Is your front door looking weathered and a little beat up? Have you always disliked the color of your door? Does it have good-looking hardware and a smooth-operating lock? Good news! It only takes a weekend to do a full front door makeover. You can make it more secure and get that door looking great, and it will improve the whole look of the front of your house.

Paint the door

If you take a picture of the front of your house, you can use Photoshop or other computer software to see what painting your door a different color will do to the look of your house. A freshly painted, bright-colored front door can really make your house stand out.

Prepare the door for painting by scraping off rough spots and then sanding down those spots and other bubbly paint spots and such. You can take the door down to make it easier to paint or leave it on its hinges. Remove the lock and other hardware. Then sand down these areas, especially if you are replacing the lock and hardware as the sizes are likely to be different. Fill in any holes and sand over them too. The prep work can take longer than you might think so if you want to finish this project in a weekend, you might want to get the prep work done on Friday.

Paint the door by starting with a brush and painting the recessed areas in the door. You can then use that brush or a small roller to paint the panels inside those recessed areas. Finally, you’ll use a roller or brush to go over the frame of the door. If you manage to get it painted on Saturday, you can let it dry overnight and apply a second coat on Sunday. If it’s going to need three coats, you’ll need to squeeze in that second coat on Saturday evening.

Upgrade the lock and door hardware

Since you’ve taken the hardware off the door to paint it, this is a great time to get new hardware and upgrade your deadbolt lock. You could even upgrade to a keypad lock for improved security and the assurance that no family member will ever be locked out again due to a misplaced key. If the screws securing the strike plate are only three-quarter inch, replace them with three-inch screws. Same for the hinge plates. This will make your door far more secure.

A few more makeover ideas

To brighten up your front step, take down your old front door light and replace it with a new fixture with LED lighting.

Replace your house numbers if they’re old. You’ll be surprised at what an improvement this makes.

A video doorbell is surprisingly not too hard to install.

Summary

In a weekend, you could totally makeover your front door and entry. If you want to further improve your home security, contact your home services company and find out about the great options they have for home security systems.