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First impressions

What does your front entrance say about your home or what lies within? A few simple tweaks can make a dramatic difference to the welcome on offer

Words Sarah Heeringa

Dress up your newly painted door with a mat from Trade Aid plus sturdy Blunt Umbrellas

What does your front entrance say about your home or what lies within? A few simple tweaks can make a dramatic difference to the welcome on offer

1. De-clutter
Front entrances are natural dumping grounds for muddy boots, smelly sports gear and other miscellaneous household articles.

2. Clean!
Doorsteps are high-use areas with lots of nooks and crannies to collect dust, stones and dead leaves. Whenever you mop the floor inside, sweep your front doorstep area and swish the leftover washing water over your door and front area with a mop or soft broom. Add a few drops of eucalyptus or tea tree oil to your washing water for extra cleaning power and a fresh camphoraceous odour.

3. Splash out with colour
Painting the front door is a quick way to make a fresh change – and the perfect place to add a little whimsy. Consider a colour that contrasts with the rest of your home: deep red, warm yellow, rich green and glossy black are all dramatic possibilities.

4. Add plants
Plants add life and texture. They help your front entrance look friendlier and can soften a dull landscape of paved surfaces, footpaths and steps. Plants also help to catch dust and filter the air coming into your home. If you have space on either side of your door, standardised shrubs in matching pots will add structure and pleasing symmetry. If space doesn’t allow for pots, consider hanging flower baskets.

5. Create a place to pause
Depending on how much space you have, you might want to add a seat as a visual feature and also as an occasional place to sit and contemplate. In some south-facing houses the front doorstep can be the sunniest spot to sit and enjoy a coffee! If space allows, you might add wooden or wrought iron chairs, a bench or even an old wooden day bed with colourful cushions. Top it off with a fresh new doormat as a welcome when you arrive home at day’s end.

Front entrance quick fix

Is your front entrance looking a little tatty? With a clever bit of colour matching and spot patching you can have this important part of your home tidied up in no time.

You will need
• Sandpaper of varying grades (100-220)
• Paintbrushes
• Broom, bucket and warm oapy water
• 500ml-1 litre pots of Resene Lumbersider waterborne low sheen in shades of your choice
• 500ml Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel (for door)
• 500ml Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat (optional)

Step one
Sand the entire paintable surface using a heavier, then lighter grade sandpaper. Once sanding is complete, sweep and wash down all surfaces with warm soapy water and rinse. Allow to dry. We repainted this step using the colour Resene Kermadec in Resene Lumbersider waterborne low sheen paint.

  

Step two
If you are not covering an entire painted surface, spot sand any areas that need patching using a light grade sandpaper. If necessary, cover bare surfaces with a coat of Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat, allow to dry and lightly sand.

Step three
Cover all paintable surfaces with a top coat in a shade of your choice. We matched the existing weatherboard colour to Resene Kandinsky in Resene Lumbersider waterborne low sheen and repainted the door in Resene Jalapeno, in hardwearing Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel.

Get the look
Resene’s ColourMatch iPhone app gives you instant access to thousands of Resene colours, enabling you to colour match from any image taken on your iPhone. You can download it free at www.resene.co.nz. Or use the Resene ColourHelper at Resene ColorShops to measure your colour and find the nearest Resene paint colours.

Call 0800 RESENE (737 363) visit www.resene.co.nz or email [email protected]

For more Resene makeovers, click here 

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