After a year and a half of renovating, our exterior doors were in desperate need of a refresh. Between peeling finishes, bad paint jobs, and worn-out hardware, our doors had definitely seen better days. While one day we’d love to actually replace the doors with higher quality ones, new doors aren’t in the budget right now, so we decided to transform the ones we have with a fresh coat of paint and new hardware! This simple project made such a difference in our home, and I hope this post inspires you to take something outdated or worn in your own space and transform it into something you truly love.
Disclaimer: This post contains sponsored content from Grandeur Hardware and features items that were gifted to me as part of a collaboration. Additionally, some links contained in this post are affiliate links. That means that if you click on the link and purchase an item, I get a small percentage of that sale at no extra cost to you. Please know that products and brands recommended here at stay home style are ones that I use, love, and trust.
THE BEFORE
I realized as I sat down to write this blog post that I didn’t take great before pictures of our patio doors or the garage entry door, so these will have to do. If it isn’t obvious from the photos though, our exterior doors were T I R E D. The patio doors were a faded brown (that didn’t even match the Tudor half-timbering I might add) with a door knob that had fallen off and been re-attached more times than I could count. The garage entry door knob had completely broken off at some point during the renovation and the only way to open it from outside was with a pair of pliers. By the end of the renovation, the front door was the only exterior door with functioning hardware, but the finish on the handle was peeling away one layer at a time. It also had a smart deadbolt on the inside that felt bulky and out of place, as it had a different finish than the rest of the entry set. While the color of the front door wasn’t bad, the paint job was in rough shape and I wanted something a bit more muted and earthy to complement our Tudor style home.
While there are obvious aesthetic reasons why we wanted to refresh our exterior doors, the more pressing reasons were for functionality and security. Having to use pliers to get inside from our main entry point wasn’t ideal or secure, and neither was having to constantly reattach the patio door knob. With all of this in mind, I knew I wanted to upgrade our entry sets with something timeless and high-quality that would stand the test of time. Aesthetically, I wanted a classic design that felt true to our Tudor style home while also feeling elevated and unique. I also wanted a darker bronze or iron finish (typical of Tudor houses) that wouldn’t peel away over time. Functionally, I wanted something made of high-quality materials with high-quality craftsmanship that would last for years to come and add a solid layer of security to give us peace of mind.
ENTER: GRANDEUR HARDWARE
After a lot of research, I landed on Grandeur Hardware. Known for their solid, forged brass construction and timeless designs, Grandeur offered that perfect combination of design and quality that I was looking for. So, in true content creator fashion, I reached out to the brand to inquire about a potential collaboration opportunity and I was so thrilled when they said yes! Before I continue, I want to note that while these products were gifted to me as part of this collaboration, I stand behind everything I write here. We have been using these entry sets for almost four months (at the time of writing this post) and I am truly blown away by the quality. As someone who, up until now, has only ever had builder grade hardware, I’ve experienced first hand the difference that quality pieces can make for the look and feel of your home. Your door hardware is a piece that you interact with every single day so, when it comes to materials and finishes, the quality and details really matter.
For the front door, I went with the Arc Tall Plate Entry Set with the Eden Prairie Knob in the Timeless Bronze finish. For the garage entry and patio doors, I went with the corresponding Arc Short Plate Entry Set. The arched shaped, stacked edge profile, and dark bronze color on these feel timeless and classic, complementing the traditional charm of our Tudor-style home so well. The egg-shaped knob adds a bit of character and uniqueness to the look and (IMO) feels more elevated than a typical, round knob would. The Timeless Bronze finish is created by oxidizing the brass, which means the darker color is not a plating that will peel away with time. To get the lighter detailing around the edges, the oxidized brass is hand-relieved in these areas to reveal a lighter bronze color. This detailed finish is then preserved with a satin-lacquer, resulting in a durable finish that will last for years to come. The attention to detail on the design, construction, and finish is something Grandeur does so well, and I love that all of their products are backed by a lifetime guarantee.
Another great thing about ordering all of our exterior hardware from Grandeur was the option to have all of the sets keyed alike, with two keys included for each entry set. It might seem like a silly detail to care about, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the keys. They feature a larger bow that not only gives them a more high-end feel, but also makes them easier to handle. Although our doors already had holes drilled, each entry set comes with a drilling template for easy installation on new doors. If you’re simply replacing old hardware like we were, everything you need—mounting hardware and detailed instructions—is included, making the installation process seamless and straightforward.
PAINT
Everyone always talks about the “Power of Paint” and it’s because truly no other home improvement project gives you that kind of bang for your buck (and your time). When we bought our house, every single exterior door was a different color and the paint jobs were pretty terrible if I’m being honest. While a different colored front door can be so fun (I am seriously obsessed with Jessica Bennett’s new front door color), I wanted things to feel more cohesive, so we decided to paint all of the doors the same color: Sherwin Williams Hardware (SW 6172). Spoiler alert: this will soon be the color of all of the Tudor half-timbering too and I am so excited! It’s an earthy green-gray-brown color that looks amazing in natural light. We’ll be pairing it with Sherwin Williams Natural Choice (SW 7011) on the stucco portions and leaving the brick as is! Since our renovation included an addition and redoing the screened-in porch, half of the back of our house is actually already painted this combination of colors and I seriously love it! Here is a sneak peek from our screened in porch:
Our contractor painted the garage entry door for us and we used their left over paint to do the patio doors ourselves. This paint was not of the highest quality, but it worked okay. For the front door, however, we had to buy a new can of paint and we ended up getting the HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Semi-gloss Acrylic Interior/Exterior Door and Trim Paint and it was SO much easier to work with and the finish looks much better than the other two doors. If you’re painting your doors anytime soon, I would highly recommend (not sponsored, just really liked the paint).
THE AFTER
I seriously love how the doors turned out. The earthy green color feels so fresh compared to the dingy browns that were on the patio and the garage entry doors. While a bit more reserved than the teal color that was previously on the front door, I think the new color really complements the Tudor style of our home and the color of our brick. While I love the paint color we chose for the doors, the real star of the show is the new hardware from Grandeur. The beautiful design and finish makes them feel like jewelry for our door and I love knowing our home is secured with quality hardware that is made to last. The more we invest in our home—whether it be through renovation projects, thoughtful updates, or investing in quality pieces—the more I come to appreciate the beauty of interacting with things we truly love in our daily lives. I’m grateful that even the smallest touches, like a fresh coat of paint and beautiful, well-crafted hardware, can transform the everyday things, like entering and exiting our home, into something special.
Stay Home Style 