Home Improvement Tips: How to Remodel Your Entryway
How does your door look? Is the paint peeling or dull? Is it stained and looking like that gray twig out in the yard? The door may be the first item to go or be refinished.
A painted door basically just needs repainting. Therefore, a good sanding would need to be done first before painting so the new paint will go on well. How does the color of it look? Are you tired of the color?
If your house is a traditional color such as white, light blue, or pale yellow then a red or red-orange door would brighten it up and attract much attention. This also helps in selling the home. Try using a color opposite of the color of your house on a color wheel. If your house is white, paint the door black or gray. Have a blue house? Try an orange or mauve colored door. These are just suggestions, and you just may stun yourself with a color you finally choose.
Do you have a dilapidated screen door? Replace it immediately. There are a vast variety of them out there to choose from. Not all, but most homes have the handle on the left side of the door. Make note of that when you get one otherwise you will be returning it. I like the simple glass door with the metal frame. You can paint them any color with paint made just for metal if you don’t like the color.
Some people like to add a window off to the side of their door. I like them, but it can be a security issue for your home. Your foyer may be wide enough to have one on both sides of your front door. This would be a fun way to spend a Saturday. For less than $200 you might be able to do it yourself. Plan it out well, and save you the labor cost of someone else doing it for you. There are French pane styles, stained glass, and many others. You may like the etched glass style. A single drape on the inside will add to the beauty.
Tired of that carpet wearing out or the linoleum getting scratched up? Take it out an install tile. Again, there are many types of tile, so shop around. You will need something to adhere it to the top floor, and if it is really thick you will need to replace the top floor with a thinner material. I am sure you do not want to go around tripping onto the foyer floor.
An entry closet for coats and other items is nice, but unless you want it to stick out and match the other doors and trim paint it to match the walls. A decorative sheet of material in place of the door would even brighten up the entryway. If you want to really spruce up the closet, you can install a door light switch and remove the switch on the wall. Another idea is to line the closet with cedar planks to absorb the odor of rained on coats and musty shoes. Hooks on the inside of the door is an option, but I do not recommend hooks anywhere in the house outside of the bathroom if you are remodeling to sell the house.
The trim around the doorways to the rest of the house could be replaced, repainted, or stained. I would not recommend staining wood that has all ready been painted, as it would not be cost effective to remove it just so you can stain it. What you spend on that material could have been spent on new trim.
Do you have trim work where the ceiling meets the walls? This is also a good selling point when remodeling. You do not need the fanciest alcove trim, but something to put there will suffice. If the rest of the trim in the house is stained, then stain this trim. Otherwise, paint it as a neutral color, but different from your walls or ceiling. This will add more color and brighten up the entry as well.
An entry table and mirror may be all you need to finish off the foyer. These are easy to find at a hobby store or elsewhere. Be different, use a bamboo style table, with a few knickknacks on it. Get an octogan shaped mirror. Do something to bring a presence to your foyer.
Maybe a fake plant or real one, if you can remember to water it, will be better for you. The common ones are ficus and ferns. Pay a visit to your local nursery garden to see what they have. Maybe you will find the right plant for you.
Family or special photos will also make a difference in your entry. The goal is not for it to look cluttered, but kept. A few pictures here and there in small frames will do it well.
Maybe you need to knock out a wall to provide an entry to your living room instead of going from room to room to get to it. A crossbeam will need to be in place at the ceiling held up by studs at the end. Finish it out with drywall, paint and trim.
You could widen your entry by making the rooms next to it smaller. Try not to make the other rooms too small. Before you start, make sure you are not trying to move a bearing wall. This means it would be a main wall that holds up your roof. You may need to obtain a set of house plans from your city for your home. Support the ceiling when installing the new walls. Do not forget about the top and bottom plates, which need to be secured in place.
Another idea is to raise the ceiling maybe a foot or two. This requires going up in the attic, and securing vertical beams where the ceiling will rise up between. From there, measure up where you want the ceiling to be, and nail in the crossbeams. Nail up the drywall, tape it off and mud it out. Let it dry, then paint it. A high ceiling gives a home a grandiose effect when one walks into it. This may be something you want to do first.
These are all suggestions on how you can remodel your entryway. Take it to heart, and do some house shopping. Drive by other people’s homes to see what you like about their front door, and what you don’t like. This is a great way to get ideas. Look in home related magazines as to what others are doing. Maybe that wonderful idea will hit you when you see it. Take the challenge to see what you can do to spruce up your entryway.
