Front Door Refresh with Fusion Mineral Paint

Do you remember last year when we did the post highlighting the Fusion Metallics? I teamed up with 4 other bloggers to show off different ways to use the metallics and also had a giveaway where one person won a fantastic prize package from Fusion Mineral Paint

I loved collaborating with the other, talented bloggers and it’s always fun hosting a giveaway 🙂

Well, I thought it was about time to do it again!  This time, I’m joined by 5 other bloggers and we are highlighting the gorgeous “blues” from the Fusion line.

 

 

Y’all know blue is my favorite color . . . And Fusion has 8 different shades of blue to pick from!

Each of us picked a different shade of Fusion Blue to use on a project.  My pick was Homestead Blue.

 

 

You may remember Homestead Blue from a few other projects I’ve shared (like this china cabinet and bathroom vanity).  It’s one of my favorite colors in the whole Fusion line–it’s sophisticated, but still bold enough to make a statement.

For this post though, I didn’t paint a piece of furniture in Homestead Blue, but instead this:

 

 

Yep, it’s finally time for my front door to get its makeover!  Since Fusion is an acrylic-based paint that provides a waterproof finish, you can use it on exterior projects, as well as interior ones.

There were really two keys to making this project work:  Good Prep, and Good Weather.  My front door is covered by a small patio, but it still gets a lot of dirt and water splashed on it–so getting a clean surface for the new paint to stick to was critical.

And, I needed at least 2 days where the weather was nice enough to leave my front door open for several hours and where there was minimal wind, so that dust and debris wouldn’t be flying into my wet paint.

Once those 2 things were taken care of, it was a pretty simple project 🙂

To prep the door, I started out by scrubbing it down with Simple Green (or you can use the Fusion TSP Alternative!). There were some places on the door (especially in the cracks and trimwork) where some sticky goo had collected as well lots of general dirt.  All of that dirt and goo needed to be off so that my paint would stick well.

 

 

After the door was clean, I went ahead and gave it a pretty thorough sanding with my handheld sander.

 

 

My door is solid wood, and had the finish been in better shape a light sanding would have been enough. But the original varnish on the door was flaking off in several places and the finish overall was very rough. Any chipping varnish or roughness would show up underneath my new paint, so I wanted to get the door surface nice and smooth again.

Once the door was cleaned and sanded, I propped it open and brought out the paint.

 

 

Homestead Blue glides on so nice and smooth . . . It’s really not necessary to use a roller with it to get a smooth finish.  My round bristle Fusion brush laid down the paint perfectly.

I painted the interior panels first.

 

 

Then went back and painted the outer panels.  It’s important when you’re painting a door to follow the lines of the grain.

 

 

It may sound complicated, but I promise it’s not!  Just work on your door in sections, painting one whole strip where the grain runs in one direction, then move on to another section.

Two coats of Homestead Blue was all it took to get complete coverage on my door.  I went ahead and let my first coat dry overnight, so it would cure up a little before applying the next coat.  Again, your front door gets a lot of wear and tear, so go ahead and give the paint the full dry time in between coats to help it be as durable as possible.

So clean, sand, paint, dry . . .  and then you have a brand new door!

 

 

I made a few other small changes too, like spray painting our old brass light fixture a hammered black finish, and changing out our worn-out brass hardware for a satin nickel handle set.  Honestly installing the new handle and lock was the most difficult part of this whole process!  But our old handle was past its prime and hard for my kids to work, so it was worth the effort to update it with a new one.

 

 

And remember my part-sun containers I shared a few weeks back? They are really filling in, and the pink begonias especially are going crazy 🙂  I wanted to repeat that same pink color so I made a simple arrangement using some pink tulips and peach blossoms for a door decoration.

 

 

See that brass threshold?  Eventually that will be replaced also, with a satin nickel threshold to match the handle.  I just ran out of time 🙂

I love the pink and blue together though.

 

 

I found a new doormat also for a steal at Tuesday Morning, that echoes the blue as well.

 

 

Having this little pop of color makes such a huge difference in our curb appeal! It draws the eye to our doorway and provides a focal point. My entryway used to get lost in a sea of red brick, but now it stands out. I would love to add some additional trim around the door eventually, but even without that, my entryway now makes a big statement.

 

 

You may be wondering if Fusion on a front door will really hold up to the weather . . . Well, I want to show you a few more pictures from about 10 days after I finished painting the door.

We had a nasty hail storm on evening, and the day after the storm I found dirt spots all over the door.

 

 

I got a bowl of warm water with a few drops of dish soap mixed in, and gently scrubbed the door with a scrub brush.

 

 

Then I wiped off the scrubbed spot with a wet rag.

 

 

All the dirt and water spots came right off with no damage to the paint at all! And again, I didn’t apply any wax, poly, or sealer to the door. With Fusion, you don’t need one.

You can see in this picture, the left side of the panel has been scrubbed and wiped, while the right side hasn’t yet.

 

 

Even though I knew in theory that Fusion on my door should stand up to the weather just fine, I was astounded when I really saw the durability of the paint in action.  This really is incredible paint!

So, there you have another example of how you can transform a space in your home with Fusion Mineral Paint 🙂

Please check out the other makeovers from my talented blog friends (click on blog name to be taken to their post) :

Tara at Suburble using Renfrew Blue

Susan at Homeroad using Champness

Linda at Q is for Quandie using Inglenook

Crystal at Team Sutton Designs using Seaside

Becky at Beyond the Picket Fence using Laurentien

 

Fusion Mineral Paint Giveaway! (NOW CLOSED)

And now, for the really fun part!  Fusion has graciously offered a prize package, worth around $85 of product, to one reader!  The winner gets 2 pints Fusion Mineral Paint (any choice of color), one Fusion Antique Glaze, and one Fusion Small Brush!

You can enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter below, or on the Rafflecopter at any of the other 5 Fusion Blues Bloggers’ posts.

The giveaway starts today and ends midnight on Sunday, May 1st.  It’s open to residents of the U.S. and Canada, 18 and older.  Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway