Design-Savvy Color Tips for Doors

Inside or outside, doors can set the style of your home or room with just the simple application of beautiful paint color in sheens from velvety matte to polished gloss.

Both exterior and interior doors can serve as important design elements for your living space, based on style, size and equally important – color. The ColorReader EZ is a great color tool that lets you explore color options for your doors, your walls, trim – any time you need to make a decision about color.

The Bluetooth-enabled device works with its accompanying app to instantly provide you with the top 3 paint color matches of any flat object or surface you scan with just the tap of a button. Tap your color match and get colors that coordinate with your match. Another tap will show you coordinating color schemes including Complementary, Triad, Analogous and Monochromatic palettes to help you create the perfect style and mood you’re looking for!

Exterior Doors

Your exterior front door is a great place to play with bold color and sheen, since making the entry to your home a visual focal point creates a welcoming feel to your home’s exterior.

Color – What’s your style? Brightly bold? Understatedly classic? Modernly minimalistic? Creatively cool? Along with the exterior color and style of your home, think about other surrounding colors such as the roof, walkways, and landscaping – even potted plants and flowers if you don’t have a yard. You can use the ColorReader EZ to scan the flat surfaces of color elements adjacent to your front door to get the color match then, find coordinating colors and color schemes for color inspiration.

Sheen – Many exterior doors are painted with a soft sheen, exterior enamel like an eggshell or semi-gloss. (Note: Always use an exterior paint for any surface that will be exposed to the elements). Enamel paint dries to a very durable, smooth, hard finish that’s perfect for exterior surfaces like doors and shutters. While an eggshell or semi-gloss sheen showcases your door’s color beautifully, consider opting for a high gloss finish for a polished look that brings gorgeous depth to deep colors like black, navy and burgundy. Another fresh look includes dark hues in a matte or flat finish.

Interior Doors

Interior doors can be more than just functional – they can work as a design element, tying the look of a room together with color. They’re a great way to bring brighter, richer hues to a space without being overwhelming.

Color – White or cream are classic choices for interior doors and trim, but why not expand your color horizons beyond neutrals? Color for interior doors has become a trend that shows no sign of ending anytime soon. From deep, moody navies, greys and lodens, to sunrise pastels of sky, blush and peach. Craving more color? Try a citrusy yellow, French blue or classic red for some color palette panache.

Sheen – Interior doors can get a lot of touch-traffic, so as a general rule of thumb, a latex paint in an eggshell, semi-gloss or gloss makes the most sense for ease of cleaning messy fingerprints. But most major paint brands now make matte and flat paints that are “scrubbable,” expanding your sheen options. The higher the gloss, the more pronounced imperfections will appear, so if you want to go with a glamorous ultra-glossy sheen, it will pay to put some prep time in to ensure a smooth, even painting surface.