Finally, a Black Front Door.

I hope you all had a fabulous Labor Day weekend!

It was busy here. We were humbled that Donna at Funky Junk Interiors featured Romeo's washer/dryer stand. Thanks so much Donna...and especially for the front door link-up, because it motivated me to finally paint mine. 
This house was one of my color inspirations from our summer trip:

Houdini himself couldn't get the Safe-T-Lock off, and I feel much safer.

The door was sanded, primed, and painted with an interior/exterior paint, twice. 

The first was SW All Surface Enamel. It must have raised the wood grain beyond any other product I've used, because it was very rough to the touch. I also couldn't stand the smell. It is the stinkiest water-based paint I've ever used.

I also don't like the smell of Behr Paint and Primer.

But lacquer thinner, I like.

It's complicated.

I sanded it smooth again, and used SW Solo semi-gloss and it went on like butter. Phew. I did not topcoat with an exterior urethane because here in the desert, the heat will cause it to wrinkle within a year.

Here it is after spraying the final coat (Tricorn Black). We talked about it and decided to rub through the edges a bit on the inside door only to break up the black in there. (I used a razor blade to be very exact and to get through the primer). 

If you decide to rub-through after you've primed and painted something, some of the white/gray primer will show through, and/or the wood may not be as dark as you want it. Here's a trick: just color the edges with a brown permanent marker or wood touch-up pen. I don't recommend using a wood stain, as it will affect the sheen of the surrounding paint, and will not coat the primer. If you know ahead of time you will rub-through, then sand down the edges after priming, and again after you've painted your final color.

Before:

 

After:

 

I do realize that for some, painting a perfectly okay wood door is a sin. But this house is full of wood, and it needs some different finishes to break it all up. 

Still working on a frenchy burlap pillow for the antique chair.

The family came over on Labor Day to celebrate me and my sister-in-law's birthdays. We had Low Country Boil (shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, seasoned with Old Bay),

and a cole slaw salad that I've been dreaming about ever since.

And while we were all being merry, my 6 year old went up to visit her sister's class pet which we babysat over the long weekend. Had I known gerbil tails were so dagum fragile, I would have banned said 6 year old from touching him.

His tail was degloved. It's gross. I thought about buying an "imposter" (think Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents). But, we've decided to keep him until hopefully the bone dries up and falls off. We're crossing our fingers that the kids won't notice the one-half inch missing.

One year we watched the kindergarten class fish. I gave it the royal treatment, which included changing its' water with reverse osmosis. He was acting quite strange and floaty the next day. Fortunately, I was smart enough to call PetSmart for advice and they told me how stupid I was to just use plain tap water. Good to know.

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