Victorian Door Colors, Painting Doors

Repainted door in glossy bright red
exterior trim paint. We passed on painting
the design another contrasting color

Original door before painting
rejuvenation. Lots of porous
paint on this one, powdery
surface with dull finish

Keyword searches sometimes prompt a blog entry. Victorian door colors was a keyword search listed in my stats today, and it gave me the idea of writing a bit about doors. The doors on our house are the penultimate statement on what it means to deal with this house. Each door is unique and different from the other doors in the house. None match, none are the same. Sizes differ, styles differ, time periods differ, paint colors differ, door condition differs....need I say more? Hmm, what I can put together on this subject?

Door step #1
poor paint coverage, it was
absorbed by the old paint

Original door
with dull worn out paint

Victorian door colors covers presents a lot of opportunity. We've selected our color schemes for many reasons, depending on our situation at the time. Sometimes we picked the color because it needed to be done, and that was the cheapest solution at the time. The can was on the reduced shelf and it was adequate, not necessarily perfect. Other times we picked our first choice, no matter the price, we simply loved it and thought it perfect for the spot. Yet one other scenario came into play in this situation, leftovers. We have painted a door with leftovers. That sometimes went well, and other times results were ho hum or plain out disappointing. Sometimes we lived with it, and other times we painted right over it asap.

Step #2
paint the panels for contrast

Step #3 green perimeter added around panels

The condition of the door can really effect the results you get. Layers and layers of paint that have not been painted in years are often difficult to cover. In that case I would recommend painting the door with primer before attempting a transformation with paint. Paint can do a lot of good things for dreary surfaces, but it must be dealt with correctly or all your work will be for naught. Unfortunately I write from experience. When painting my first door here, I thought I could just paint a white door white without problems. Wrong! The door paint was so old that it's surface was worn out and porous.  It just sucked the new paint into the old, not improving the appearance of the door at all.  If its dull, cracked or multilayered follow these directions just to be sure your vision will materialize. I have been very happy with Valspar custom mixed paint we bought at Lowes. We have been pleased with the interior paint, exterior paint, and the interior/exterior blend. Here, scattered around the page, are some of the Victorian doors I've collected for your review...yours, mine and ours.

First coat of raspberry paint, leftover
from painting door above