I’m making pretty good progress in the master bathroom this week getting the trim, doors and ceiling painted and next on the agenda is to repaint the trim around the front door.
But here’s the thing…
Do you think I should I paint the front door {white, to match the trim} while I’m at it?
Ever since we bought this house it has always bothered me that the door was 2 different colors and the floor a third. I do like the look of natural wood doors, but I can’t help but think the door would look better if it was all white {not to mention it would brighten up the space}.
So what do you think?
Should I keep the door the way it is, or should I paint the door white?
What would you do?
~Mavis
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Melissa B says
I like the look of the wood as it is. 🙂
Tracy says
Although I am not a fan of painted wood, in this case taking into consideration the different wood colors of the door (in the pictures it almost looks like three shades of wood), the rest of the trim, and the french door nearby, and the dark floor, it probably would look much better painted white.
Delores says
I wouldn’t paint the doors, I think they look good. But I would definitely paint that strip of wood going down between the two doors in the photo.
Teresa says
I agree with Delores! Paint the strip, leave the doors.
Brittany says
That’s what I was going to say! Paint that dividing strip let the woods natural beauty show
Lesley says
THIS! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jessica says
Yes I agree with everyone above!
Wendy says
Leave the doors wood and paint that weird strip white.
Lex C. says
Agreed- paint the strip.
Lisa S says
I agree with Delores, too. It would be a shame to cover up the natural beauty of the wood. Cheap doors have to be painted, so that is what you will see in most houses. Just because most people have the cheaper doors and they are all painted, doesn’t mean you should cover up that beautiful wood on your doors. It makes your house unique from all the others and that is what will help sell the house.
Christine says
I agree with Delores paint the strip.
Tangela says
If you painted the strip in between the door and the sidelight, then maybe the two different colors of wood on them wouldn’t be as noticeable. I like the contrast between the door, trim and floors. Start with the strip and then see, maybe.
mary says
I agree with Tangela and Delores!
Judy says
I also Agree with the above. I would never paint the natural wood doors. Also one additional thought to painting the strip white is.. if you want the doors to match the floor better, restain the doors.
Roberta says
I’m late to the party, but I agree with Judy. When we built a home a few years ago, the designer we worked with suggested that the floor NOT match the other wood finishes. We took her advice and the place was beautiful. Matchy-matchy is tacky-tacky.
Carol B. says
I vote for painting it white!! It will really brighten it up and you’re right… there are several different wood colors between the door, the board between the door and side window and the floor.
Laura says
Paint those doors! The non matching woods are way too close and would look way better uniformly white.
Lisa says
I like the look of the wood!
ann in E. oregon says
Paint! I agree with what Laura said. 🙂
Anita says
I would leave the doors but paint that middle board.
Shari says
No no no, don’t paint the doors! They look nice as is and if you paint them you will FOREVER be wiping off finger prints.
Kathy says
I would paint them white in a New York minute, even if I do live in Alabama!
Tony says
Re-stain the doors instead of painting them over. Natural wood always looks better than paint
Sue says
Yes, paint it, it would make everything blend together.
Peggy Ann in CT says
Don’t paint!!!
Megan says
Paint them!!! Normally I like natural wood, and I would never paint over it, however with the dark floors, the doors don’t fit.
Stephanie says
I agree. The door’s wood is beautiful, but the floors are sooo dark. The door needs to be white to brighten up the entryway. For 6 months or more there will be no bright sunshine. That’s life in the rainy Pacific NW.
Jean says
Hi Mavis. I vote for painting it white. I believe that it will brighten the area up. The three different wood color doesn’t have a finished look. I am a white paint user and find it to brighten and make the area look larger.
Oregon Guest says
Black doors?
On a side note…Mavis, it’s been 49 years since my last confession. I bought a $2.10 cup of coffee at Starbucks yesterday. I vowed not to spend any money this year on anything except groceries (or so I thought until those demons at the Freddy’s Starbucks blew my 46-day streak). But I will overcome. Game on, Mavis…GAME ON.
Mavis says
Hahaha! Four Hail Mary’s and then back on the wagon!
Julie says
Paint them white or stain them a touch darker to somewhat match the floors.
Robin says
Go for it, especially if the different tones bother you. You’re not planning to stay long anyway!
Nina says
Paint them white to match them up and to reflect more light into the foyer–so important in WA state! They’ll also coordinate with the French doors.
Lisa MTB says
Haha, I love Oregon Guest’s post! I think I side with the small “Restaining” minority– make that wood match!
OneFamily says
I vote for paint the wood strip white. Give that a try first and see how you like it, and then you can always end up painting it all white, if you decided later.
Leah says
I think if you painted the door white it would be too much white with all of the white trim. Maybe a darker stain like the floor color?
Jennifer Jo says
The entire door is not centered. Move it two inches to the left.
Signed,
Miss Complicated
Deborah from FL says
That’s hysterical! 🙂
Mavis says
Hahaha! You joke, but it does bug me.
Signed,
Miss OCD
Cari says
I noticed that too! It stood out to me more than the variation in wood.
The variation in wood color is what makes it beautiful. Once you paint, you can never go back. If that is what keeps the next person from buying your house, they should probably be committed.
I vote, no paint!
Wynne says
I agree with Cari. For myself, I’d paint it because of the strip. -However- I think Cari’s right that you can leave it alone as you prep the house for market. If anything, given these comments, the doors are more of an asset unpainted.
John says
First thing I noticed, too! If you’re looking for a change, re-staining would probably be your best bet. If the stain doesn’t look as good as you want, then paint. Stripping the paint off, should you not like that, would be pretty time consuming.
Jenn in Indiana says
I would leave it the way it is. That door is beautiful. I think painting it would be too much white. I am assuming the outside is also wood so what would you do paint it half and half? I personally don’t like that.
Cari says
I also agree with this. Can. of. worms, opened.
Jam says
Paint the strip in the middle. I wouldn’t have thought of it if I hadn’t read these comments but that is a great option and will pull it all together with the trim.
Lisa says
Paint it!
Lynda says
I vote for all white, but paint that middle strip first and see if that’s enough.
Jason says
There is no question that painting it all white will tie it all together better, brighten the space up, and in doing so: make it more appealing to potential buyers. For your situation, it is a no brainer! 😉
Heidi says
The different wood tones would drive me crazy. I would paint the middle board white and then see how it looks. If that looks strange, I would paint the whole thing.
Rebecca says
What about painting the door a really dark grey, almost black? No fingerprints/smudges this way, and it will pop with your hardware; I like Urban Bronze and Iron Ore from Sherwin Williams. BUT, whatever you do, you should have the strip, the small sidelight and the door ONE cohesive color/stain. Treat those three parts as one whole and you’ll be surprised how much cleaner it will look. Also, what about a rug to break up that wood?
Wendy Panozzo says
Paint it! It will make it blend better. The floor and door colors clash.
RVMK says
Absolutely do not paint beautiful grain wood. From a design perspective you actually benefit from the contrast. And you won’t have to deal with fingerprints either.
Kristen says
Paint that sucker! And paint it a super-fun color on the outdoor side. Make it pop, Mavis!
Barbara says
I would let the next owner decide whether to paint the door Reason: A house I sold years ago was purchased by a friend. When the friend looked at the knotty pine paneled kitchen, I told her I had thought about painting it. She said “Oh, I’m so glad you didn’t”! My thought is, if in doubt, leave it alone!
Jenn says
I would stain the door a different color. I have the same issue as you, different colored door verses hardwood floors. So I stained my door a dark ebony and I love it now.
Teckla says
Unless it’s really genuine oak or other valuable wood, paint it! I did that once with a dark door, in a much darker entry, and oh, what a difference! It brightened up the whole area! So I painted the paneled divider between the entry and dining area and it became even brighter (not to mention coordinated with the walls)! And it wasn’t even white–just a very light pinkish off white! You need all the light you can get in these gray Northwest winters!
Bottom line, it’s your place to live in UNTIL you sell. I think a coordinated look overcomes the mismatched wood tones every time and will appeal more to buyers. They will never know unless they decide to strip doors and trim, and not many will do that in a modern house!
Love your blog . . .
Deb Mason says
NOOOOOOOO… leave it !
Bernice says
I was looking at it and thought why not hang something there..like a slim Japanese floral panel…it might be the solution…
Candice C. says
Since you plan on moving leave the beautiful wood alone and paint or stain the strip between. Use ring oil on the doors to bring out the wood even more. We have just finished taking all the interior doors in the house to have them lambasted to remove the years of white paint slapped on them through the years. What a lovely transformation. Our house was built in 1822 and we discovered the wood used on the doors are wrong chestnut!
Cari says
Been there too. I don’t think I ever want to see the inside of my 1910 colonial again, for fear that all my painstaking work has been undone by a poor paint job.
Betty D says
While I sometimes dont like brown doors I would keep them and paint the middle section between the door and window. I’d have it match the color of the molding, trim around the door. If the color brings out the dark floor more…..get a nice wide runner rug that might bring in some nice colors to match walls etc.
Looking good though.
Anna says
How about re staining the doors to match the floors better? Then paint that pesky strip in between :)? Either way you should do what makes you happy! Some love wood au naturel others love a little paint.
Penny says
Paint the middle strip first and see how you like it. Love how your place looks!
Nancy Klein says
I would not paint it. If you do and change your mind, the wood will never be the same without sanding and staining and lots of work involving toxic chemicals. I think the different color woods are charming–and unique.
Dena says
Too much white makes it too bright & blinding. Stain the doors lighter than the floor. Entry doors take a lot of abuse, so you would be constantly touching up the paint.
Sandy says
Paint the middle wood strip-and stain the doors a darker color to match the floor. If you don’t like that-then paint it-even a color such as dk red …
Kathy says
When we knew we’d be downsizing/selling within a year, we did a lot of repairs and updates but quickly learned when to let something go.
Let this one go. As you can see from the mixed comments, some buyers will love the wood, others would prefer it painted.
joanna says
I always prefer the unpainted wood but in case of your few wood shades and other door that is white, those need to get painted.
Monica says
Paint it all!
Tracy says
I’m all for wood doors, but the wood on these is not so high end that it should be “kept unpainted at all costs”, so if it were my home, I would paint the doors. However, I definitely would not paint it white. I would also ensure the door was the same color on the outside as on the inside. I would select a very thick exterior semi or high gloss paint as the quality and visual ‘heft’ of such a paint makes a difference. I don’t pay extra for fancy-pants paint, except on doors and kitchen cabinets. Instead, I take the advice of a very high end designer friend of mine and always use exterior, very high quality paint. It’s such a small area, it won’t cost much. So, in conclusion, I’d paint th center strip the same matte finish color as your hall walls, and paint the doors –same color inside and exterior– a very high quality, thick and substantial exterior paint, preferably semi or high gloss.
Sharon@MLT says
The design here is awkward. Panels on both sides would have been fine. Awkward design plus three different wood tones equals paint, paint, paint.
Ida says
I’m camp white, but I’m Swedish and want to pain ALL THINGS WHITE! I asked my husband, who’s Canadian and camp “natural wood all the way”, and he think you should stain the middle piece the same dark colour as your floor.
tia in boise says
ha! funny what people will be passionate enough to post about! i wanted to say something about that weird middle strip, so i was delighted to see so many other normal people be put off by it, as well.
my vote is for: paint middle part white and stain the wood to the same color.
HollyG says
I agree with the “Paint the strip” crowd. I hate my white doors – – city, icky fingerprints!
Daniel says
I love the natural wood, and I do believe white everywhere except the floor would be too much. But consider a rich color on the doors. Even black maybe to match those picture frames on the wall. Whatever you decide, I know it will look great.
Mrs. M says
I think the comments prove that painting (or not) is just a matter of preference. Since you’re planning to sell your house, why not leave the wood exposed (save yourself some work) and let the next owners decide. I’m betting your house will sell either way.
Mrs. M says
Oh- and what about putting a slim entry table on the wall in front of the one panel? Perhaps that would ‘take-away’ visually from the awkwardness of having only one panel and the door not being centered.
CathyB says
I can see the pros and cons to both. But as someone who has white doors, I just want to point out that they will show the grunge, especially if it is a door you use a lot. If you leave the wood, however, I would consider staining them darker and to match. Do you have any stain left from doing the bathroom cabinets? I also agree with white paint on the middle strip.
Chris says
Sand and stain so it would match the floor.
vanessa says
I don’t like to paint doors because they seem to chip easily. Also, it’s nice to have both sides of the door be the same color. Maybe you could sand it and then stain it a light color , like a greyish-white. You could still maybe do the middle strip white that way. Contrast is nice.
Heidi P says
This is one funkadelic space. There are 5 different colors going on. The door, walls, trim, floors and the middle-ish wood strip. I’d paint the wood strip first take a step back and see how it looks. I’d paint the door too so it all blends in and matches the french doors or stain it the color of the floor. I would definitely paint the wood strip regardless of what you do or don’t do with the door.
Libby says
Mavis, paint them a fun accent color! Red? Blue? So cute!
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/red-front-doors/
You know you want to 🙂
RebekahU says
Mavis – If you decide to paint, I’d start with painting the strip, but think that you’ll also want to paint the portion to the right white too. Otherwise, that area will look really segmented. You did not ask for remodeling advice, but you might also consider a double door… That would cancel out this painting project, make it easier to move out, and give your entire entryway a grander feel. You’d also have a more cohesive look to the area… Just a thought!
connie says
paint the strip, I think that would help a lot, I wouldn’t paint the whole door, too much white will look weird, if you really want to stain the door but not paint white…don’t like the strip, I think if you just did the strip, you would like better….
l bryant says
Mavis I would strip and/or sand the door and sidelight (inside only) and stain them to be in the same tone as the floor. I would also paint the strip between the door and sidelight. Your hardware is already a match so this should unify the look. You have the glass in the door and sidelight so this area should not feel any darker.
Michelle says
I don’t notice the difference between the door and the floor much at all, but I do notice the difference between the strip and the door and window. I would paint the strip and live with it for a couple of days/weeks and see how you feel.
AshleyO says
I agree that you should start with the middle strip. Give it a couple days and see how you feel. Painting that white may be enough & then you would still have the wood grain of the door to give some contrast.
Jennifer says
First, paint the strip in the middle, look at it for a few days to see if you like it. If you don’t, then paint the doors too. Then send us a pic! I’m curious to how it will look.
Debbie says
I like the wood I would vote for staining not painting the door. Suggest checking with someone who sells homes and get their opinion. The way you won’t need to redo the door come listing time.
Karin says
Paint the strip and maybe the window trim too. Leave the door.
Brenda says
I would tape some white paper on that middle strip and give it a week to see how you like it. Then you can un-do it if you want. You could even get a roll of white craft paper and cover the whole door to try it out.
Emily says
Paint the awkward piece of vertical wood between the door and window and leave the gorgeous wood door alone. I think the two colors will be less obvious when they’re not immediately side by side.
Lisa says
We have white doors and they do show all dirt.
LL says
Why not stain the doors the same color instead of painting it white.
Staci says
Paint the strip, not the doors! 🙂
carmen says
Yes, I’d paint them all white.
Doreen says
Paint it. The hall will become brighter
Judy says
Don’t paint the doors, once you do you will be sorry, you can never go back without losing the patina. The next owners can paint if they want to but will not want to have to strip off all that white pain if you do it!