Painting the Inside of an Exterior Door

Sorry for all the project posts, Carson had his first business trip this last week which left me and (not-so-baby anymore) James home alone by ourselves! This was seriously the first time spending even ONE night away from each other since we've been married...yeah in 5 years.  But since we joined the real world of adults, I guess it was bound to happen.

Since I knew I would have a lot of time on my hands I convinced Carson to let me do another diy project from my list (I have a rapidly growing list...which may or may not be turning into a crazy obsession...HELP. ME.).

I figured I'd go with one I for sure could tackle in one week.  Also, most important, I wanted to go with something that fit into our budget...remember we still have blinds and a yard to put in.

Oh, by the way, we bought a water softener and blinds for the master bath!  So we're slowly nicking away at that daunting new home-owners task list :)

I've seen people paint the inside of their exterior doors black and really liked the look so I decided to give it a whirl.  I originally decided I'd just do the door leading to the garage just in case I didn't like it (are you kidding?) but I LOVED it so I did my front door too!

Supplies used (and why I chose them....I am definitely a "why" girl and always have to know the reason behind what I am doing):

• 1 quart Behr "Black Suede" semi-gloss finish paint/primer in one-   In this case, I found using a paint/primer in one works just as well as priming then painting in two different steps.   I'm all about eliminating extra steps if possible!  I also used semi-gloss because it's good with hiding fingerprints (must have with a toddler). And one quart is plenty!
• Wooster PRO nylon/polyester 1 1/2" angled paint brush-  Definitely splurge on a good angled brush- this ensures a smooth application and doesn't shed bristles.

• 220 grit sandpaper-  The larger the number, the finer it is (less rough). You don't want to gouge holes in your door ;)
• Painters tape- definitely a no-brainer, you don't want to make a mess 
• Small paint roller with a roll that is shed resistant and indicates it gives a "smooth finish"- like the angled brush, this is very important for quality! But you can find these for far less expensive.

The How to:

1. Clean the door and let it dry
2. Remove doorknob hardware and using painters tape, cover door hinges (and around door frame if you feel the need- I did on my first door but felt I didn't need it all that much around the frame so with the second door I didn't)
3. Lightly sand entire door using a 220 grit sandpaper and wipe with damp cloth to remove debri.
4. If you are painting a door with grooves, use angled brush in grooved portions of door first (see pic below)
5. Use small roller to apply paint to raised areas of door and let dry for at least 2 hours before second coat.
6. Use 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out any blemishes caused by first coat paint job and wipe away debri with damp cloth.
7. Apply a second coat of paint following steps 4-5

here is a pic of step #4

Seriously, SO easy!  The hardest part was getting the dang doorknob and dead bolt back on!  Seriously took me over an hour just for that part.  I'm so not handy :)  And I believe it only cost around $35 with paint and supplies. 

And of course the before and afters...

The door leading to the garage

and the front door

yeah...I forgot to remove the painters tape for this pic :)

I absolutely LOVE it!  I think it gives a more classy and sophisticated look. It was a little hard to get used to at first, sometimes in the evening I would catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye and think the door was wide open!

I guess I was overly anxious with this project.  I gave myself a week to finish it and actually finished it in two days (both doors) and that's with a toddler...woot!  So other than this last minute project that I also did this last week, the rest of the week I just sat and twittled my thumbs until Carson came home :)  Oh, not entirely true, I shoveled a boat load of snow a couple of times.  Geez, Carson timed going out of town just right ;)  Good thing I have awesome neighbors who helped.