One of my favorite changes I made to our last house was painting the interior doors black. It makes SUCH a statement. Black doors are classic and the contrast adds so much to a space.
I got most of the doors in that house painted:
You can see how I painted those interior doors here. It’s not always as simple as just painting — there are some things you’ll need to check before starting.
So many of you have asked why we didn’t go with black doors in this house. I did have them quoted when we built, but the price seemed high when I knew I could do it myself for the cost of a gallon of paint.
And I wasn’t sure I’d want them in this house…I wanted to live with them first. And after two and a half years, I’m still completely in love with our white doors.
About a year after we moved in I got the itch to try out the black on one door — I painted the back side of our garage door and LOVED it:
I picked that door because it wasn’t in the middle of the house where a lone painted door would stand out.
Even though I loved it, I haven’t been in any rush to paint more doors, until recently. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to use what we have right now, but I realized this would be a great time to tackle another one!
Our pantry door is in a sea of light walls and white cabinets, so I figured some contrast would do this spot well:
Check out the door painting post I mentioned to get all of the tips and details you’ll need!
I talked to our builder after I painted the door in the mud room and found out everything is painted in latex, not oil-based paint. So there was no need for me to prime like I always have. (Although a tinted primer is a great idea when you’re going from white to black!)
I never take my doors off the hinges when painting — there’s no need. This is my trick for easily covering the hinges with painter’s tape:
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
See my policies and disclosure page for more information.
Cover them and then use a razor to cut around the hinge.
Peel the tape off the door and leave it on the hinge so you can paint right over it:
To paint, you’ll need a small angled brush and a foam roller (here’s the handle you need for that roller). I use the brush around the detail first, then paint with the roller immediately:
Don’t skimp on the paint with the roller! But don’t push super hard when rolling it on (or the roller will leave paint marks along the sides). I did three full coats and then some touch ups here and there.
The result will give you a smooth, shiny finish that looks like it’s been sprayed:
By the way, you can spray doors with a sprayer as well! I just find it easier to leave it in place. (Check out this post for my favorite paint sprayer and how to use it.)
I am never disappointed by a black door. Ever. 🙂 I absolutely love them:
It really breaks up all of the white in this spot. I adore our five panel doors, and this really brings attention to them.
I used a semi-gloss sheen in the color Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams. We had a lot more texture on our doors in the last house so I used an eggshell. Both will clean up really well.
I especially love how the black door ties in with pendant lights and stools at the island:
I’ve told you before how much I love a touch of black in a room. I think it grounds a space in a way nothing else can. The bit of contrast always looks great!
Now I plan to keep going in the house…I’m starting all over. 😉 Two down and around 20 to go!:
Have I convinced any of you to paint your doors black over the years? I love other colors too — a light gray is beautiful. Dark navy would be awesome! And I almost went with a dark green for the doors in our home. All would be lovely!
If you’re interested in anything you’ve seen in this post, click on the photos below to shop:
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.
See more of our home here. To shop items in our home, click here! Never miss a post by signing up to get posts via email.
