Black interior doors (in the basement)
January 09, 2013
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I’m so excited to show you the progress I’ve made on a BIG project I’ve been working on for days and days and DAYS. I had no clue how long this would take me and I’m still not done!
I’ve been obsessed with black interior doors for years now. I’ve been painting ours over time, a door here and there. I painted our garage door first:
OK, it’s not a real interior door, but it was a door. :)
I’ve also painted the inside of our front door:
That black buffet is getting a new color soon – there’s too much dark going on there for me.
And of course there’s our pantry door and the infamous back door:
If you’re having a crappy day and need a laugh, read this post about painting that one. I can laugh about it…now.
Anyhoo, I’ve become a master at painting doors over the years. I showed you how to paint doors tutorial and it doesn’t fail me:
I’ve been determined to get more interior doors painted, so I decided to start in the basement.
My favorite set of doors is to the laundry room – I made this doorway 36 inches wide on purpose so I could carry large laundry baskets in and out without hitting anything. My great idea ended up costing us a little extra – a 36 inch door was going to take up too much space into the rest of the space when open (these doors are rarely closed).
I won’t feel like this is really done till I get the last little bits done, so I hope to tackle those tonight. Then I can move on!
And by the way, we went with oil rubbed bronze hardware down here to tie in with the rest of the house, but I think a brushed nickel would be HOT with a black door. And believe it or not – I even think brass looks pretty darn good with them. ;)
Have you painted any doors in your house a different color? Our mud room door is getting a fun color – otherwise they are all going black! By the way, this color is called Graphite from Benjamin Moore -- I had it mixed in Sherwin Williams (eggshell finish in latex paint). It’s part of the color scheme for the basement I showed you here. It’s not a true, deep black, but more deep gray, although it really looks black to me on the doors! Maybe it will look different in natural light?
I’ve been obsessed with black interior doors for years now. I’ve been painting ours over time, a door here and there. I painted our garage door first:
I’ve also painted the inside of our front door:
And of course there’s our pantry door and the infamous back door:
Anyhoo, I’ve become a master at painting doors over the years. I showed you how to paint doors tutorial and it doesn’t fail me:
The doors were already primed and have sat unpainted for about eight months now – here’s how they looked:
Since they were already primed I felt like this would be pretty easy. Easy, yes. Fast? Oh dear Lord, NO.
I started by taking off the hardware:
I just did the knobs because they’re pretty easy to take off. You’ll save yourself some time if you just take them off – taping around a doorknob is a pain and I think it takes more time than just removing them. ;)
I just did the knobs because they’re pretty easy to take off. You’ll save yourself some time if you just take them off – taping around a doorknob is a pain and I think it takes more time than just removing them. ;)
As I showed you above, we have paneled doors, so I started with the insets of each panel:
You don’t have to make it perfect, just make sure there aren’t any globs of paint anywhere.
You don’t have to make it perfect, just make sure there aren’t any globs of paint anywhere.
I like to really knock down the paint around the edges on the flat part of the door:
By the way, I do this part with an angled brush. I started out with a smaller one, like a 1 1/2 inch, but found it went MUCH faster with a wider one, about two inches.
By the way, I do this part with an angled brush. I started out with a smaller one, like a 1 1/2 inch, but found it went MUCH faster with a wider one, about two inches.
Then roll on the rest of the door – I use a small white sponge roller you can get at any hardware store. Here’s the thing – it will look horrible:
Like total poo, for real. Don’t freak out. As long as your paint is decent it will get better and you will not see all the overlap.
Like total poo, for real. Don’t freak out. As long as your paint is decent it will get better and you will not see all the overlap.
My second coat was a fast one – and for this one I used the roller to do the inserts as well:
I knew it didn’t need to be perfect, so as long as there were no globs of paint it was fine.
I knew it didn’t need to be perfect, so as long as there were no globs of paint it was fine.
The second coat makes a HUGE difference!:
I finished off each one by using the brush for the insets one last time (just to get a good finish) and then rolling on the rest again.
I finished off each one by using the brush for the insets one last time (just to get a good finish) and then rolling on the rest again.
I used Sherwin Williams paint and it went on like buttah. No need to sand between coats at all. It’s really an easy project, but with three coats each door, it just takes forever!
I don’t tape off much either – this time I used my Frogtape on the latches (just because sometimes if you don’t get them back in the same exact way they don’t latch right, so I’d rather just tape them off):
And on some of the doors I used some of the green stuff on the trim next to the door:
But on a couple of them this wasn’t needed, it just depends on the door and how well you paint. ;)
And on some of the doors I used some of the green stuff on the trim next to the door:
But on a couple of them this wasn’t needed, it just depends on the door and how well you paint. ;)
I used to use a gray primer on everything I was painting black, but I’ve learned since that it always takes me three coats (with good paint). So one coat of primer wasn’t going to do me much good when I knew I needed two more anyway. It was three coats either way. (And I didn’t need the primer for protective reasons like on a piece of furniture.)
I did both sides of three doors and haven’t finished the other side of a couple of them yet. It takes me about two hours to do each door, so it’s been a process over the past five days or so.
The door to my lovely little storage area door is done front and back:
That dresser is getting painted too, it was moved from the guest room. Yes, I have a lot of black dressers. ;) I used to be obsessed with black furniture! Now I’d rather have natural wood or a color – the black in our house will now be on the doors. (I’ve always said most every room can take one item in black!)
My favorite set of doors is to the laundry room – I made this doorway 36 inches wide on purpose so I could carry large laundry baskets in and out without hitting anything. My great idea ended up costing us a little extra – a 36 inch door was going to take up too much space into the rest of the space when open (these doors are rarely closed).
So instead we did a custom door that was cut down the middle:
It doesn’t get in the way of the bathroom door and it takes up very little space in the family room area. The spot behind the right door will be our little kitchenette so the door will back up to the cabinets eventually.
There’s a little peek at a big project starting in the laundry, and no we don’t have knobs on those doors yet. Baby steps. :)
I think they look SO sharp in black and it’s safe to say I am in luuuuurve:
There’s a reason all those doors are closed. Disaster areas lurk behind them. :)
Now I need to finish the backs of a couple of them, and do the storage room door in the laundry and I’m done…down here anyway. Next up is upstairs. Because I’ve removed so many doors in this house, that will take about as long as all of them in the basement did!
Here’s one last look – it’s a lot of doors in one small area – more doors than we even have on our main floor! But they make a statement and that’s what I love:
I am not painting the trim, I like the white trim with the doors a lot. If I did the trim I’d want to continue it to the baseboards and I’m a bright white trim kind of girl. (It’s not quite bright white down here just yet – that’s another project for another day.)
There’s a little peek at a big project starting in the laundry, and no we don’t have knobs on those doors yet. Baby steps. :)
I think they look SO sharp in black and it’s safe to say I am in luuuuurve:
There’s a reason all those doors are closed. Disaster areas lurk behind them. :)
Now I need to finish the backs of a couple of them, and do the storage room door in the laundry and I’m done…down here anyway. Next up is upstairs. Because I’ve removed so many doors in this house, that will take about as long as all of them in the basement did!
Here’s one last look – it’s a lot of doors in one small area – more doors than we even have on our main floor! But they make a statement and that’s what I love:
I am not painting the trim, I like the white trim with the doors a lot. If I did the trim I’d want to continue it to the baseboards and I’m a bright white trim kind of girl. (It’s not quite bright white down here just yet – that’s another project for another day.)
I won’t feel like this is really done till I get the last little bits done, so I hope to tackle those tonight. Then I can move on!
And by the way, we went with oil rubbed bronze hardware down here to tie in with the rest of the house, but I think a brushed nickel would be HOT with a black door. And believe it or not – I even think brass looks pretty darn good with them. ;)
Have you painted any doors in your house a different color? Our mud room door is getting a fun color – otherwise they are all going black! By the way, this color is called Graphite from Benjamin Moore -- I had it mixed in Sherwin Williams (eggshell finish in latex paint). It’s part of the color scheme for the basement I showed you here. It’s not a true, deep black, but more deep gray, although it really looks black to me on the doors! Maybe it will look different in natural light?
Do you paint with oil or water-based paint?
ReplyDeleteWhy?
They look wonderful! I did my front door (outside) black (SW Tricorn Black) and love it. Since my home is so small (1280 sf), I'm not sure inside black would work well. Let's see how long I can agonize over that! I, too, am a lover of bright white woodwork. Great job, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteMy BFF is painting her interior doors black, with white trim, and Sweatshirt Gray walls. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the look. It's sharp and interesting, but still cozy and homey. I love your black door project! =)
ReplyDeleteClaudia these were painted with latex paint -- when cured it will hold up great! I've used latex on all my doors and it's held up really well.
ReplyDeleteLove the doors, they look fabulous in black. Great job. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteLove it! That is on my list of things to do in my house!
ReplyDeleteI love it. Never thought about doing that but it looks great. ...I love contrast!
ReplyDeleteNancy
Very nice Sarah!! We painted the door of our master bath ensuite black. It also has frosted glass panels. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love this!!! I've been wanting to do this but not sure about my back door. It's got the glass with the grid like your pantry door. But, the grid is inside the glass and it's white. Not sure painting this door black would work with a white grid????
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! I'm loving the black doors and you're getting my wheels a spinning... At the very least I should paint my garage door black - it's a hot mess and the black would at least hide some of the wear and tear!
ReplyDeleteMost of the doors in my house are painted a color. I decided it was a fun and easy to change way of adding color. I have one hallway with navy, grass green and beige doors in it (each of those colors coordinate with each other, but also coordinate with what's in the room behind them in a different way). I also have a hall that has soft yellow, ice gray and turquoise doors. My back door looks almost like yours, but its a reeeeeally dark navy and my front door is charcoal. Because these areas are isolated from each other, it doesn't make things look like a funhouse. I get compliments from everyone on how it looks. :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! I painted our front door last year. It went from black to beautiful teal. Still love it!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing I hate more than painting doors. Thanks for the instructions on the way you do it. I'll try that next time.
ReplyDeleteSo timely, I am about to paint the inside of my front doors black, and maybe the french doors from the entry to the living room and the back door.
ReplyDeleteIt is so pretty!!! I love the black doors!
ReplyDeleteSarah - your doors look fantastic! Love it! I am a black paint lovin' girl as well! Black in every room! I will have to send you a picture of my black beamed family room ceiling. You will love it! Painting my interior front door is on my to-do list for this year as well. I've been toying with doing my basement doors as well. I think you just pushed me over the edge! Thanks for another fab' blog!
ReplyDeleteWow! Your black doors look amazing!
ReplyDeleteI love love love how it turned out. I've been wanting to paint our interior doors black really bad. It looks so chic. How sassy of you!
ReplyDeleteI love the look Sarah, they turned out perfect!
ReplyDeleteO. M. G. They look so nice!!! I would have never thought to do this. You have a great eye for design, don't think I've ever seen that before, but I love it!!!
ReplyDeletelove, Love, LOVE it! I have been thinking about painting my interior doors black for awhile. I had painted the doors in our first house (15 years ago) and I still remember how much work it is (unfortunately). I definitely plan to give it a go though. It totally brings the room to a whole other level. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI painted the inside of my front and back door black. I absolutely love them. It really just adds so much depth to them. If I were ever to move from this house, I would do the same in my next house. My knobs are antique glass knobs which look fabulous but I think brushed nickel or brass would look fab. BTW I love brass. I know it goes "out of style" sometimes but I really think it's a classic.
ReplyDeleteI love the white trim around the black doors, the contrast is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI might end up doing this in our basement. We've got light gray walls and I think it'd look good.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteCould you tell me the name of the gray paint used on the walls of the basement? Looks great with the black doors, as does the khaki upstairs. Thank you!
They look stunning!! Seriously, so amazing. Props to you, girl, for having the patience to do all of that! I would've given up halfway, haha
ReplyDeleteMarina Gray lightened 25%, I think is your family room. No need to answer back. Found your paint post!
ReplyDeleteThe painted doors give the room so much warmth. They look great!
ReplyDeleteWow!--amazing! This is a must-do for me!--note to self: Get help from as many friends as possible! ha Seriously, they look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThey look beautiful! I agree that the white trim looks fantastic with the black doors!
ReplyDeleteYour doors look fantastic! I've been toying with the idea of painting my French doors black on the inside ... you've inspired me! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYup!I too have painted doors in our home. The front door was red when we moved in. I repainted the outside a custom green color I mixed from some S-W sample paints. (It coordinates really well with the pale green siding.) The inside I did in white. It made a huge difference. When the door's open in warm weather, the green of the outside door color works exceptionally well with the accents of the living room (where the door opens into.)
ReplyDeleteI like your black doors very much!
I love your blog! I'm moving in with my boyfriend next month and he is giving me all the decorating power :) I cant wait to go through more of your amazing ideas to help with the decor <3
ReplyDeleteAllison
xoallison.blogspot.com
I painted my garage door a dark brown( followed your painting advice back when you posted it!), and after seeing this I am going to paint the trim like your black one. I bought a dash and Albert 3 by 2 rug to act like a runner on the 2 concrete steps BUT I haven't put it down because I want to paint the steps and I don't know what color!!! I can email you a picture so you can tell me :)
ReplyDeleteThe doors look awesome! I love them!
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to do this SOOOOO bad in my house! Now, I am less afraid. Thanks for the post! I have done my front door and love it. Two littles make big messes with dirty hands on white doors, black is perfect. I can't wait!! Think using a sprayer would work well?
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the dark doors! I have been wanting to do my pantry door forever and I think I've finally mustered up enough courage to do it! But, I must say, your oops, there's a hole in my house in the middle of a rainstorm had me rolling. That is so something that would happen to me! ;) By the way, thank you for the comment on our faux wood beams! They have been something that we’ve been wanting to do for such a long time and I’m so happy that we just bit the bullet and did it! I have a few leftover pieces and I’ve been brainstorming about turning them into a faux mantle for our basement…as of right now it sits unfinished, but a girl can dream, right? Thanks again for your sweet compliment and I’m looking forward to Haven! Jesse @ Scout & Nimble
ReplyDeleteLove interior black doors! They look great in your basement. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteLeslie
House on the Way
houseontheway@gmail.com
They look like custom, expensive doors. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteMinerva, I'm not sure how that would look either! With the white grid it may look off. Try searching images -- someone has probably tried it! :)
ReplyDeleteJennifer, the first coat in I was contemplating just using the sprayer -- I think it would work GREAT. I didn't because it was cold out and I knew we'd have to keep our cars out of the garage for a couple days so I could paint them. Staying inside and warm won out. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the black doors! All of ours are white on white (well, technically not a white-white but a little off-white color) but they're brand new so hubby would die if I said I wanted to paint them now. LOL I may have to give him a few years to let the new wear off. ;) ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip! Haven't painted any doors yet, but you make me want to try. I have the same boring white doors too, and I think the black on yours look great!
ReplyDeleteKudos for painting your doors! I painted all of the doors in our townhome last year~22 in all!
ReplyDeleteI used Valspar Satin Black latex/enamel quarts that are stock ready on the shelf. It took 5 quarts to do all of the doors with two coats. I used a triangle brush and a foam roller so my total investment was $75.
I knew it would look great after seeing so many blog & pinterest entries. I was surprised by how much better everything else looks with the black details in each room.
Absolutely LOVE these. Not sure why I never thought of it before. Really sophisticated and not boring like our standard white doors. Only other option would be to paint it TARDIS blue, but now I'm giving away my geeky side. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post. Your project turned out to be amazing. I started painting but now fear is setting in. My place is small I am scared that if I paint the doors black it will look smaller? I was reading another comment regarding the size. Let me know if this trick will work even if my place is around 1200sqft? Thank u!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to say! I don't think it makes the basement feel smaller, but most of those doors are usually open too, so that helps. You could always do a lighter gray too -- it would still make a statement but not be too dark. :)
DeleteLove the look of the black doors. I've been wanting to do this to my doors and your blog motivates me. Did you paint or change out the hinges on the doors?
ReplyDeleteI did change out the hinges to oil rubbed bronze to match the rest of the house, but the brass looked pretty good with the black! :)
DeleteI love how it looks & really want to paint mine black! But hesitant .... Is dust much more visible on them?
ReplyDeleteIt's been a few months now and I haven't seen anything too bad!
DeleteI have a question. I really love this idea of black interior doors! But I'm not sure how it would look on the doors at my house. I have an oooold house (1946) and all the interior doors are original, complete with skeleton keyholes and everything. Do you think they would look good black? I have the white trim like you throughout the house, it's just the door that are old like I said. :D
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! I AM PLANNING TO DO MY DOORS THIS WEEK!
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me!
Question: you said you paint both sides. What about in bedrooms doors?? I don't think the black would match with the colors in my kids bedrooms but I'm worried it would look weird on only 1 side. Thoughts????
ReplyDeleteI always do both sides -- but if you want you could just paint the front and sides and see how you like it!
DeleteHi Sarah. Getting ready to paint my doors black. I was just wondering if you also paint the closet doors in the bedrooms black as well? We have a large, three panel sliding door on our master bedroom closet. I'm worried it might overpower the room. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteGood question -- we have the big sliders in two of our bedrooms and I don't think I'll paint those. At least not black, I think it would be too overwhelming too.
DeleteOne tip, instead of painting with a foam roller use a velour roller, purchase at Sherwin Williams. I am a professional painter and use these rollers on kitchen cabinets as well. They put more paint on the door and you will only need 2 coats. Love the black doors and I like the idea of an eggshell instead of a semi gloss.
ReplyDeleteQuick Tip, use a velour roller. I am a professional painter and use these on cabinets that I refinish. They put more paint on the door and you should only need 2 coats. Let the first coat dry really well so the second coat doesn't slide the paint around. Love Love Love the black doors.
ReplyDelete