Paint Tip Tuesday-Doors, Doors,Doors!

Any task can become daunting if you make it and so is the case for choosing a door color. The internet has so many, many choices and options that it can overwhelm you. Let's make it simple and break it down for you, get off the internet (except for this article). Start off with thinking of your style of home; craftsman, modern, traditional, etc...etc... Most of us know which style of home we have, that's usually the main reason we fall for them.

For todays tips let's assume that your house is painted the color you already love, it's a sage colored craftsman with white trim but your door leaves much to be desired. You want to add a pop of color. Now here's the point where if you are unfamiliar with the color wheel you can google. Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel but complement one another. This is a safe bet when choosing a door color if you want it to pop and stand out. Opposite green on the color wheel is purple, here is an example of an eggplant color door with green siding and white trim.

On the color wheel blue and orange are complementary colors. Here is another example. In order to make a bright, bold door work such as this one you need to also consider the environment surrounding your house. Do you have lots of greenery, is there a lot of wood or is your landscaping minimal? Everything around your house will make your colors appear a certain way.

What do you do when you don't want the main focus to be the door, however your architecture? You can choose white, just like that or even a stained door. The reason you choose white or a stained door is because that is no longer the main focus of the house, you want the door to blend into the background seemingly going unnoticed. Sometimes this can cause the opposite effect if the door has a lot of detailing to it. In the picture above you pay attention to the architectural details of the house more than the door.

Finally sheen, standard for doors is semi-gloss but if you have ever seen a high gloss black door or any other color in a high gloss it is a beautiful thing. The only thing to consider is maintenance, due to the sheen being so high you will see any imperfections so if you have children and they touch everything or your dog scratches at the bottom of your door it is not recommended as you will see every single imperfection. However if you love the look I say go for it! Have fun with it, you're meant to enjoy the home you live in and want to make it comfortable for you.