Friday, November 4, 2016

Show Us Your Life: My First House Project

Shortly after moving into Phil's house this summer, I came up with a list of projects that I wanted to accomplish.  Phil and I have a lot in common but one thing we don't have in common is our desire and motivation to make changes around the house.  Phil is in the "it's fine the way it is" camp whereas I'm in the "but we can make it even better!" camp.  After a lengthy discussion, we settled on a finite list of projects that we'd try to tackle over the next year or so.

In October, I finally got around to crossing the first project off the list:  painting our doors. The previous owner painted them what I considered an obnoxious yellow color.  In fact, she must have loved the color so much that she painted some rocks in the backyard that color (I find this so strange).

I'd say about half the people who have seen them have said they liked the color or at least didn't mind it.  But I had a strong aversion to it from day one.  I just didn't think the yellow coordinated well with the cream color of our house.  And it's just a bit too 'out there' for me.


Picking the color:

Picking paint colors is kind of overwhelming to me as it seems like the color often looks very different once you start painting compared to what you were expecting based on the paint chip. So when I found a color on the door of a house down the block from us, I decided to be a sort of creepy neighbor, and I tracked down the color during National Night Out (a night in the Twin Cities when every block has a gathering).  The couple who owned the house wasn't at the block party, but their neighbors gave me their email address and after sending a couple of emails, I had the brand and name of the paint color.  Score! I ended up going one shade darker as I felt it would coordinate better with the dark brown siding on our house.

The painting process:

I used this 'how to' explanation from the blog, Young House Love, as a resource for how to paint the door. I used a similar technique as I used a 2" angled brush to paint the inset areas of the door. I used a 2" foam roller to paint the flat planks of the door. Our doors required 2 coats of paint + some touch-ups after the 2nd coat dried. It probably took me about 30-40 minutes to paint each door (I had 3 to paint). The most time consuming part was waiting for the first coat to dry.

The finished product!

Here is how it turned out!


I'm really happy with how it turned out.  And the project only cost me about $50 as the paint was 30% off at Sherwin Williams. It feels really good to have the first project crossed off the list, especially since it was one that dealt with the exterior of the house so needed to be done while the weather is mild.

Next up, I'd like to pick out some new furniture for our living room as Phil has some pretty ugly hand-me-down/garage sale pieces that are an eye sore and not very comfortable to sit in.

Are there any projects you'd like to do around your home?

15 comments:

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

Don't tell me you are going to get rid of that floral chair!! Furniture is a hard one, as it is generally expensive if it's a bit better in quality, but it's not really a category that is as good to get 2nd hand or make yourself. It took me a long time to pick my couch and armchair and even now, I am not 100% sold on them (who picks a light colored couch in a dusty city!?) So it's a good idea to take your time and look into it thoroughly. Also, just like you did with the door, you can sit or sleep on other people's furniture and then just copy cat them!!

I love the new door color; it is much better than the yellow!

Charbelle said...

I'm laughing at Kyria's comment about the floral chair! The door turned out fantastic! I didn't mind the yellow but I think the color you chose looks awesome!!! When I was at the thrift store last weekend they had the most amazing living room stage set up! All furniture was half price, oh how I wished that I 1. didn't live quite so far away because shipping that would have negated the great deal 2. It would go into my storage unit and likely be damaged. I took pictures to remember the style of it because I liked it that much! I've been pinning house ideas for when I do eventually move back to my condo. I am fortunate that we have some very nice resell stores around this area. The furniture might still be expensive but it will be quality! I'm excited you were able to cross the first project off your list!

Marlys said...

I really like the color of your doors! It looks sharp, and always a good feeling to cross projects off one's list!

Jeanie said...

I know what you mean about paint color selection being overwhelming which is why there are little color tags all over my living room and bedroom walls and I still can't settle. I didn't mind the old yellow color as a color (I could have a whole wardrobe of it and be happy!) but it didn't look right on the door. Your new door looks the way it should -- very tied into the colors of the house, clean and warm and welcoming. Very nice color indeed.

Projects. Well, if I could nail the colors on the wall, that would be one. I did just wrap the garden clean-up so felt good about that. My biggest project is the never-ending decluttering...never ending, never ending...

Carolina John said...

They painted rocks? Wow, that's a new one. Love the new door color. Did you repaint the rocks to match?

Nora said...

So many projects we would love to do at our house. The floors/kitchen are really bothering me lately, specifically the kitchen cabinets and the formica countertop. We usually do a project in the winter, so I'm curious to see which one we will pick. We have made a LOT of changes to our house since moving in 4 years ago which makes me love it even more than I did when we bought it. Fun to make a place your own, you know? Can't wait to see what furniture you guys settle on. Nothing like a good couch or chair :)

Gracie said...

Okay, WHY would someone paint rocks in their yard?! That's really bizarre. When you first posted about your yellow door, I thought, "How cute! You should keep it!" but upon seeing the comparison, the new color is so much nicer. Good choice.

Stevie said...

It looks really great! My husband and I are about to become first time homeowners and the house we're buying has, no joke, like 30 different colors of paint throughout the home, none of which really match. The living room walls, trim, and doors are multiple tones of mustard yellow. The kitchen and dining room are basically all one big room, but the kitchen is grays and dark blues, while the dining area is the ugliest peachy orange color. The stairway, the hallway upstairs, the bedrooms, all have totally different colors. It is SO STRANGE. So i'm really looking forward to finding some nice, classic colors to create a more cohesive look throughout the house. It also has a wonderful sunny yard - can't wait to build garden beds for veggies!

San said...

Why I didn't mind the yellow door, I have thing for red doors and I love what you did to it :)

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

The door looks so much better now - nice work! I want to touch up some paint around the house, clean out the garage, and replace the carpets in the bedrooms with flooring.

Stephany said...

I'm so glad you knocked out this home project because I know that yellow door was driving you nuts. I didn't mind it, but then again, I don't have to see it every day! Ha. And the new color looks GREAT. Congrats on completing task one on your list!

I live in an apartment so I can't make any drastic changes. Any upcoming "projects" are mostly of the decorative variety, like hanging shelves and finding a painting for my living room.

J and A said...

Crazy how different that makes the house look.I LOVE it!! Good job. I want to paint out door we just cannot decide on a color!!

Amber said...

I really really like the new colour! It looks awesome and coordinates really well with the paint colour!

It's actually been kind of nice to be renting and not constantly feel like we need to do this or that to improve the house :) A nice change over owning our own place for sure! But at the same time I am excited to have a house of our own again - hopefully within the next 6 months or so - to make changes to and really make "our own".

Unknown said...

People do have different tastes when it comes to colour. I like the colour of the door. I enjoy bright colours and would probably have changed the rest of the house to make it brighter. The colour you selected is also nice and most importantly, it suits your personal style. I am glad that you got the paint at a discount as well.

Richmond Gordon @ WaterLoo Certa Pro

Margaret said...

I agree, picking out paint can definitely be an overwhelming experience! I do like the color that you ended up painting the front door. I think it matches the house much better than that yellow door did! I hope that your furniture shopping was as successful as your painting! Good luck with your house!