The Front Door Draw

Curb appeal is the first thing a prospective buyer notices and one of the only things your neighbors know about your home.   Giving your front door a makeover can impact your curb appeal quite a bit. You may find yourself at the home improvement store drooling over beautiful oak doors with ornate windows and fixtures, until you  come to your senses and realize that you could buy a small car for the price of a new front door. But the truth is you don’t have to spend thousands to do fix up a standard steel front door. A quick coat of paint is not only inexpensive, but super easy and takes just a few minutes. Some things to consider:

Material

We would never recommend painting a solid wood door. Re-staining a wood door that needs it can be a great way to spruce up your entrance, but it will take a little more time and money. However, once you paint a wood door, its much harder to restore it to its natural beauty, so don’t do it!

Color

With any project you do to your home, the first thought should be “How will this affect my resale?” Many real estate professionals recommend yellow doors because they supposedly feel welcoming to prospective buyers. However, a yellow door, if not blended with your home and neighborhood, can draw negative attention. Also, because painting your front door is so easy and cheap, unless your house is currently on the market, we recommend picking a color that you like and will enjoy. If its too personalized when it comes time to sell, just a few minutes can remedy to a more neutral shade.

Types of Paint

Make sure you pick a high quality outdoor paint. Front doors not only have to endure weather, but knocking, keys, well-hit (although poorly aimed) golf balls, etc.

Hardware

Consider spending a bit more and adding new hardware to your front door, a new knob or handle or an ornate knocker.

Of course, this is on my mind because we recently painted our boring white front door. I love royal blue, and one way or another, I earned the rights from my husband to be the sole chooser of our front door color. Here are the results! I realize its a little ‘controversial’ in the world of front doors, but I love it and am completely prepared to paint it another more buyer-friendly color when it comes time to sell.

-From Realtor.com