How to Paint an Interior Door and Add New Hardware

DIY Paint and Update to an Interior House Door

8/29/2018

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The first project we tackled in the #garagemakeover was to paint all the walls and ceiling. Doing so left this interior door looking a little less than its original white and in need of a fresh coat of paint.

Previously, I've used another brand of door paint with mixed results, so I wanted to try the DecoArt Curb Appeal brand to see how it compared. We are all about the purple and blue, so this Vineyard Purple color was the perfect choice for my garage!

The plan was to paint the trim in a mix of the purple and a bright tin metallic color, paint the door with the purple, and use a fun stencil in the tin color for a little whimsical touch. After painting, we changed out the door handle and added a keyless entry pad for convenience.

The interior garage door prior to painting.

We used DecoArt Curb appeal paint and metallic paint we used.

Materials:

DecoArt Curb Appeal paint, Vineyard Purple (Home Depot)
DecoArt Americana DECOR Metallics, Tin (Home Depot)
DecoArt Hello Stencil (Online)
Pouncer (Home Depot)
Kwikset Vedani Square Venetian Bronze Passage Hall/Closet Door Lever (Home Depot)
Kwikset Powerbolt2 Venetian Bronze Deadbolt Keyless Entry (Home Depot)

I painted the trim and inset panels first. I chose not to tape off the glass to keep it clean. I found it was easier to let the paint get on the glass and then to used a razor blade to remove it once it was dried. It was a lot less work than if I had spent the time to tape all the glass off.

Applying the DecoArt Curb Appeal paint with a small roller.

I used a small roller to do the first coat on the door and then switched to a brush.

The DecoArt paint is finished, now we are installing the new door handle.

Here I'm adding the new handle. This is actually recycled from the laundry room door we took down to replace with a sliding "barn" door.

We used a Kwikset keyless entry touchpad.

We picked this Kwikset Powerbolt2 keyless entry touchpad at The Home Depot. It matched the handle perfectly.

Installing the Kwikset keyless touchpad.

The installation of the keypad was very simple. The instructions were easy to follow and we had no problems with the installation.

The inside of the Kwikset keyless touchpad.

The mechanics of the keypad snaps into place on the mounting plate. It runs on 4 AA batteries. There is a turn knob to lock the door from the inside--just like any standard deadbolt.

Now for some whimsey! We stenciled this "hello" stencil, also from DecoArt, with the metallic tin paint. I'm using a pouncer to apply the paint. It only takes a tiny amount of paint to do this. Tip: take time to wash the stencil right after painting so it's nice and clean for the next time. A little soap and water did the trick.

I also painted the MDP letters above the door with an ombre effect. I mixed the tin color with the purple in various combinations to get the effect. I found a mixing guide on the internet that worked perfectly.

The Kwikset keypad and DecoArt Paint are a real improvement to this door.

We really love the improved look and functionality of this door. The color is perfect! The new handle is much easier to use and we no longer have to keep up with a key to this door, plus the oil rubbed bronze color really elevates the look of the door.

As I said in the introduction, this is the second specific front door paint I've tried. Coverage is excellent and brushstrokes disappear. Also, I needed to do a portion and then stop and come back. I was happy to see that the new area flowed seamlessly with the previously dried area. That is a real plus.

Now, the thing I'll be looking to see is how the paint holds up. Unfortunately, the other brand I used on my front door is peeling with no end in sight. This DecoArt Curb Appeal paint may be appearing on my front door in the near future!

By the way, I read someplace that black front doors are popular. Personally, I have a red door so I don't get the appeal of ones that are painted black. What do you think? What color front door do you have? Do you want to change the color?

Big thanks to Home Depot and DecoArt for providing the product we used in this project!

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!