Doors!

I am going to paint my front door. Why? Because spring is in the air, because it doesn't match my flowers, because it's Wednesday, because I can. Painting a front door is a simple project that can change the look of your home and change your outlook. Try a shade lighter or darker. Try a high gloss finish. Try a low lustre finish. Try a dramatic look. Keep it simple. It's your choice.

When painting a front door, the same rules for exterior painting apply. Depending on whether or not you have a covered porch, you might not have to worry about moisture so much. If you don't have a covered porch, look out for the sun. The sun is a welcome sight these days but it can cause trouble for your paint job. Painting in direct sunlight will make the project much more difficult by making the paint dry too fast. It can also cause your color to fade.

If you're not sure about cutting in a straight line around windows and hardware, use tape. This is the first impression people have of your home. You want it to look as nice as possible. Speaking of impressions, keep in mind your surroundings when choosing a color. A fluorescent green might not look good on a Colonial, but a subdued lime green might not look bad. Take many samples home to see how they look in natural light.

Keep the door open, or at least cracked, as long as you can to let the paint dry. One trick professional painters use is to apply petroleum jelly to the weather stripping before closing the door. This will keep the fresh paint from sticking. Once the door has dried overnight, you shouldn't have any problems.

So pick a color and give it a try!