Any other good ideas you can pass on would be appreciated.
Dragonfly
Hey Marcy! I used about half a big jar of Fusion for 2 coats for one side of the door. It goes a long way!
The entire process really depends on what your door has on it already. If it’s an oil based product, you may need Ultra Grip first. Prep really is everything. My best served advice is to email a Fusion merchant you will be ordering from with all the knowns so they can help guide you on what products you may need.