Q & A – Blue Bedroom Door & Pine Tar Front Porch Update
I didn’t get far enough on the storage room to share an update today, so instead, I thought I would answer a couple of questions that have been recurring over the last couple of weeks. First up, several people have wondered what it would look like if I paint the exterior bedroom the dark blue shutter color, so I took a few minutes to do a quick mockup so that we can see if this is an option. I also added some steps in front of the door, but I just copied and pasted the steps from the front porch, so the real steps won’t look exactly like this. At least we can get a general idea, though.
Here’s what the front of the house looks like right now with the bedroom door white…
And here’s the mockup with the bedroom door the same dark blue as the shutters…
I’ll admit that it sounded like a crazy idea to me, but I kind of like it. The only thing I don’t like is that my windows with shutters have lots of white trim showing, and the door is just all blue with no white. I guess I could try painting the main part of the door dark blue and leaving the inner grid around the glass panes white. That might be more consistent with the windows and shutters. It might look something like this…
What I had in mind was just using some big, blue planters to bring the blue to that end of the house. That would look something like this, but you’ll have to ignore the planters that I copied and pasted from the front porch…
I still don’t know. I’m not sold on either idea. It might require some trial and error to find the right idea.
The second question I’ve gotten a few times is about the pine tar on the front porch.
I finished the pine tar on the cedar front porch about ten days ago, and so far, it only has one coat on it. At some point, I will need to add a second coat, and then next year, I’ll probably need to add a third and final coat. I read that each coat would take 72 hours to dry, so I blocked off the porch so that no one would walk on it for three days. After that, I tried to be very careful when I walked on it.
The first day I walked on it after giving it three days to dry, I did notice the slightest bit of tackiness to the finish. It was very slight, and I would imagine that most people wouldn’t even notice it. I noticed it because I was hyper fixated on it. But even with that tiny bit of tackiness, I wasn’t transferring the color to any other surface like the floor inside my door or the concrete on the sidewalk. And nothing from the bottom of my shoes was sticking to the porch. I did notice dirt from my shoes tracked onto the porch, but it wasn’t sticking to the porch.
After that first day of walking on it, the tackiness went away completely, and it seemed to be completely dry. So if I had to do it again, I would probably block off the porch for four days instead of three just to give it that one extra day for all of the tackiness to go away before walking on it. But other than that, it has been fantastic! I still love the deep, consistent color, and I’m very anxious to see how it will wear over the next year.
I think the time that it takes to dry is completely dependent on the climate. I did the pine tar on my porch during some really hot and dry days. The temperature was at or above 100 degrees during those days that it was drying and curing, so I think that helped to speed up the process. So if you’re considering pine tar and linseed oil, just keep in mind that linseed oil is a very slow drying, slow curing oil, and if you don’t have the hot, dry weather to speed up that process, it might take a lot longer for it to cure.
But so far, so good! I know it’s only been ten days, and it’s hard to recommend a product when I haven’t had more time to see how it’s going to stand up to the elements over time. And again, I do still need to do a second coat, and I’d like to do that during the month of August so that the hot, dry weather will speed up the curing process. But once that’s done, I’ll keep y’all updated on how it holds up to the weather here in central Texas.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I love a bit of blue with that door.
I LOVE your shutters, and I’m a bit obsessed with shutters looking as they are intended…hinges, shutter dogs and proper sizing for the window.
The shutters that came on our home are not correct, and my husband and I intend to do a shutter update project when I retire next year, using the instructions you posted when you did yours. Consequently, I find myself looking at A LOT of shutter treatments as I move through every day life, and one thing that intrigues me is shutters for French doors (because we have some that balance some of the full-length windows on the back of our house). I’ve seen French door shutters, and if you consider shutter usage in hurricane-prone areas back in the day, it makes sense—at least in my shutter-obsessed mind! So, a fourth and final option would be leaving the door white and adding blue shutters. Just a thought…
I second this suggestion!!!
I also wanted to suggest white door with blue shutters!
Echoing this portion of the comments — My vote is white door with full-length blue shutters (aka a fourth option)!
I’m thinking leaving the door white so it doesn’t stand out. I can’t remember if you considered blue shutters on it. I think that would blend in with the rest of your house and not draw attention from the front door. Have you made a mock up of white door and blue shutters? Whatever you do will be beautiful!
I agree with you. I don’t think I’d want to draw attention to that door with it being a slightly more vulnerable safety wise and my primary bedroom.
Glad to hear the results of the pine tar and linseed oil, my father-in-law was a believer in that stuff, and it definitely stood the test of time in upstate NY. I must say, I loved the blue door, I didn’t think I would but it was a WOW pop of color and didn’t take anything away from the front of the house, it felt seamless and when you add steps and planters perhaps the pergola, it is really going to give the house even more wow factor if that is possible.
Cheers to you, Matt and the Fur Babies!
I agree with Lori. I like the blue door. To my eye, it looks cohesive.
Ditto.
ME too.
I like the blue door and keeping the grid white. To my eye, it’s much more cohesive, bringing the whole house together with an intentional. But to my mind’s eye, blue shutters would be overkill.
I agree 100% with Bren.
I also agree with Bren!
I was surprised I liked the blue door, too. I thought it would be too many different colored doors. But it made it blend in and become less prominent, allowing the main door to take precedence. I also liked the blue-with-white inner grid, which coordinated with the windows very nicely. It will be fun to see which Kristi ends up using.
I like the blue door with the white dividers. It balanced well with the white windows with blue shutters. It was repetition and took away attention from the door.
I like that option as well for the same reason. I also don’t think you need to add fancy coloured planters to whatever steps you put there. It will only serve to draw attention away from your front door and primary entrance. When you get around to doing your garden beds some subtle plantings of low foliage on either side will do nicely.
Kristi, I believe that you should paint the bedroom door, the same dark blue paint as the shutters. However, put white framing around it, as in the front door, to draw in the white.
My vote is for painting the door to match the shutters.
I love the blue door! It adds balance, and by keeping the inside grid white it is more cohesive with the shutters and white trim of the existing windows.
I Don’t remember if you totally gave up the trellis idea but if you have the white trellis and blue door it would be perfect. Not a fan of leaving the window dividers white, looks like you just didn’t know how to paint the skinny strips without messing up the glass. I’m sure whatever you do it will be beautiful.
I like the blue door with the white grid. It gives just enough color but doesn’t shout “look at me”…. that should still be the front door. I think the blue grid was trying too hard. It is all looking beautiful!
Your inset in front where your current tv space is has no blue. So why does it really matter? I would get rid of the shutters personally. And paint the bedroom door the same as the others. I am not a fan of shutters, they are just a dirt collector and serve no functional purpose. No offense meant just my thoughts….
Another idea – what if you left the door as it is and added the trellis (as Katie suggested) on each side of the door in the blue shutter color? And Maribeth suggested a mock up of that, so I’m going to second that.
I like the blue door with the white framing. It helps it disappear and look more like a window than a door. I’d love to see a mock up of white door and blue shutters, too. But it’s between those two options for me.
I’d love to see a mockup of mature plantings near your new doorway. That could change how you feel about the need for blue. Perhaps anything dark (like evergreen foliage) would balance things out with the right side of your house. Something tall-ish would be good.
I am an outlier I guess. I still like the idea of the white door and blue shutters. It would match your windows and doesn’t distract at all from the inviting front entryway. I don’t think you even need the blue planters then. Which gives you more room to maneuver Matt’s wheelchair in an emergency.
If she added blue shutters to each side of the door, it would cover up her fabulous custom-made stone!
I’m torn now between leaving the door, White and painting at the pinky color of the front door. But Blue never entered my mind. I don’t really care for it for what that’s worth.
But what surprises me is that I’m rethinking the white. My sense of symmetry and balance isn’t as refined as yours so things that are good enough are usually good enough. However, I think painting the door, the same color as the front door might be the answer.
Thank you for doing the mockup of the bedroom egress door in blue. I like it! I think that once you get the landing and steps and some landscaping there, it will balance out the other shutters nicely. GEAUX for it, you can always repaint if you don’t’ like it.
I love the all blue door! What about a blue door with white planters on either side? Then add pink flowers to match the front door. Kind of ties everything together.
Painting the bedroom French door anything but white does, to my eye, a couple of undesirable things.
Firstly, the French door is really a large window. All your other windows are white. Not only does it break the consistency of all windows being white, it stops the eye while it is trying to sort out exactly what that French door is.
And, importantly, it starts to confuse the viewer as to where the actual entry door is.
I have heard real estate people talk about a house not being able to pass “the Halloween test.” Where is the real front door, so that we can get the candy? A front door that is a focal point welcomes guests in.
I do think, for consistency and symmetry, putting blue shutters on either side of the door carries that theme from the right side of the house to the left. I think it will be better than big blue planters, because then you are again adding an additional, singular design element that isn’t found anywhere else on the front facade.
A home’s front door should be its focal point. Doing too much differentiation to fancy up the French door detracts from that.
And, by the way, all of this is just a theoretical discussion, because you not only do spectacularly exacting work, you have an excellent eye for what you want for your house!
I like the door painted blue! I think it looks good with the grids painted blue or white, either way. Personally, I think the blue planters draw more (and unwanted) attention to that door, and actually make it more confusing to people trying to discern which is the main entry.
I personally love the blue door with the white frames inside it. It makes the blue and white match your other windows so much better. And, I wouldn’t put big blue planters there either, because then to me that makes a second entrance look. This is all just my 2 cents. I do know that however you finish it out, will be beautiful as everything else you do.
I like the blue door…. It looks not exactly like the front door but pretty close…. Gives more contrast than just the blue flower pots. And is anybody gonna really notice the little bit of difference? Doesn’t have to be matchy matchy! 🌞
I feel like if what you originally thought about not drawing a lot attention to that door that the white is just fine since your living room and dining room windows are white. Thats a balance there too without drawing the eye to that door. Where I live we wouldn’t be able to have a glass paned door and not get broken into. Im so glad you still feel safe where you are. I think a pink flowered bush there eventually would be great!
the dark blue door and wide steps pull my eye away from the front which I enjoyed as a focal point. Now my brain isn’t sure what your focal point is!