This summer we've been doing some improvements on our own house. It had been about 6 years since we did the last major improvements and we were ready to tackle a few more. As a professional home stager I understand the value of improving ones home before even thinking about selling. Far too often I see sellers who wished they'd done for themselves what they've improved for others when in the process of selling.
For the other home improvements we've done this summer you can read the blog: Sellers, I feel your pain.
Well we needed to paint our front door, desperately! It was the original "stain" from 14 years prior when the house was built. It was in pretty decent shape when we bought the house almost 7 years ago but 7 more years had taken it's toll. Unfortunately I do not have a good "before" photo of what the door looked like but it can be described as a "well weathered" wood look.
Texas heat and the elements (strong winds, hail storms, ice at times) are brutal on the exteriors of a house here in North Texas. From decks to doors, we need to frequently treat, stain or replace items for the wear and tear. I don't know about you, but I'd rather treat something than have to replace it.
Our backyard fencing and deck are something that we've maintained every 3rd year and I'd highly recommend if you live in dry conditions like here in Texas, taking care of those expensive wood decks and fences rather than having to replace them. If you can avoid it is so much less costly! Prevention is the best cure.
I often make recommendations to clients about their front doors.
Here are some options:
- Generally if they have the same color as the door currently is (and it's a nice pleasant one) a simple recommendation is to repaint a fresh coat of the same color.
- If wood, sand and re stain for a cost effective option
- If the door is in really bad shape, replace
- Changing hardware is also another great way to update the look of your front door
Now our door was wood, natural in color with a stain that had seen much better days. We decided to go for a new color.
In choosing our own front door color we did the following:
- We zeroed in on our brick exterior as a base from which we'd choose our color (not a bad idea for
anyone selling either, whether your home is painted or brick, choosing a color that enhances the color of your home and draws your eye towards the door is always a good choice)
- An ornamental tree, a Japanese Maple, that sits outside our dining room window was also another inspiration with its deep burgundy color leaves in the fall
- Took paint samples (the little paper ones you can get anywhere paint is sold) of colors we thought we'd like and brought them back to the house and literally taped them on the door near the brick. That really helped us choose what colors worked and what didn't.
- Checked out the paint colors at different times of the day. Light changes color and that was something we wanted to see.
- Found our color. It was a great mix of all the colors represented in our varied brick tones. (In case you're wondering it's called Cinnamon Cherry from Behr)
We also did replace the hardware on the front door as well as all exterior doors in the rest of the house to keep them consistent.
Painting for many people is a dreaded chore however it gives you the biggest bang for your buck and a little sweat equity pays high dividends. For us, it makes us happy to come up to the door each day with a warm welcoming color to greet us and our visitors.
Hope this helps if you've been thinking about painting your own front door!
I not only proudly live in Collin County, TX I also work to serve those of you who do as well .
Proudly serving Collin County and North Dallas Realtors, Sellers & Investors, Home Star Staging is here for you North Texas!
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Looks great - love the plants too!