Young House Love

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Painting Our Door Bright Yellow

Allow me to share a few hints: y-e-l-l-o-w-d-o-o-r

Yup, I’m painting our front door the happiest of shades: rain boot yellow! That’s not the real name of the paint swatch that we settled on, I just think it’s the perfect way to describe the glossy sunny yellow that we chose.

I was hoping to share some after pics, but alas, this is real life and all the prep work took longer than I thought. Boo.

FrntDr Door Knocker Gone

FrntDr Hardware Removed

FrntDr Kick Plate Removed

The good news is that I’m done with the drilling, the spackling, the sanding, and the deglossing. So all that general readying stuff is out of the way. And if all goes well I’ll be back with a ton of deets and photos of the entire took-longer-than-I-thought process as soon as the paint’s dry enough to photograph (the goal is sometime this afternoon).

Oh and in random yellow door news, guess what color we painted our first house’s front door in May of 2006?

Wait… why are you scrolling? You have to guess first…

… I wonder what color you’re going to guess…

… I’m just putting words here so you don’t see the answer before you can guess…

… words…

… words…

… words…

… words…

… words…

… more words …

… even more words…

… word…

…ok, now you can scroll…

First House Yellow 06

Yup, it was a very similar happy yellow color. And we loved it gobs more than the glossy black look that we later went with…

Scallop3

… and it was probably tied with the bold fire engine red door that we ended up with after a paint/hardware makeover here and a big porch makeover here.

Hanging Lanterns Striped Po

For some strange reason we just couldn’t see the front door of our new house being any other color than bright sunny yellow, especially when we held up a ton of other swatches and felt nothing but blah. So yellow it is. Here’s hoping my little door makeover will help us build curb appeal momentum since there are about 500 other things we’d love to tackle outside. Especially since you can hardly see our door from the street these days thanks to the jungle that is our front yard. Le sigh.

Can%27t See Porch

Have you painted a front door four times in five years like me? Have you gone back to the first color you chose as if it were “the one”? Are you wondering why we only buy brick ranches with monkey grass and walls of shrubbery? I’m beginning to sense a pattern…

Comments

  1. Kate says

    The door on our new house really needs to be painted, and I’m guessing we’ll end up needing to repaint every year or two! The front door gets really direct sunlight every afternoon/evening and the door gets so hot that the paint is bubbling and peeling. My mom has the same issue and has to repaint every year or so. At least I’ll get to improve on the color that’s there now!

    Anyone have any miracle paint that withstands more-than-normal heat?

    Reply

  2. Adam says

    Wow, I am in love with that top house photograph! If only I had seen that before embarking on my painting project? Well, actually probably not. I imagine my almost-all senior neighbors would not have like it very well, and to be honest it wouldn’t have fit in with the style of homes or the colors of surrounding houses. But I did get the majority of the house painted in my color and blogged about it this morning; click on over and check it out, J & S!

    Reply

  3. Marla says

    Fun – can’t wait to see the finished project! So curious how it would look if you painted the white siding around the door a color that looks nice w/ yellow (like gray, or the blue in one of your pics in the post, or something a few shades off from the brick color). Maybe photo shop it?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Painting the door is definitely just the first step of a bunch of other exterior projects on the list- which include possibly changing the color of the siding near the door! And we’ll definitely use some photoshop magic before diving into that I think! Wahoo.

      xo,
      s

  5. beekeebear says

    I think you need to do a search on this entire site for the number of times you use some variation of the word “glossy”–I bet it is used more frequently than any other word (you know, apart from articles and conjunctions and prepositions and whatnot). Three times in this article alone, plus twice more in your comments, and twice in your readers’ comments … so far! LOL :)

    And also, the best comment on your babycenter article: 6.Elizabeth says:
    August 16, 2011 at 6:39 am
    Sorry, $herdog…I think it’s aliens.

    Elizabeth is throwing you a bone, so to speak, on the nickname front. Excellent.

    Reply

  6. Keren says

    YHL,
    When you say “deglossing” are you talking just sanding or is there something special you are referring to that is less work than sanding? Reason I ask is because all the trim/moulding in our house was painted (very poorly) with an extremely high gloss oil-based paint by previous homeowners and I want to paint over it in semi-gloss latex. But the slippery high gloss needs deglossing. Sanding all the trim and moulding would take centuries!

    Reply

  7. Amber says

    Ooooh looking forward to details on this! Specifically, for what type of paint you’re using and what you did (or are going to do) to prevent the door from sticking to the door frame. That’s my biggest concern for painting ours. I’m sure your yellow door going to look great!

    Reply

  9. Penny says

    I painted our front door yellow last spring! AND I think pinterest is what sent me painting too lol! Our neighbors love it (so they tell me) and its so much fun since our whole street is a sea of red and black doors. Can’t wait to see it!

    Reply

  10. Monica says

    I JUST pinned that first picture yesterday…love those colors! Our house is light gray with white trim and one pair of black shutters. I wonder how the yellow door would look? I plan to paint it a darker gray eventually…

    Reply

  13. kelsey says

    so great! i painted our front doors teal-ish when i was 8 months preggo with no. 2! i couldn’t stand the black doors anymore. way to go!! i love that shade of yellow it is fantastic.

    Reply

  14. Lesley says

    Oh, a pretty colored door makes all the difference in the world! My old house in FL had grey wood siding and a pinkish brick accent on the front. For some reason, the previous owner thought a contrasting brick red was the way to go for the shutters and doors.. blech! I always hated it, but it took sooo long to make that change.

    I finally wised up and painted the shutters white to match the rest of the trim and door a deep navy blue, which worked beautifully with the grey. Took the house from tired & dated to preppy and contemporary! Just in time to sell it, of course. ;-) Can’t wait to see how your rain boot door comes out!

    Reply

  15. Jane in STL says

    I’m going with orange. Currently the front door is deep purple-very deep. So deep that most people think it is black. And, frankly, that’s the way I “sold” it to my husband. He wasn’t so keen on purple. Let’s see how he likes the orange.

    Reply

  16. Emily @ EAK! A House! says

    I’m telling you, it’s not just brick ranches that get over grown. We’ve lived here three months and I hardly ever use the front door but when I went out there the other day it was like the jungle was trying to eat our house! Now if only the back yard would take off….

    Reply

  17. molly says

    I painted my front door yellow a few months ago and was made fun of. I am sending this link to all those who mocked. If YHL is doing it then it must be cool.

    Reply

  19. andrea p says

    I’m excited to see the front door reveal! We just painted ours Martha Stewart’s Barn Red & we love it!
    I don’t know if you are taking suggestions for your Baby Center posts, but I would love to see one about the top 5 things you wish you wouldn’t have bought or the top money wasters when it comes to baby gear…. Thank you!

    Reply

  21. Beth says

    SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! (lol, sorry, couldn’t resist!) Love the yellow and can’t wait to see the completed pics!

    Reply

  22. Amanda says

    So funny: I saw an episode of Curb Appeal this weekend in which the homeowners initially wanted to paint their door yellow. Then he told them the last time he painted a door yellow, he got about 400 emails about how much people hate yellow doors, so the owners chickened out and went with blue. Cowards. I think a yellow door is so cheery! Can’t wait to see it all finished.

    Reply

  24. Clare says

    We have THE WORLDS UGLIEST front door, complete with fake stained glass. GAG! I have been looking around to see if I can get a new one super cheap or even salvage one to paint bright red. Our house is white with black shutters and a bright red door is just what the doctor ordered. Now if I can just help my husband love the red door idea as much as I do.

    Can’t wait to see your new sunny yellow door in action!!

    Reply

  25. Caroline says

    I did the same thing! Raincoat Yellow! It looks great with our house too– which is dark brown shingles and white trim. So happy! People always comment on it!

    Reply

  26. Tara says

    We painted our door in Tucson a fun teal. Yes, a bit predictable as it’s a desert color but we really loved it. Sold the house and moved to Virgina where we rent an ugly dusty beige door. DH went back to Tuscon for a business trip and swung by the old house and they painted the door brown! Baby poop brown not even a good (aka pretty) brown. Blech!

    Can’t wait to see the new yellow. I have a hard time picturing things with yellow in them so paint faster!

    Reply

  27. Angela says

    I’m sooo excited to see it!!! I have always planned on having a happy yellow door to my future house, but when I announced this to my husband-to-be the other day he said no house of his will have a yellow door. Hmm. We decided that we may end up with a battle of the front door… I’ll paint it happy yellow when he leaves town, then he’ll paint it back to something manly when I’m away and it will turn into a vicious cycle with 100 layers of paint on our door.

    All that to say I’m anxiously awaiting your finished door so I can show him the post to try to win him over :)

    Reply

  28. HollyG says

    Our front door was an ugly/dirty white when we bought our house about 3 years ago – did nothing for the curb appeal. So I then painted it black not realizing that we get the afternoon blazing sun (HOT!!) so we switched it up recently and painted it yellow as well. We went with June Day by Sherwin Williams and I LOVE IT!! I haven’t posted any “after” photos yet but it’s pretty awesome. Looking forward to seeing your reveal. Oh, and we’re now the brightest door on the block and I LOVE IT!

    Reply

  29. Ali says

    I love it! A house a few streets down has a yellow door and it just looks so cheery. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t even really like yellow most times. :)

    We have been toying with front door colors as well. We have a brick rancher and our shutters are a complementary red. There are some purple tones in the brick and so we’re thinking about purple! Although our next-door neighbor has a purple door, too. Oh well. :)

    (BTW, read your Babycenter article – totally not crazy!! I definitely had phantom baby kicks after my first. After my second, a little less, and after our third little guy, none. I miss it. Just a bit. :))

    Reply

  30. Kelly Morley says

    Ok, i am SO excited to see the final reveal! I have been dying to paint my blah door but thought with a redish color brick house (cottage style) that I was stuck with the more traditional choices. You know, black, red, hunter green, blah blah blah. I am dying for something exciting! Maybe this will be my motivation/affirmation! Thanks guys!!

    Reply

  31. Rachel says

    I just finished painting our front door PINK. Well it’s called “salsa diane” and it’s more of a deep pinkish red, if that make’s any sense. It took a lot of negotiating with my husband (using a lot of tips from you and John) and two different shades of pink before arrving at the current choice. He let me paint it on the condition that it’s not permanent and we could always repaint if he really didn’t like it.

    Our house is lannonstone with dark brown trim and the color looks fantastic, especially with our landscaping.

    The next step is to use some of the leftover paint to DIY a drop cloth rug for our three season room. Can’t wait!

    Reply

  32. Shannon says

    Is it lame that I can’t wait to read the details on how you prepped and painted your door? I’m getting ready to do the same thing and look forward to seeing what you did!

    Reply

  33. Lisa in Seattle says

    Oh, I can’t wait for the details! (But I will.) Our house is light battleship gray with an unpleasant blue cast, and I just can’t make yellow work with it, especially because we have double doors. Currently leaning toward orange (inspired by Lauren Liess but a little softer, less saturated) or a pinkish-berry. Thought about a tropical kind of teal but really want something with a bit more contrast. Red just didn’t look right either. Some of this talk about lime green is making me think about picking up a few more swatches – thanks, guys!

    Reply

  34. Shannon says

    Oh how I would love to paint the front door of our cottage style home yellow but DH has refused. I even have all of those same pictures pinned & he was a no go. I painted it glossy black instead and while its better than the dirty white from before I just don’t LOVE it. In fact, I keep thinking I’ve left the front door open when we drive away. . . :(

    Can’t wait to see the finished product!

    Reply

  36. Erin says

    I love the yellow! My Aunt painted the door at our family beach house yellow; it’s such a cheery color! I painted our front door and sidedoor Martha Stewart’s Hummingbird Blue — I don’t think I’ll ever change it! Everyone recognizes our house as the blue door house, and I eat it up.

    Reply

  37. Holly says

    Do you guys have any experience with using a paint sprayer (doors, furniture, etc.?) Is there a reason you prefer to roll? My husband is convinced we wont get a smooth (un-streaky) finish if we don’t use a paint sprayer. Any advice or preference? I’m not convined yet that we should invest in a paint sprayer, but every time we watch a Sarah Richardson show he’ll scream “SEE!!! She has everything sprayed!!!” And now, I’m beginning to cave…

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Many experts have told us that unless you’re highly experienced with a sprayer (ex: you’re an expert) you can end up with streaks and drips. A brush or roller offers you a lot more control, so we’re happy to apply thin and even coats with a roller/brush. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  39. Audrey says

    A yellow door would definitely cheer up the front porch of our little grey rancher! Hope you’ll share the color you choose.

    Reply

  40. Jennifer says

    I’ve been loving all the yellow doors lately. Think it would look silly on our house but the brick red door is going to have to go…can’t wait to see the results!!

    Reply

  41. Alexis says

    so fun – love it! I have a brick house as well and just replaced my front door it is white and begging for some color!

    ps. just wanted to say thanks! Your blog is so inspirational :) I’ve started my own blog (yay!)of my new house (double yay!) for friends and family to see who don’t live near to see updates and you guys do such an amazing job posting and your post today made me laugh because I find the real life prep work is always longer and I am having a hard time posting after shots because everything is in a work-in-progress state.

    Reply

  42. jenn aka the picky girl says

    I just – as in this weekend – finished painting my door bright yellow. It is Daffodil (an Eddie Bauer Valspar color), and I love it! I painted the exterior this dark gray-blue, and it looks so great against it. I went with hi-gloss/enamel, and it looks fantastic.

    However, before I settled on Daffodil, I had six different paint samples on the door. I know my neighbors thought I was nuts!

    Reply

  43. Tara says

    Such a timely post since we’ve been thinking of painting our interior doors. Cant wait to see the finished result. Cam i ask what kind of paint are you using on the door? We were told to only use enamel paint since anything else would not be as tough enough for doors.

    Reply

  44. M Strolle says

    Oh how I wish I could jazz up my front door with a fun color. That is the downfall of living in a condominium where the rules say all doors must be the same boring brown.Perhaps it is time to update in a rich chocolate high gloss ala Augustus Gloop!

    Reply

  45. Holly says

    I always wanted a house with a red door, but when we bought our first house earlier this year red just wasn’t right. We used an app on Sherwin Williams site and downloaded a picture of our house and tried a ton of shades of red. I was upset about it, but then I saw somewhere online the third picture you posted (with 206 on the right) and LOVED it.

    So we went with an almost identical color and we absolutely love it. We still need a door knocker and numbers, but we haven’t gotten to it yet. There is a picture on my old blog: http://ourlittleplacecalledhome.blogspot.com/2011/05/adding-some-curb-appeal.html
    Can’t wait to see pics!

    Reply

  47. Heidi E says

    I am really itch’in to put some real style into my kids’ rooms. Maybe some curtains, new paint, shelves for toys and books, lamps, etc., etc. We definitely need a change around here! Hope it happens! :)

    Reply

  48. Erin says

    I bought a fixer upper about a year ago and it went through a lot of work, but nothing made me happier than when I painted the faded grey\green door my favorite shade of red. It makes me happy everyday leaving for work and coming home. I know how you feel about your yellow. :)

    Reply

  49. Rebekah says

    we just agreed on doing our front door in yellow – haven’t started the search on the right yellow yet, but i’m excited! Do you have a guess on what color yellow is on the house address 206?? I really like that one…with a teal house you think?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry we don’t have any idea. Colors read differently in all sorts of situations (full sun, partial shade, etc) so bringing home a lot of swatches to see what works should be awesome with the teal you have. Good luck!

      xo,
      s

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