I've been trying to figure out a way to add a little pizzazz...a little som'in-som'in...to the back hallway on the first floor. It leads to the first floor bathroom, the play room and the garage and is sort of tucked away. When we first moved in, I painted it a light shade of gray (it was previously a dark brown) to help bounce around more light. But it still needed something.
After pinning last week 'til I thought my eyes would bleed, I decided on what would be the perfect thing for this space: a punch of color.
I took a quick peek at what I had around in the garage already, and found that I had a color that would work perfectly. It was Valspar's Nautical, the same color I used for the revitalization of my outdoor bench.
After pinning last week 'til I thought my eyes would bleed, I decided on what would be the perfect thing for this space: a punch of color.
I took a quick peek at what I had around in the garage already, and found that I had a color that would work perfectly. It was Valspar's Nautical, the same color I used for the revitalization of my outdoor bench.
Now, I wasn't going to use it to paint the entire hallway. That wouldn't be a punch of color; that would be a full on assault. Instead, I decided to paint the door that leads from the hallway to the garage. The paint I had was an exterior paint in gloss (because I had bought it specifically to paint outdoor furniture), which would work perfectly for this purpose. The exterior paint would hold up big time to all of the wear and tear that door gets, and the gloss gives it a nice sheen and makes it easily wipable for all of those greasy fingerprints. No more grungy, white garage door! If you wanted a not-so-wet look, you could go with a satin finish.
The photo (and my lack of photog skills) don't do this door justice. The color represents more like the swatch above in person.
The photo (and my lack of photog skills) don't do this door justice. The color represents more like the swatch above in person.
I didn't do a primer, so I applied 3 coats in order to get good coverage. I used a 2" brush and started with the panel insets. I then moved to all of the vertical sections and tackled the horizontal sections last. It just seemed easier, and it helped with the brush strokes.
We both love how it turned out--the little pop of color really adds so much to the space!
We both love how it turned out--the little pop of color really adds so much to the space!