The Red Door

(First Painting Project)

I decided I wanted to give my apartment a bit of a more "Alice in Wonderland-y" vibe  I wanted more color but I didn't want to paint an entire wall.  I saw a door similar to this on  Apartment Therapy, and decided to do my own.  This is an interior door, going to my bedroom, by the way.  I was able to do the entire thing without taking the door down, which made it much easier and didn't require me to have to figure out how to hang the door correctly at the end.

Materials:

• Main Paint Color (1 quart)
• Accent Paint Color (Sample size)
• Paintbrushes, large and small
• Small bucket holding paint (some have a little magnet to hold your paint brush which is very convenient)
• Blue painters tape
• Drop cloth (make sure it's not too thick to slip under the door)
• Screwdriver (for removing doorknob)
• Exacto knife (optional)
• Plastic paint scraper / putty knife  (for pressing tape against door) (optional)
• doorstop (optional)

Step 1 - Picking the Colors

I got a lot of sample color strips from Home Depot and taped them to the door so I had to see them where I was going to put them quite a few times.  The ones down the middle were my top fix for the main (darker) color and the ones one the right were my top picks for the accent.  Over on the left were my final choices, Behr's Cherry Cobbler (S-G-140) and Youthful Coral (170B-05).  I got a quart of the Cobbler and a sample of the Coral which was easily enough for the one door (and I had some left over to paint some window sills Cherry Cobbler).  Because the door was already painted white and the paint was a paint / primer I didn't prime the door.

Choosing colors.

Step 2: Prepare for first color:

Remove doorknob.  Put all pieces and screws in a ziplock bag.  Tape around the 4 center large rectangles and 2 smaller rectangles.  Also taped around the inside edge of the door to paint that the accent color. Place drop cloth nuder door.  Using a putty knife, paint scraper, or your fingers push the edges of the tape into the door to make sure no tape will get under.  If you put a doorstop under the door from the opposite side it will stop the door from swinging as you try to paint.

Step 3: Paint Accent Color

Paint 2 to three coats, letting each dry in between.  When last coat has dried, remove tape.  To avoid a feathered edge, cut along the edge with the x-acto knife before pull away the tape.  Don't worry if it's not perfect, there is still time to touch up later.  

Note: Cats are bad painters, if you have a cap, do not spend lots of time taping and then go to sleep:

Step 4: Tape and Prepare for Main Color
Tape around the edges of accent rectangles and then tape paper or wax paper to cover the whole rectangle (so no pain drips or splatters on them).  Tape the edge of the inner part of the door you painted.  Tape around the door frame.  Tape the drop cloth along the bottom of the wall and door frame (don't worry about getting to the very bottom of the door frame, you can touch that up later, but make sure the whole carpet is protected.

The top right rectangle is covered with waxed paper, which is why you can see the color through.

Step 5: Paint Main Color

Use a big brush and several thin coats in the direction of the grain to avoid noticeable drips. If you do see a drip after a coat is dry you cab sand it down a little before the next coat.  You might be able to use a small roller, but I had best luck with just a paint brush.

Step 6: Remove Tape and Touch Up Paint

When final coat is dry, remove all of the tape and paper, using an x-acto knife for better edges.  Then free hand touch any mistakes you find with a small, flat paintbrush (1.4" or thereabouts, probably easier to find at a craft store than a hardware store).  To get bottom of door frame tape the carpet around it down and push down more on it with a piece of cardboard while you paint