Updated: Oct 10, 2021

I posted a picture of my foyer and the compliments that flooded in regarding my front door were incredible. I laughed because we’re currently looking for a new front door [in fact, we’re looking into double doors] and in the interim, I gave it the good ole DIY makeover. I didn’t want to just paint it, because I wanted it to appear like it had wood grain and not flat, so I started looking into products that could do that. I found this amazing kit on Amazon. It was super affordable [about $35] and so easy to use!

The kit literally provides everything you need, even the painter’s tape! You start by painting the door, letting it dry and then using the mitt that they give you, dip it in the “magic” top coat and rub it on, following the natural wood grain direction. You can do one coat or 3, depending on how intense you want it to look. VOILA! That’s it! It took me maybe an hour or so to do my entire front door and sidelights. They have a few color options to choose from. I used the Black Walnut. The kit I used for the garage covers 2 doors for about $70. Way less than new doors!

Also, I should mention that you DO NOT have to sand down your door prior. I did not sand the actual door itself. We only sanded the sidelights because my original intent was to stain it all, but I wasn’t loving the color [bottom left] which is ironic, because it probably would’ve looked like the paint job! The sanding and removing of years and years worth of paint was just so much work. So, we made it all this way and threw in the towel as I changed courses and ran with the painting kit option.

Meet Jake 🙂 I even painted the white, vinyl storm door to blend in and look like wood. I didn’t do anything to prime it either; no sanding, nothing! Below is a photo of my first round, the Black Walnut.

I was really experimenting here, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted black or natural wood front and garage doors. After doing the garage doors the same way, with another color, I decided to go with the natural wood look. Below is an updated photo! I used English Oak.

I should add that, I painted both my front door and garage doors over a year ago, and they are still as perfect as the day I did them! It allowed us to achieve the look we wanted while we wait to be able to afford actual new garage doors and the double front doors of my dreams. 🙂

Let me know if you have any questions and make sure you subscribe to never miss the inside details on my home projects and easy, everyday style tips and deals!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Kel