The Red Coats
In this case, the fifth time was the charm. As in 5 coats later our front door looked fabulous, darling. In fact, the color is Valspar’s Fabulous Red and let’s just say the name isn’t an over-promise. Although if I were gonna do it all over again, I definitely would have primed over the existing black paint first. Check out my pathetic first coat:
But five thorough coats did the trick. Thank goodness I had some nice scenery to admire while I painted and painted (and painted). Check out our gorge flowering cherry tree in the front yard.
But back to the door. People may be wondering how we knew Fabulous Red was “the one”. Well, as soon as we held up the swatch next to our brick it was obvious. A bunch of our other red swatches looked too close in tone and intensity to the reddy-brown brick tone, and the last thing we wanted the front door to do was disappear into a sea of brick. So we went with the brightest, most dramatic lipstick red of the bunch. None other than Fabulous Red (in semi-gloss exterior paint for shine and durability). So for everyone who writes us asking if a brick house can sport a red door, the answer is “but of course… as long as it’s brighter and redder than your brick”. Check out our finished product:
Oh and look how purty a red door looks at dusk:
And we thought it might be helpful to share our exterior palate as a whole with you guys so here it is. To complement our all-brick facade we added tan trim (Valspar’s Lyndhurst Stone), some black paint on the shutters and door stoop (Glidden’s Dark Secret) and punched things up with a delish new red door (Valspar’s Fabulous Red):
Crisp, classic, and clean. Now if only our front walkway and landscaping felt the same way. Stick around to see a total front yard makeover as we attempt to capture the curb appeal that our little brick ranch deserves.
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Comments
My husband and I just bought our first house a few months ago and it seems very similar to yours–it’s a 3 bedroom brick ranch. However, our brick is much lighter than yours, it looks as if it has a thin coat of white paint over the brick. The shutters and front door are currently white, which gets lost in the light brick exterior. We were thinking about painting them a charcoal grey–do you have any other suggestions? And do you think we should paint the door the same color as the shutters, or leave it white? I love your site and ideas!
Hey Allie,
We love the idea of the charcoal gray shutters. It’ll really add definition and richness to your home! After you paint the shutters you might find that the white door blends in a lot (the front door is a great opportunity for a pop of color and contrast that is more noticable than the shutters) so we would suggest bringing home some paint swatches to see what floats your boat. Daffodil yellow, scarlet red, or even a rich navy would all look great with charcoal shutters. Good luck!
xo,
s
Thanks for the advice, those are great ideas! I’ll be sure to let you know what we decide and how it turns out.
Hi YHL,
My husband and I just bought a two storey red brick house. He really wants a red door so we are on the hunt for the perfect colour. Since we live in London, Ontario Canada and don’t have a Valspar dealer near by I am hoping you could suggest a similar paint colour from Behr, Benjamin Moore or Glidden.
I have looked at have looked at Behr-Licorice Stick S-G-170 but I am undecided. Any help would be great!
BTW, I love the blog! It is full of useful ideas for home improvement and attainable decorating advice.
Thanks, J
Benjamin Moore’s Million Dollar Red is always amazing. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
No way- metal is really receptive to paint. Just be sure the paint on the door now isn’t flaking off or peeling (sand it down until it’s smooth if it is). You can also apply a thin coat of primer first (which will make the paint stick really well to your metal door and ensure that it looks glossy and fabulous for the long haul). Good luck!
xo,
s