The process of choosing an entry door color will depend on a number of factors, including your exterior paint, the style of your home and even your landscaping design. Also take into consideration your own personal style and preferences. Before making your decision on the color of for your entry door, consider the whole picture.
Considerations Regarding the Material
The material that you choose for your entry door will have an effect on your color choices. The two most common materials for exterior doors are metal (steel) and wood. Steel doors can be painted in whatever color you'd like, though the choices for pre-made doors may be limited. A stainless steel door in a metallic color will match almost any house exterior. A metallic color door can add a special flair to your home.
While a wood door can be painted, consider staining it. You can choose from a light oak, a medium maple color, a dark walnut or mahogany. Some stains for wood are also dyed in colorful hues that may better fit your needs.
Some doors are also made of fiberglass, which is very durable, looks like wood and allows for a more varied selection of painted colors or stains to be ingrained into the fibers of the door. Since the fiberglass is rust-resistant your colors may stay longer as compared to metal or wood.
Exterior Paint Considerations
Match your door color according to your home's exterior paint color. The two most common schematics are complementary and monochromatic. With a complementary scheme you go with two colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel, like orange and blue, for a very colorful and non-traditional display. With a monochromatic scheme you pick one color (such as blue) and choose variations of that same color for your house exterior. For instance, the door and trim of the home can be dark blue while the house is painted baby blue.
Generally a light colored home (such as white, salmon, canary or light grey) will go well with a darker colored door (dark wood stain or browns and blacks). The opposite is true for a dark or black house, only the door color should "pop." For instance, consider a bright, unusual color for the door of a black house like a bright green or lavender.
Use Sherwin William's color visualizer tool or the tool at ColorSchemeDesigner.com to decide which colors complement each other.
House Style
There are some house styles that are complimented by certain colors. For instance, a house that is built in an adobe or art deco style may look great with a red, yellow, orange or other bright-colored door.
If you have a traditional house, like a ranch or colonial, consider choosing a more muted door color, like brown, grey, white or black. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the exterior paint choice that you make---a bright yellow door may be a good choice for a bright orange house regardless of the house style.
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