I did some more work on the faux stone project for the porch baseboard yesterday, but last night I decided to take a few hours to do something simple… and colorful. It had been over a week since I purchased the new exterior door paint and it still sat untouched. So I ended my evening by painting the front door and side door of the studio their new color. And in my humble opinion, painting exterior doors a fun color is one of the easiest, quickest, and most satisfying outdoor projects you can do, especially if you enjoy painting, which I do.
As you know from previous posts, I chose a different door color this time. I still really liked the previous door color – Benjamin Moore Bird of Paradise – but I’ve had this door color for several years now and decided I wanted a change. In the years since I chose this door color, my decorating has leaned more toward pink than coral. So I decided to pull back on the coral and instead find a color that leans more towards pink. But this coral is still at the top of my list of favorite exterior door colors.
Bird of Paradise is a really rich coral color that leans heavily towards orange. If you are looking for a coral color for your front door, I highly recommend this one.
However, keep in mind that if your door is exposed to direct sunlight, it will likely need a new coat of paint every year (or at least every two years) as it will certainly fade. My side studio door is exposed to direct sunlight most of the day and this beautiful saturated coral red has almost turned into a pastel version.
The front door doesn’t receive nearly as much direct sunlight and therefore won’t fade nearly as much as the studio door. But after a few years it still fades a little. I don’t have a current picture that just shows the front door, but you can see in this recent photo from last week’s post about planting beds that the color isn’t nearly as vibrant as it was when it was freshly painted. Even though it has faded, it still has a pretty color.
But as I said, my coral era is over. Since last night my doors are noticeably pinker. The new color is Benjamin Moore Rosy Blush. It is a very saturated reddish-pink color.
I used Benjamin Moore Advance paint in a semi-gloss finish and this paint is it great. I love painting. I find it so relaxing and satisfying, especially when I use a good quality paint that applies well. And this color is just right. It’s a little shinier than I wanted. It’s labeled “satin” but I would describe it more as semi-gloss.
And here is the front door in its new paint color. Just imagine the porch with a new coat of paint and everything tidy. We’ve just finished our rainy/wet season, so everything is covered in dirt and grime. It’s time to get out the pressure washer and clean everything. And of course I’ll be painting the porch soon too, so the faded porch boards will soon be a rich, dark brown color.
But a pretty front door is a good start. In addition to painting the porch boards, finishing the baseboard, and removing all the white trim (and possibly a fresh coat of paint on some of it), I also plan on replacing the lights on the front door. I think larger lights would look better here, so I’m going to swap out these lights for larger ones and then use these smaller ones in my workshop.
While we’re talking about exterior painting, remember what my porch ceiling used to look like? I had knots all over the ceiling that had bled through the paint.
So I gave the ceiling a shellac-based primer from Zinsser BIN (my absolute favorite primer) and then gave it a fresh coat of paint.
I did this a little over three years ago. This is what the ceiling looked like with its new coat of paint three years ago.
And here it is three years later. It needs cleaning (again, the constant humidity leaves a dirty film of dirt and crap on everything), and I believe the paint has faded a bit, but three years later there still haven’t been any twigs seeping through.
But that brings me back to the portico above the side studio door. As I was painting this door, I was reminded again that the ceiling of this small portico doesn’t match the other exterior ceilings. The porch ceiling and carport ceiling are both painted a light blue.
But the ceiling of the portico is white. I think they should all go together, right? You all know how much I like consistency, so it seems to me that this little blanket has to go with the other two. But I tend to think too much, so you can tell me what you think. Should I paint it light blue to match the other two, or should I keep this one white?
While you ponder the color of my small portico ceiling, I’ll give you a good look at my new door color. I already know that many of you will still prefer my coral door color, and that’s okay. But I was ready for a change and I love this new color. And painting is so quick and easy! So maybe I’ll go back to Coral in the future. But right now I’m in my pink era.
And here’s a side-by-side comparison of the before and after of the faded side door and the freshly painted side door.
