A front door isn’t cheap to replace but, whether you have a solid wood door or composite, you can freshen it up with a new colour. My paint of choice is Fusion Mineral Paint, offering a super smooth finish that is also highly durable and wipeable – perfect for a front door. 

Before you start: Timing is everything. It’s best to avoid very hot days for a project like this as the paint will be drying before you’ve finished each stroke, making the task much tougher. Equally, very windy days might result in debris sticking to your wet paint areas, so choose a dry day with minimum breeze. 

Step One: Thoroughly clean your door with a good de-greaser. If it has a waxed finish this does need to be removed using white spirit and wire wool, before cleaning off the residue.

Step Two: Scuff sand the surface to give the paint something to grip onto. If your door is a composite and the surface substrate isn’t wood, you’ll need an adhesion primer. These primers form a bond between the paint and the surface of your project, for a long-lasting result. Without them, your paint will peel off.

Step Three: Either remove or mask off your door hardware – handles, letterboxes, door knockers – and any glass panels, for a clean paint line.

Step Four: Choose a colour and get painting! Calm pastels such as botanical sage green are always a popular choice, but don’t be afraid to go bold and show some personality. You’ll be painting both sides of your door the same colour, so take your interior scheme into account. If you’re really stuck on colour, a colour wheel will help you find combinations for both high impact and harmonious looks, as well as giving ideas for accent colours that will work a treat in your hallway.

Step Five: Add durability with a top coat. Front doors need to weather the elements so make sure your project is protected. Paler colours are best top coated with water-based sealers, whilst darker colours benefit from oil-based sealers, which maintain the crispness of colour.

For more crafty tips and to buy Claire’s paints and equipment visit clairescrafthouse.co.uk