Our first House Doctor blog focus is on an important aspect of your property: the front door.
Our Property Director, Sandy Penny, gives his in-depth insider tips for improving the look of your front door to create the best possible first impression. It’s one of the first things that prospective buyers will see, so don’t ignore any tired looking front doors and make sure you jazz them up!
Step 1: Strip the Old Paint and Sand The Door
You can remove the old paint with a paint and varnish stripper such as ‘Nitromors’ which is available to purchase at a variety of hardware shops such as B&Q, Homebase and ScrewFix. Give the door a good sanding with a medium grade sandpaper before finishing it off with a fine grade sandpaper. Again, you can purchase sandpaper at any local hardware shop.
Step 2: Paint: Primer, Undercoat and Top Coat
Paint the door with a primer, then an undercoat, then two coats of top coat. Best advice is to always use good quality paint!
If it is a common tenement door you are painting, be sure you use the same colour paint otherwise you may be required to get permission from all of the other owners in the stair to change the colour.
If it is a wooden front door and you want to keep the natural wood look, use a varnish that is resistant to UV rays. This can be slightly more expensive than a regular varnish but will stop the door from fading and changing colour and is well worth the money. If the refresh is for your own use and longer term, fit a threshold bar and a rain deflector to stop any water getting to the bottom of the door causing it to rot.
Step 3: Update Door Furnishings
For modern looking door furniture, use metal, glass, silver or chrome whereas on traditional doors opt for wrought iron or brass fittings. Don’t forget details such as replacing the door knocker, letter box flap and handles with good quality fittings to create a good first impression.
Step 4: Draft Excluding (Optional)
If you want to take it further, fit strips of draft excluder around the inside of the door frame, the letter box and you can fit a cover over the keyhole if necessary.
Step 5: Remember to oil…
Don’t forget to oil the door hinges to stop squeaking and wearing out over time.
Looking for advice on your own property?
For a full free house doctor appraisal of your own property, email SandyPenny@neilsons.co.uk today or call 0131 625 2222 (option 3).
Neilsons Lettings and Property Management Department also retain a list of reliable tradespeople should you wish to get assistance with updating your front door.