Sunday, December 26, 2010

Apartment Progress... The Entry


(before)
(progress)
(after)

Besides the fact all doors, trim, and baseboards were painted this horrible dingy off-white, there were three metal hooks on the back of the apartment door that in theory are a great idea but executed poorly. They jutted out a few inches which looked bad and installed at eye level, they almost took mine out a couple times.

The original hooks were painted over many times so my installer used a power drill to chip off the paint and unscrew them out of the door. He filled the holes, sanded down the spackle and painted the door.

The overdoor hooks are my favorite since they fit thicker doors like this and are minimal and white. Even though my coat closet is 5 ft from the front door, I prefer to hang my coat and scarves here after I wear them, A-it's easier than having to officially put them away, and B-I like them to air out a little.

(The lighting is off a bit in the first two shots, so the first shots is after I painted the walls BM Super White flat, but not the door. The second shot is after I repainted the door same as the walls but in semi-gloss. The last shots show more accurately how white it looks in person.)

9 comments:

Marie Lee Carter said...

Of course, your entryway looks fantastic (love the clear file on wheels as your landing strip)

I want to paint our interior doors (hollow core) white, now that it looks like we will be here another year. Our apartment is painted in flat china white, which works well given the amount of light we get during the day - would you recommend all doors be painted in semi-gloss? Did you use a primer beforehand?

laura said...

yes, all doors, trim and baseboards should be semi-gloss and i recommend walls be flat/matte not eggshell. i didn't prime beforehand.

priming is always recommended but i didn't. this was a fresh paint job before i moved in, it was latex on latex paint (not unfinished wood) and i was painting a similar color. if i owned the place, i'd prime, but it looks fine...

Marie Lee Carter said...

Thanks - I will go for it!

laura said...

are you doors already painted? cause if there unfinished/finished wood, you should prime. it'll make it easier for the paint to adhere to the surface and save you from having to do more than 2 coats of paint....

:O)

Marie Lee Carter said...

yep - unpainted and dreary-looking. We originally planned to only be here a year, so I didn't want to make any changes but I doubt that we will be moving to a bigger (ha ha ha) place on the upper east side this year.....

I will go to the store and look for primer, then.

erinn said...

BM's Super White is a staple for me! Also, our house (built in the 80's) has flat hollow core doors throughout the interior. As we paint each room I have been painting the doors as well. I recommend a primer if they have not been painted before (ours are natural...ugly!) but not necessary if they are already painted. I agree about the semi-gloss and would recommend rolling the paint on rather than using a brush. I finally tried that and the paint finish looks so much smoother. I used a foam roller. Happy painting!

Marie Lee Carter said...

I will definitely use primer and a roller - thanks!

Stefa said...

Laura, your apartment is beautiful! Could you tell me where you got the acrylic box on casters by the front door? It looks like a jewel placed right there. I love it! Thanks!

laura said...

thanks! i got it from pottery barn teen a number of years ago.

:O)