Should I Paint Interior Doors?
Written by Masie Pitchard
If you are a home decor enthusiast, let me get this fact straight - painting interior doors is a new trend these days. Forget the traditional ways of leaving the interior doors unpainted and adding color to your exterior and interior home. The majority of bloggers, influencers, and even interior designers prefer adding color to their interior doors and making them stand out. But should you?
If you are confused about whether or not you should paint your interior doors, don't be. Unless you want to keep a wooden theme, the clear answer to this query is you should paint your interior doors to add character and make any living space pop.
Painted doors look cool and add charm to your interior space. Now, if you don’t know things like the best color to paint your interior doors, recent interior door painting trends, or DIYs, you should be reading this post as I’ll dive deeper into these topics and help you get the best painted interior doors to match your style and interior decor.
What Colors Should You Choose For Your Interior Doors?
The interior is all about colors and combinations. The combos that complement each other elevate the vibes and warmth of rooms and living spaces in their own way.
Plus, each color has its own effect. Some give subtle calmness and peace that helps you relax. While others have a strong adrenaline effect on you, instantly elevating your mode and energy levels.
When choosing to paint your interior doors, choose colors that compliment the vibes that you want for that room.
To make things easier for you, here are some color combination ideas that you can use to paint your interior doors.
Go Bold With Black
This might sound weird but believe me when I say that black goes with everything–even doors! This color is the perfect shade to complement your white-washed walls, especially when you want to go with a vintage contrast look.
According to Dominique Gebru, an interior stylist and content creator, black is a classic color for a reason. It might seem like a bold one, but it has its own elegance, making your room look modern and all the more inviting.
Hand-in-Hand With Nature And Green
If you are a nature lover seeking subtle vibes and cozy surroundings, green is your color. Although it comes in many tones from light to dark, my advice to you would be to go with warm, earthy tones or sages.
The reason behind this is that this shade perfectly complements a range of basics like warm whites, terracottas, taupes, and even rich darker shades. Moreover, greens give a natural, cozy, and calm vibe that makes sinking into relaxation easier and more enjoyable.
Glowing Up With Blue
If you want an eye-catching interior color for your door that gives an aesthetic vibe, then you should go with navy or blue shades.
Navy or blue hues exude an exquisite aesthetic that transforms the interior of your door with timeless elegance. The depth of these colors gives a sense of serenity and sophistication, captivating the eye and evoking a tranquil ambiance.
Navy also creates an air of refined luxury, while blue, in its various shades, breathes life into spaces with its soothing and versatile charm. This compact yet classy color choice complements a multitude of design styles from different regions.
Being Classical With Gray
You can never get bored of gray. The simple rule goes like this, if you are not sure what color to choose for your interiors, just go with gray! This is because gray never disappoints. The warm and cozy vibes that this color brings with it have their own charm.
Just grab a book and a coffee to sit and enjoy the relaxing environment it offers you when you decide to paint your interior doors gray. Moreover, it gives a softer touch to its surroundings, instantly making you fall in love with it every time you see it!
Creams And Taupes
Last but not least, creams and taupes are sublime choices for painting interior doors, giving them an aura of sophistication and elegance. These muted tones possess an innate ability to seamlessly blend with diverse design aesthetics, complementing both traditional and contemporary settings. From modern Hollywood homes to royal Persian ones, they suit every interior design.
Their neutral undertones give versatility, enabling coordination with a wide range of color schemes and furnishings. Furthermore, creams and taupes have a sense of tranquility and warmth in a space, creating an inviting ambiance. So, naturally, they make a great combo for door interiors.
Recent Interior Door Painting Trends
Interior door painting never gets out of fashion no matter what age we live in. Even our elders were obsessed with what color to paint the interior door as it's the first and the last thing a person sees while entering the room.
However, with the passing years, the trends have shifted to more dynamic transitions in the shades used. While many are still great fans of creams, taupes, and classical colors like deep navy or classical gray there are plenty of other options available if you really want your doors to pop and stand out.
A popular trend is to use vibrant and contrasting colors. This is because colors like emerald green, sapphire blue, or deep burgundy add a dramatic focal point and create a sense of luxury and sophistication.
All in all, recent or old, interior door designs have always been in fashion. These painting trends transform the doors into stunning design elements within a space, giving our homes a more vibrant and welcoming vibe.
DIY Tips To Paint Interior Doors
Painting the interior door is a fun activity. It acts as a natural antidote to anxiety and apprehension. However, this is also really messy work. If you’re careful, you can lose that favorite shirt you adore so much. Or you might end up damaging a greater part of a door or surrounding in an attempt to fix them by painting.
Therefore, to avoid such disastrous outcomes, I have some DIY hacks, tips, and tricks to help you get the job done like an expert.
- Tape It Off
The first and the never to be forgotten rule before painting is that you MUST tape off all the hinges, handles, and knobs. If you are a rough worker, take a knife or a cutter to cut and align the edges straight after taping.
This trick helps protect the hinges and knobs from getting damp and helps avoid rusting. You can also opt to completely remove these things, but this trick makes painting easier without the hassle of screwing off and then screwing on. - Drape The Floors
When painting the interior door, always drape the floor before you start to paint. Otherwise, your skills are going to give you another painted area on the floor that wasn’t part of your original plan. - Always Prime Your Door
For a flawless finish and a professional output, the trick is to sand and prime the surface of the door before you start painting. This trick works wonders in removing dust particles, rough wooden areas, and other bumpy marks giving a smooth and flat surface. The primer also works by filling all the holes in the wooden base, helping to give a flawless base for painting. - Always Do Multiple Coats
Applying multiple coats of paint is a valuable DIY tip when painting interior doors. By using multiple coats, you can achieve a more even and durable finish. Start with a primer coat to ensure proper adhesion and coverage, then apply several thin coats of paint, allowing each coat to dry completely before adding the next.
This technique helps to minimize streaks, drips, and brush marks, resulting in a smooth and professional finish. Multiple coats also enhance the durability of the paint, ensuring that your newly painted doors will withstand everyday wear and tear for an extended period.
How To Paint An Interior Door Like A Pro: A Step-by-Step Guide
Painting an interior door is a satisfying DIY project that instantly elevates the look of your space. To achieve professional-quality results, it's essential to follow a systematic approach and pay attention to the details. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of painting an interior door like a pro.
- Step 1–Edges: Start painting your door with the inside edges. You can start off from one corner of the panel and work your way up from there. Ideally, it is better to start from the inside and work up from there across the header to the other side. For narrow parts, use a brush to get a cleaner finish and better control. Plus, don’t load too much paint on your brush as excess paint can cause visible drip marks.
- Step 2–Panels: Painting the panels can be fun if you love symmetrical approaches. The best way to do panels is to brush paint the 4-inch closed-end square. Then use a roller to paint the inside of the panel evenly. Use two to three coats to give a fine finish to the door. This technique helps get the job done faster and allows for a better finish.
- Step 3–Vertical Strips Down Center: After painting the panels, paint the vertical strips down the center with a 4-inch roller. This completely paints all the left-out parts in the center of the door.
- Step 4–Horizontal Roles: After the center, now comes the peripherals of the interior doors. Use the same 4-inch roller that you used to paint the central vertical areas, and paint the upper and bottom horizontal areas. Give the same two to three rollovers to have the same smooth and flat finish.
- Step 5–Vertical Strips On The Sides: Finish off your door by painting the outsides of the door. The 4-inch roller goes on the outer vertical areas in the same manner as all the previous steps. Give a good 2-3 roll-ons for a balanced painting.
Once these steps are done, your door is ready. Just let the paint dry and you can fix it up to get the final look. However, remember to sand and even out excess paint in between coats. (This is the secret to a professional finished look!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you paint the interior doors the same as the walls?
There is no hard and fast rule as to what pattern you need to follow while painting your interior doors and walls. You can paint them in the same color and you could also paint them in contrasting colors, the choice is all yours. Interior door painting allows you to be as creative as you want to be.
How long does the paint last on the doors?
Different paints have different half-lives so the universal time limit for the paint to stay may vary from paint to paint. For instance, latex paint can last for 2-10 years, while acrylic paint usually lasts 2-15 years. The duration depends on what paint you choose for your door and how it is applied.
How many coats of paint does a door need?
Normally two coats are enough to paint a door properly. However, in some cases where the paint you are using is lighter in color or you can see the bottom base, you can also go with a third coat.
Final Thoughts
So, in a nutshell, you should paint your interior doors as it is a fantastic way to transform the look and feel of your space. This healthy activity allows you to inject your personal style, add a pop of color, or create a cohesive design theme throughout your home.
By painting your interior doors, you can breathe new life into a room without breaking the bank. Whether you choose bold and vibrant colors, elegant metallic finishes, or intricate patterns, the options are endless. Not only does painting interior doors offer aesthetic benefits, but it also provides an opportunity to protect and prolong the lifespan of your doors.
Therefore, if you're contemplating whether or not to paint your interior doors, don't hesitate anymore. This is your sign to get up and start that transformation project today to create something special and breathe new life into your interior space.
