From habitat magazine - issue 35, entrance ideas
It’s easy to open the door to colour.
Nothing says welcome home quite like a brightly coloured front door. In fact, of all the areas in your home, your front door has the maximum impact per square centimetre and – best of all – you can paint it in an afternoon.
Tegan Williams, the National Association of Women in Construction’s Tradeswoman of the Year 2021, finds painting doors extremely satisfying. “I love the classic high-gloss look painted with a brush. When I get to paint a door, I always walk away happy,” she says.
It’s a job you can complete in a few hours, but she says the trick to adorable doors is to take it slow and steady and “use a brush”.
Doors take a lot of knocking, both intentionally and accidentally. That’s why the paints Resene recommends for doors are waterborne enamels Resene Lustacryl (semi-gloss) and Resene Enamacryl (gloss), or you can use Resene Super Gloss enamel. These hardwearing paints give your door added durability and make it easier to clean off fingerprints, dirt and dust.
What's your door personality? What does your door colour say about you? Read more at www.habitatbyresene.com/doorquiz.
Use a high gloss finish, such as Resene Enamacryl, to make your front door colour pop.
Fiona and Dane, Wellington
When Fiona and Dane’s 1940s ex-state house needed an upgrade, Fiona chose to go brave and bold using Resene Dark Knight CoolColour on the weatherboards and Resene Big Bang on the door. “We knew the door had to be bright, but there are so many awesome colours to choose from. We used the Resene palette generator to get complementary colours to Resene Dark Knight and went with Resene Big Bang,” says Fiona. The steps and house foundation are Resene Copyrite, the trims and soffits are Resene White and the stencil detail is painted in Resene Walk-on in Resene Eternity.
Shayden, Georgia and Frankie the dog, Christchurch
Shayden and Georgia wanted to make a good first impression when selling their villa. The Christchurch couple, who run the Instagram and YouTube channel Mooch Style, decided to go for gold, using Resene Lustacryl semigloss waterborne enamel in Resene Galliano.
“We remember how the yellow caught our eye, so we wanted to update the existing shade of yellow and refurbish the brass knob,” says Shayden. The couple chose Resene Walk-on tinted to Resene Element for the porch, and Resene Lustacryl in Resene Momentum (try Resene Cumin) for the poles, trims, roof and shutters. They chose Resene Half Surrender for the weatherboards. Success! The house sold, and now they’re onto their next renovation.
Yvette and Phil, Lower Hutt
Yvette and Phil, Lower Hutt Colourful couple Yvette and Phil love the tropics and even have a tiki bar in their home. So, when it came to painting the front door of their 1950s home, it's no surprise they channelled orange hibiscus with Resene Adrenalin. "We knew we wanted a bright colour. We agreed on a shade that made us think, 'Orange you glad you're home'. We also painted both sides of the door to bring a pop of colour to our hallway," says Yvette.
The door jamb is Resene White, and for the steps, they used Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path tinted to Resene Ash with Resene Ebony Clay for the edges.
Jasmine Vallance, Ivy Jean Interiors Auckland
When Jasmine Vallance put the first coat of Resene Glamour Puss on her front door, her neighbours were just as excited as she was. “I heard the neighbour gasp with excitement and say, ‘Quick! Look what the neighbour’s done!’ That same excitement and joy greets me every day when I come home from work. It’s an instant mood uplifter.” A previous owner painted the plastered exterior, but the stairs are in Resene Walk-on in Resene Black and the architrave is Resene Lustacryl White.
Hannah and Phillip, Napier
First-home owners Hannah and Phillip say renovating their 1910 casa in coastal Napier is a dream project. Though their home predates Art Deco, the couple decided to pay tribute to Napier’s dominant style by designing lead lights for their door, which Villa Leadlights in Nelson then created for them. They painted their door Resene Coast with the jamb in Resene White, tying in with the off-white stucco painted by the previous owner. “There’s still plenty to do on this renovation and not even this front entrance is finished, but the door makes such a big difference – and street appeal is everything,” says Hannah.
Joanne and Chris, Dunedin
A draughty door with a cat-flap prompted Joanna to buy a new door for her 1970s state house before visiting her local Resene ColorShop to choose a vibrant red. She selected Resene Red Berry for the door, Resene Blackjack for the step and Resene White for the architrave. “I painted the door in Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel and it came up looking a dream,” she says. She loved the experience so much she now works part-time at her local Resene ColorShop. Next on the list is changing the colour of the exterior weatherboards from Resene Villa White to Resene Blackjack.
Ginene and Jamie, Matakana
Inspired by their daughter Jasmine's Resene Glamour Puss door (see above), Ginene and Jamie painted the front door of their black board-and-batten home in Matakana in Resene Irresistible, using Resene Super Gloss. "I managed to twist their arm and convince them they needed to paint their front door hot pink too. Maybe I'm a bad influence," says Jasmine.
Using 220 grit zinc stearate sandpaper, lightly sand to remove any imperfections and wipe clean. If painting a new door, prep with Resene Quick Dry primer or Resene Enamel Undercoat.
Wedge the door open to paint the door jamb, the side-post or lining of the doorway. Jambs are usually painted the same colour as the door or as the architraves/trims.
Paint the edges of the door. Use a wet cloth to wipe any excess paint from the edge.
Paint the internal grooves and the panels.
Paint the face of the panels, laying off (redistributing) the paint to minimise brush marks.
Paint the inside sections of the panels (called mullions), starting at the panel joins.
Paint the outer part of the door (called rails). If painting around a doorknob, mask it up and use a smaller brush to cut in. Or remove if you can and replace after the paint is dry.
Repeat to apply a second coat.
Search habitat magazine stories
Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.
Specifiers:
If you have an idea, project or story that you think would suit habitat, we’d love to hear from you. Please drop us an email with your details and include photos if submitting a project.
Sign up for a DIY card and Save! Australia | New Zealand
Get inspired ! Subscribe Get saving ! Apply for a DIY card
Can't find what you're looking for? Ask us!
Company profile | Terms | Privacy policy | Quality and environmental policy | Health and safety policy
Welcome to our World of Colour!™
Colours shown on this website are a representation only. Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online. See measurements/conversions for more details on how electronic colour values are achieved.
What's new | Specifiers | Painters | DIYers | Artists | Kids | Sitemap | Home | TOP ⇧
