Easy exterior door makeover

*This post was sponsored by the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own*

I am so excited to share this Easy exterior door makeover with you all!

Today it is all about how to paint an exterior door (my back door to be exact) and pick the right door lock and hardware. I am sharing this tutorial and information with the help of the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association Certified® SecureHome™ label that is designed to help consumers purchase certified locks. The new ratings system focusing on Security, Durability, and Finish.

Before I get into the hows and whys of this easy door makeover I want to share with you exactly what I am working with in terms of the door. This entire space is going through a renovation, my kitchen being the main star of the show.

However, this door needed some attention too. It was bad looking! I believe at some point the door was white, but from sun damage and dirt it is now an off white with gross yellow accents. The door hardware was gold. Not that pretty brass that is popular right now, this is just now a tired… old… finish.

Once I decided to tackle this simple door makeover I had to come up with a plan. Prioritize my needs/wants for the look of the door as well as the lock itself. That is where BHMA Certified® SecureHome™ label comes in! They have a new rating systems to help consumers find just what they need. There is three categories to consider when selecting a door lock, they are –

• Security, which measures how well a lock or deadbolt can withstand impact.

• Durability, which measures how well a lock or deadbolt functions after repeated, long-term use.

• Finish, which measures how well a product can survive various environmental elements.

Each of these have a C (good), B (better) or A (best) rating. You can choose your best rating combination here.

As far as my exterior door makeover, I am looking for a nicer finish to the door lock. With it being outside I want something that can withstand sun damage and also weather elements. High durability is a must. Not only is this door used a lot we also have drastic temperature changes in Wisconsin. I am prioritizing a sturdy lock to meet all of these needs. I also am looking to upgrade to a lock with a keypad to unlock the door. This is for one reason and one reason only… my kids lock themselves out constantly when playing in the backyard. Instead of them yelling outside or banging on the door to be let in I want something that they can easily type in the code and let themselves back into the house.

With these priorities in mind I headed to my favorite home improvement store to see all of the options! I was also on the lookout for the BHMA Certified® SecureHome™ label to help me out.

I want to focus on the entire door transformation and the ease of this, so will be showing off my door hardware choice at the end of the post.

The next step to transforming this exterior door is to paint it! First, clean the door off and lightly sand it. Just enough to get some scratches into the surface of the door.

Tape up the work space on and around the door. I am also painting the exterior door frame to match the new door. My paint choice I am calling classic, not boring. There is nothing boring about a crisp and clean white paint. My kitchen has some bold pieces to it so balancing that out with more calm colors is a must. This is why I decided on painting the door white.

My backdoor is a metal one. The type of door you have as well as if the door is an interior or exterior door will determine what kind of paint is needed. I used a semi-gloss white oil based protective enamel paint. Rolling it on with a roller to prevent any brush strokes.

With oil base paint be careful! This is very difficult to remove if there is drips!

To get the flawless finish of the door I ended up having to do three coats of paint. Be sure to let the paint dry between coats. This is it, sand and paint! I warned you about this easy exterior door makeover! It really is only a few steps and I did the entire project in one afternoon. Most of the time I was literally waiting for paint to dry.

Just as important as picking the kind of paint for either an exterior or interior door, picking the right kind of door lock is important too. With this being an exterior door my priorities were very different than if this had been a bedroom or bathroom door. I wanted a durable door lock, this being the main door to and from the backyard means it will be used a lot. One that can hold up to weather, keep my family feeling secure and allow my kids to stop locking themselves out of the house all had to be included into one lock. Consider location, style, aesthetic and environmental exposure when picking your finish for a door lock.

I adore my new exterior door! It really does look new after an afternoon of changing out the lock and painting it!

Don’t forget those hinges! The biggest part of making this door look like new is the fact that the hardware is a fresh and new oil rubbed bronze, it really pops against the white door. Because my backdoor was in great shape just giving it a makeover was all that was needed to make it shiny and new again.

Oh, there is a sneak peek of my kitchen remodel project! I will be sharing a lot of my finish choices next week and getting some opinions from you guys. But for now…

…Let’s all “ohh and ahh” over this beauty of this door now!

Repainting the door and also focusing on the door frame really made this space look brand new. I even had my neighbor ask if we got a new door. I happily told her that this was just an easy exterior door makeover!

While I am happy that my back door looks shiny and new what really makes me happy is knowing that my family can feel more secure in our home

This is our happy place, haven from the chaos of life, where we relax and make memories. I am always striving to make our home safer, my kids are worth it! The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association Certified® SecureHome™ label can help confirm I am doing my best for my family. Their rating system certifies the lock is tested and superior to other locks.

With this being my home decor blog I am sure you can guess I am also striving to make my home beautiful too. Finding that balance of what my family needs and my wants to decorate my home is always a good thing. This door makeover let’s me check off both of those boxes.

This blog also let’s me show off the real star of the show, Teddy! I was taking these pictures and he sat himself down right in the doorway, looking proud of himself. He is such a good little model.

Our home was built in 2000, while it is not even remotely considered an old home; it is getting to the point where some of it is feeling tired. A little refreshing makes all of the difference. Small changes like changing out the door hardware from a dated gold finish to the more modern oil rubbed bronze and painting the door and frame make a huge impact on making my home feeling new again.

With the help of the BHMA Certified® SecureHome™ label while considering a new door lock I am able to rest easy knowing that not only can I find a quality lock, but it also improves the look of my home and makes me feel more comfortable in this place we call home.

This door never stood out to me as something that desperately needed to be improved upon. It was on my radar because of the kitchen remodel but could have been put up with as-is too. Not now, now that the makeover is done I am shocked by the results! Little touches like this make all of the difference in making my home feel custom and new again. It makes me wonder why I waited so long to transform this door in the first place!

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One more time, check out this before and after!!!

It is little projects like this Easy exterior door makeover that get me so excited to DIY more in my home! I love the instant results that a fresh coat of paint, new lock and new door hardware can do! Redoing a bathroom or kitchen is a lot of time, skill and effort. This door makeover was quick and easy with beautiful results!