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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

BLACK INTERIOR DOORS


As promised, here's a look at my freshly painted interior doors. Well over a year ago when toying with the idea of using black, I painted the interior of my front and back doors only, as well as the french doors that lead to the office.  I immediately loved the difference!


I apologize in advance for some shadows and less than great photos.  My hallways have ZERO natural light so they are a real challenge to photograph!  I have so much to learn....and apparently there's a mysterious spot on my lens showing up!

My master bedroom...an open door to my next project!




I don't even mind the brassy knobs so much anymore.  In fact, I kind of like them now with the black doors and am no hurry to switch them out like I was before painting.


As far as procedure goes, I started with Sherwin Williams Solo paint (said to be the same as the "ProClassic" line, they just had to use Solo because the base was so dark) in Tricorn Black Semi-Gloss.  I wanted to try this paint because I've read rave reviews of how well it goes on furniture and leaves a smooth finish.   I ran out of the SW paint and had a gallon of Behr mixed in the same Tricorn black, and I honestly couldn't tell a difference between the quality of the two. 

The white doors were painted with a sprayer when the house was built, so they were super smooth and slick.  I'm not necessarily recommending this, but I did not prime them or prep in any way other than wiping them down good.  Once they cure well I really haven't had trouble with scratching, and if one does show up here and there it's a quick and easy touch-up.  I've found the Behr paint to be nice and durable.

Also, I started with a brush and foam roller, but after 2 doors thought it would be much faster to spray them.  I removed 4 other doors from the hinges and took them outside to use my paint sprayer.  I'm never sure what's faster because it still was quite a process to remove the doors, lug them outside, tape off the hardware, spray them, flip them, and then re-install them.  And, the day I was spraying they decided to trim trees along the power lines outside of our back fence, so as they mulched away I'm pretty sure some of that dusty debris flying through the air stuck to my doors. They look good, but just aren't quite as smooth as the rolled doors.  I'm basically just as happy with the rolled on finish as I am the sprayed finish.  I'm sure I should have sanded between coats or something....but I was too impatient for that! 

For now, I've only done all of the hallway doors.  I may paint some doors inside the bedrooms in the future but haven't decided yet.  I'll probably just stick to rolling those if and when I paint them.

We all love a great before and after shot, so here's a little side by side for you:

Powder Bath:


Kids' Rooms:


My favorite change is this wall with the laundry room door.  I love how the black door makes my mirror wall look so much more dramatic.


Linking up with:


Would you like to comment?

  1. What a dramatic change and gorgeous statement! Your entry with the black cabinet is truly stunning! Well done, sweet friend!

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  2. Oh my gosh - I LOVE this change!!!!! Seriously - I have tons of black paint in my garage - I think you just fed a monster over here! And Jennifer - the brass door knobs? Gorgeous on the black. I say this after just changing out my door knobs to nickel….maybe I should have kept the brass after all! Love the drama your black doors give to your house. Your foyer is so pretty by the way with the dresser, gold mirror and lamps!

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  3. Oh goodness, how beautiful. It really adds so much class to the space. Great job!

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  4. So in love and I agree. The brass looks great with the black!! I adore black doors in a home. I also like the interior window grids painted black. (the house on revenge has this) But your black doors really look beyond fabulous!

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  5. That looks amazing! I wish I could do something dramatic like this in my home but I think it's too small :(

    Awesome job!

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  6. Jennifer, they look amazing! I love how they transformed the look of the rooms. I painted my back door black about a year and a half ago, and I love it, now after seeing all of your lovely doors, I may start to paint more.

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  7. Perfection! Of course, I adore black and the changes are very dramatic...which I love. It's amazing when you look at the before & afters. I like the brass with the black too. :) Great job!

    xo
    Pat
    P.S. Did you paint the chest in the entryway? It's gorgeous!

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  8. lOVE BLACK DOORS, MAKES IT LOOK CLASSIER. dID THAT IN OUR OLD HOUSE. ALOT OF WORK! :)

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  9. Jennifer, the difference is unbelieveable. I love the way the new black doors really kick up the look a lot. They look so stately and rich. Really great update for your home. I think I'll pin for future reference because you give some great tips here too.

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  10. They came out beautiful Jennifer! I love the style of your doors too. It's totally modern and timeless at the same time - love that! And yes, the brass knobs look killer now - I'd totally leave them as is too!

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  11. Wow, what an amazing transformation! I love, love, love the way the black door looks with your green gallery wall. You have my wheels turning now - thanks for the inspiration!! Visiting from the Uncommon party.

    sara @ applestonedrive.blogspot.com

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  12. I had to come check out your black doors! Love them! The color makes a huge impact. I love what it did for the space. I would be interested in learning how they hold up since you didn't prime or sand. So, let me know in a few months. :) Looks awesome.

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  13. Standing-O! (If you could see me, I promise I'm standing. Okay, I literally just stood up so I wouldn't be lying. Ha!) Looks amazing. (I use that word a lot on your blog.)

    You have the guts that I don't have. I, too, as you may recall, have toyed with that idea, but it's so much work if I end up regretting it. (My home is not as large...so what if it ends up being "too much". Hmmm.) Besides, my husband would likely never ever give it a "thumbs up" to get started. He wasn't keen on me doing the front door (exterior)...which by the way is in a horrible state of "primer" mode as of late. I seriously need to finish it. I think I heard the neighbors whispering.

    Really.

    So, your home looks stunning and maybe I'll have to have hub take a look. ;)

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  14. I painted the exterior side of my front door and loved it. I'm thinking about the interior side. Love it! new follower!

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  15. Jennifer your doors are gorgeous! I don't know if I would have the guts, plus I love the style of your door much more then my door style. And I would keep those door knobs, they look awesome with the black door. Thanks for sharing. :) I'm your newest follower.

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  16. love the contrast. I actually just bought a gallon of black paint yesterday and finally start painting my exterior doors (inside and out) and was contemplating the others. love the way it looks, but i may be too lazy to do the other doors:).
    (stopping by from my 5th house) and am a new follower.

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  17. Just jumped over from 5th House, and *BAM*! I'm in love, just like that! It's so amazing how a little paint can completely transform everything! It's amazing and I'm loving your blog! So glad I came (c: Have a great weekend!

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  18. I really, really love this look! I found you today through the blog "our fifth house". I wondered about the table in your foyer. Did you buy that or re-do an older table?

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  19. WOW! I am in love. Oh, can you please do mine!

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  20. Goodness Gracious, how beautiful are those black doors??? And your foyer?? and your home in general!! Wonderful job and I admire you being so "gutsy". You have stirred my interest as I am facing chosing a new paint color for the exterior of my home. I was thinking of a medium brown like the color of your interior walls. I was being real gutsy myself and thinking of painting the shutters black or a deep rich charcoal gray. And then I heard the neighbors whispering! I'm happy to say your post and pictures have thrown me over the edge, and not only am I going to go ahead with my plans, now I am going to have the painters include painting the front door to match the shutters. Thanks. Visiting from "5th House". Linda S. in NE

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  21. these look so so great! i painted my interior front doors black, and totally love it...but wondered if I do more it will make the room feel darker and heavier. thoughts?

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  22. Your doors look great. I love your gallery wall of green frames too.

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  23. Love the doors but what is the paint color
    of the walls in the living room?

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    1. Hi there! You can read about my paint color here
      http://dimplesandtangles.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-little-back-door-fun-my-paint-color.html

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  24. Your home is absolutely beautiful!! I love the color black and it never ever crossed my mind to paint my doors. My home is small, but I think I may give it a go. What is the color of the walls and trim in the foyer? Also, the chest, did you paint that also?

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    1. Thank you! I'm sure they would work beautifully even in a small home, but I think the key is the white trim around them. Yes, the chest is an old dresser bought from Craig's List that I painted black. You can read about my main wall color here:
      http://dimplesandtangles.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-little-back-door-fun-my-paint-color.html

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  25. Wow! I'm so impressed. I love it! As I said on Our Fifth House, I was concerned about how the white trim would look. Thanks to you I have found my weekend project. Not only stylish but a great way to camouflage the boy grunge on doors. Honestly is it asking too much for them to use the door knob?

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  26. Doors are the most significant part of a home interior. Your idea of the black home door is very suitable for modern designed homes. The whole home is decorated beautifully. I love it!

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  27. Do you think it would look terrible to paint the interior of my front door black but leave the exterior the color it already is?
    Thanks
    Cheri

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  28. Much, much better! For me, black is always the perfect color to go with white. The color gave emphasis to the beauty and elegance of your door. Moreover, I think your newly painted doors gave your house a more sophisticated look.

    Rolf Matchen

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  29. Black and white doors are elegant, just like the ones featured here. They make great interior and exterior doors.

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  30. This is an excellent post, I am very interested by reading this.. Its very helpful yo us..keep posting such an interesting things.
    Sliding Wardrobe Doors

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  31. Really great look. How are they holding up? I would love to do this...a bit of a project to spray. Might be over my head :)

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  32. Fantastic blogsite of interior glass doors, I would love to visit here often times just to see new photo of interior glass doors. Thanks for having me here.

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  33. Love, love, love the doors. I struggled with painting the beat up, unpainted doors in my home a darker color (white showed their imperfections a little too much) as it is more difficult to undo. In the end, I tested with Intellectual by Behr with Swiss Coffee by Behr trim in a separate room in my house. Your pics have given me the courage to tackle the rest of my place. Thanks!

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  34. Simple, plainly designed door but very elegant. It blends well with the interior surroundings. This is much better than doors of intricate design.

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  35. I'm very impressed with how you organized the details of your house. Houses with black and white interior motifs are really on the top of my list. They emanate clean, sleek, elegant, and modern housing. These basic colors are very easy to pair with. You can just add another element or color and it'll give you a unique outcome.

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  36. Your house looks so mysterious with all those black doors and green framed mirrors. What gave you the idea of putting that many mirrors? I'm just curious on what you're trying to do here. But, the whole house looks polished and well-put together. I can't see anything that I want to change. This is a very gorgeous house! Congratulations!

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  37. Doors like these resembles Glass Doors where elegance is visible by their black velvety color. Such an impressive doors which I would like to have one.

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  38. Looks like an orb appearing in that black door.

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  39. Its a very good post. I was very pleased to find this site. http://doorshoppers.com

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  40. Did you do the trim work giving the look of panels?

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  41. Do you find it necessary to paint both sides of the door (the hall side and inside the bedroom as well). Not sure if I would want the black inside the bedrooms.

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    1. Hi Shannon, I painted the entire door, but I guess that choice would be up to you!

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  42. Ok. I bought my tinted primer. I bought my black paint. I've got the brushes, the rollers, taped off my hardware...all ready to start painting my doors tonight...then chickened out. I honestly had to come back to your blog for inspiration and confidence! I'm usually a "it's just paint, you can always repaint it" kind of girl but for some reason I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on this one even though I absolutely LOVE the way black interior doors look. *deep breath* What the heck. I'm going for it!! BTW....how ARE they holding up over the years? Thanks for the courage to do this Jennifer!

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  43. Hi Tracy! I know, it's scary! I've never been sorry for a day, though. I love them! The doors are holding up very well. I get a scuff here and there, but that's to be expected. The only spot where it's actually scraped off a little is where my cat has scratched a door, but it's an easy touch up. Good luck!

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  44. Gosh, I was on the fence about painting some of my downstairs doors, but seeing your beautiful home makes me REALLY consider it! Love the way they look in your home! I can't decide if I want a darker bronze or black... then there is the side of me that wants creamy white. Clearly, I'm on the fence, but I'm pinning this so I can decide soon! Looks so great! And your home is just lovely, Jennifer! :)

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  45. I do like the painted interior doors. They add personality to the house. It is something out of the ordinary. How did you decide on the color for the doors?

    Elisa Jed | http://www.lionpainting.com.au/residential

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  46. Its beautiful!... What an awesome art you have done.. I loved it.. I am not good at that painting but a surely I will need a Southern Painting Contractors in Fort Worth for my house.. Thanks for these beautiful ideas.. Keep exploring.

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