Gray Painted Doors

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I was all over the board in terms of projects this past weekend. I finally started working on our master bathroom again {after starting in February?!?}, I decided to paint the mudroom, and out of the blue I decided we needed some gray painted doors. I started with the interior of the entryway door and then quickly moved on to the mudroom {even though I had only painted one wall – why not add the door?!}. I have decorating commitment issues 😉

But, this is one decision I know I won’t regret. The picture below speaks volumes!

Yes, I fully realize that more than just painting the front door caused the difference in the two photos above, but I think the painted door kicks up the space another notch! Here was the entryway in the most recent ‘before’:

I still love that look, but something about it didn’t quite feel finished about it. Until now!

I opted for a mid-toned gray, Behr Elephant Skin, because I wasn’t looking for a harsh contrast. I painted the inside of our front door at our last house black if you’re interested in seeing the darker look {click here for the post}. I feel like this gray adds just the right amount of drama and personality without being too moody or harsh.

I feel like there is now a better balance on the left-hand side with some of the darker elements on the right.

The same could also be said when looking into the office.

Now for some details. Our front door is wood {hence the reason for the long bolt you see up the lefthand side. The door is warped and this helps it to close properly}. The color I used on the door is Behr Elephant Skin in satin finish. I had about six Behr gray paint chips in my desk drawer – I pulled out my top three favorites and basically narrowed it down from there. Not much science to the decision 😉

I rolled the paint on with a small roller designed for smooth surfaces {it’s the ‘Smooth Surfaces’ version of this one from Home Depot – I can’t find a brand name on the package}. I was really happy with the finish it left. I found the details on this door were much easier than the mudroom {which is a five panel metal door – see last photo}. The board and batten style allowed me to work slower on each area without fear of messing up another section that was starting to dry. Here’s how I attacked it:

As I did each interior panel, I was careful to knock-down any paint that got on the surrounding areas so as not to leave any weird lines. After all the interior section were finished {areas 1-10} I did one continuous roll up and down each side until covered. As a side note, I painted without taping off the glass {you can see in the photo above} – I simply use a razor blade to scrape it off at the end.

I love the finished sheen of the satin paint.

Each door took be about 30 minutes per coat  – with two coats per door. For one hour per door, this project had serious impact! I still need to paint all the trim white but I love the new look!

And because I got a lot of questions on Instagram, I’ll post sources here as well.

SHOP THIS POST

ENTRYWAY SOURCES

• Wall Color – Behr Castle Path
• Door Color – Behr Elephant Skin
• Chair
• Sunburst Mirror (Home Depot) – similar here
• Chandelier
• Rug {it’s reversible – I use the lighter side up. It’s also made from recycled plastic bottles so it is perfect near exterior doors!}
• Boot Tray
• Pillow Cover (H&M) – similar one here or here

Lastly, here’s a quick preview of how the mudroom door turned out {this is the door that leads to our garage}. You can also see the left wall painted with the master bath color – Behr Dolphin Fin at 50% intensity. I think the color will work well. The only issue right now is the beaded chandelier. It’s absolutely gorgeous, but the two 40-watt bulbs may not be enough for this space as we have learned over the last week or two. I’m hoping the lighter, satin sheen paint will make a difference though because I love the light way too much to not use it here. The door color is going to be perfect in here, as well, once I get all the other elements finished. Some day 😉

Are you a fan of the painted interior door look? I’ll be back with even more updates later this week. It was one of those weekends where I got a ton accomplished!

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