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You open and close it umpteen times a day — leaving for work, walking the dog and emptying the recycling — without giving your front door much thought. But during the holidays, it will be on display for family members and guests who you may not have seen for a while.
“When you have visitors, the first thing they notice before walking in is how your door looks,” says Marco Bizzley, a certified interior designer and consultant at HouseGrail.com. “Having an updated door gives a great first impression.”
Rethinking your front door's look can boost your home’s curb appeal and not only when you're trying to sell. Making changes to your front door can alter the entire look of your home.
Thomas Jepsen, CEO of online architecture platform Passion Plans, says “most people see their front door as purely utilitarian, but “it’s also about being happy about the place where you live and beautifying the neighborhood.”
Here are eight ways to make your front door pop.
1. Paint it
Blue doors and seasonal wreaths are popular.
Courtesy Power Home Remodeling
One of the easiest, fastest and most inexpensive changes you can make is to paint the door. Choose an eye-catching color to make the entry distinctive or one that reflects your personality. Popular colors are blue — particularly royal blue — red and yellow. You don’t need much paint, so experts advise buying a quart of paint instead of a gallon to save money. It can cost as little as $20 for DIYers.
When Georgiana White, 78, repainted her Sacramento, California, house earlier this year, she went with dark blue for the front door. “I thought it was a great contrast with the lavender [stucco and white brick],” she says. “I love it.”
Experts suggest selecting an exterior pain suitable for the material of your door, whether it's wood or metal, and sanding the door to help the paint adhere. Before sanding, however, Jepsen says make sure to check if the existing paint contains lead. Although toxic lead paint was banned in 1978, if your home was built before that, the front door paint may contain it. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved three home test kits: 3M LeadCheck ($11 for a two-pack), D-Lead ($39.50 for seven tests), and one required by Massachusetts and available only to professionals there.
