Small home improvement projects can increase your home's value, as long as they're the right projects. If you're looking to put your house on the market, it's even more important to be mindful of what upgrades or changes you make to your house. Even the color chosen to paint a front door can cause a strong first impression on a potential buyer, giving a boost to the sale price of your home or turning off house hunters.
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The Value of a Front Door
Real estate website Zillow released their 2018 Paint Color Analyses with some good tips for choosing the best colors for value throughout your house. One of the surprising things they discovered was that if you paint a front door a particular color, it can have a huge impact on a home's value.
For example, they found that houses with black front doors — with shades from charcoal to jet — brought in $6,271 more than expected for a sale price. While interior doors are also important, your front door is the first thing visitors will see.
Along with this, having a strategically chosen door color is one of the principles of feng shui! The color of your exterior door greatly effects the energy of your home. To cultivate a lucky and positive energy, it's important to paint your front door in an auspicious color.
Interior Wall Colors
"While cool, neutral wall colors like tan and light blue are still popular, we're seeing a notable shift in home design where pops of color—particularly in darker hues of blue and gray to even black—are becoming increasingly popular," Zillow home design expert Kerrie Kelly said in a release. "Contrasting colors, especially in kitchens and home exteriors, add interest and dimension to a room that plays very well in listing photos and videos."
Those contrasting colors are showing up in kitchens especially, where "tuxedo" kitchens cabinets are hot right now and can bring in $1,547 above the expected price. These kitchens feature a light wall color with white or light upper cabinets and dark navy or black lower cabinets or kitchen island cabinets.
If your kitchen cabinets are in good condition, painting them with a paint designed specifically for cabinets is an easy and inexpensive way to update your whole kitchen's look. (Tip from someone who just painted cabinets: The cabinet paint takes a few coats and you must take the cabinet doors off to get the paint on correctly, but it's worth it.)
Cool and neutral interior colors are still popular, while previously stylish colors like brown and red are no longer fashionable among homeowners and can even decrease your sale price by $1,684 to $2,310. As for bathrooms, blue walls are a hit and can bring in $2,786 more above your expected price, especially if it's a periwinkle blue or a blue with a gray tint.
Although the interior of your house is important, curb appeal is critical, too. If your door is clearly covered in old paint or the exterior paint on your house is yellow, it might lower the sale price of the house by $3,408. Color fashions do change, but if you're getting ready to sell, staying neutral is a good plan.
A few weekend projects can give your house a whole new look and add value. Take some time to touch up walls, doors, and cabinets so that they are in good shape with a fresh coat of paint before you put your home on the market!
Step By Step Tutorial for DIY Front Door Painting
The first step in painting or repainting your front door is choosing the desired door paint color based on professional recommendations and your preferences. Then, you need to get the necessary supplies. To paint your front door, you'll need paint, a 2? angled paint brush, fine grit sandpaper, a damp cloth, a razor blade scraper, masking tape/painter's tape, and a drop cloth.
Now you can begin! To prep your door, lightly sand it with sandpaper. Medium grit sandpaper like 220-grit should work, but it's best to use fine-grit like 320 for good results. This will remove debris and help the new paint stick. Give it a light sanding, and then wipe it down with your damp cloth. Checking the cracks, make sure to remove all dust.
At this point, use the tape to section off any parts you aren't painting. It's best to tape the edges around the door to ensure you'll have a clean line. Also, tape around your doorknob and window if your door has one.
Now, put your drop cloth down under the door to catch any drips. Pick up your paint brush and start painting! Start with the smaller sections like trim or around the doorknob, and then move on to bigger sections. Use long, clean brush strokes. Either paint side to side or up and down, but whatever you choose, continue in this direction throughout the process to minimize visible strokes.
Allow for adequate dry time, which will be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the weather. Your first coat is finished, but it's best to put on two coats of paint to ensure a bright color and minimize chipping. Paint on your second coat once the first one is dry, using the same brush stroke method as before.
Once the door is painted, let it dry for 24 hours, and then carefully take off any tape around it. Clean up the edges if necessary with your razor blade scraper. Your door makeover is complete and with any luck, your house is now lovelier and more valuable!
