Black door paint: One of the topics I get emails about every week is my black interior doors. Our contemporary black door paint are one of my favorite things about our home, so i’m glad you all love them too.
I note a few common questions and issues that many of you worry about when considering painting interior doors black instead of the standard builder-grade white. Today I hope to answer all your questions regarding cleaning, maintenance, dust removal, and living with their black doors.
I wrote about my first take on living with black door paint after 6 months of living in our house, but now I have a few tips, tricks, and hacks to keep your doors clean and look new.
Here is an article explaining why I chose black door paint for my house and some architectural photos of our house as it was being built.
Having a house or apartment with black door paint is unique and not for everyone, but it can make a big difference in the space.
Are dark interior doors too much work?
One of the biggest concerns for people is that cleaning or not maintaining black door paint is more complex than cleaning white ones. I feel it’s easy, and i’ll tell you why.
The dust is invisible on the black door in color. I tried several times to get a good picture to show you all the dust on the door in our bathroom (toilet dust hurts).
It was challenging to get a good picture because it was not visible. In our old house, we painted our doors bright white, and when it got dark, they put a very visible brown gunk on them. I also feel the paint finish we chose for our doors works for us, but more later.
Cleaning fingerprints removing black doors
The only thing I will say is a small con/con about the black door’s condition of the finger. It is most evident on the black pantry door in our kitchen.
If you choose black french doors with glass, this may be less of an issue in high street rooms, so it is something to consider when selecting the type of black door you would like.
However, with just two simple, standard and inexpensive cleaning products, you can clean your modern black door paint and keep them looking.
A magic eraser and a clean towel.
Every month, or every other month if i’m being sincere, I grab a magic wand and dampen it a little bit (it should be scorched and without any chemicals or detergents on it that can damage your door). I gently erase or remove fingerprints.
Then because I have no patience, I will dry the area with a clean microfiber towel, and I wonder how the fingerprints disappear.
How to remove dust from black doors
As you can see, my black five-panel-hinged doors attract dust and dog hair. Every time I sweep the room, I use a soft brush to clean the dust off the carpet and on my way to happiness.
Cleaning the door bevel takes me less than a minute on the door side. Be careful not to dig or pull the bristles in or on the door to avoid dings or scratches. My method involves going around the top of the door with the vacuum attachment to remove the dust.
This little habit also often leads to me quickly wiping the bases and door jamb around the door, which helps keep all our trim work looking good in addition to the black interior doors.
The rooms that collect door dust in my house are the rooms that are used most often, like our bedroom, home office, kitchen, and bathroom doors.
Choosing the perfect paint color & finish for doors
For me, there is no doubt that sherwin williams’ tricorn black is the best black paint color for doors and walls. I feel this shade of black complements all interior design styles and looks great with almost any paint color you can think of.
I also knew 100% in my gut that going with a satin finish instead of semi-gloss or high-gloss would make the repair more accessible, and I still stand by that decision to this day.
Satin is the perfect middle ground in terms of paint finish. I think very bright black door paint tend to remind me of 80’s style decor, and I don’t mean that in a good way!
If you feel you need to have a high gloss for the kids, I recommend sticking with a brushed semi-gloss that is not too shiny.
Do black door paint cost more?
We had our house built in 2017 by a local builder, and I will be sincere and transparent that we did not pay extra to have our doors painted black.
Some reader emails I receive about black door paint say the builder is trying to overcharge them or flat out doesn’t want to do it.
Only you can decide if black door paint are worth the extra money to upgrade with your builder. If you feel that you may want to diy later, I will advise you to paint the doors in an innovative, challenging homeowner’s style, and you may wish to have it done professionally instead and skip the job later.
What color cutting work should I choose?
I am well known for my love of black and white, so I chose a high gloss white for all my trim work, including crown molding, door trim, baseboards, and other decorative surrounds.
As for the color white, I wanted absolutely zero undertones, warmth, etc., so my builder recommended going with the color straight out of the can.
The main thing you must consider when thinking about your trim work is the paint color and finish of the interior walls, your design, and your decorating style (farmhouse, modern, boho, eclectic).
If you’re on the fence, I don’t think you can go wrong by sticking to the classic white color. It can be a big job to repaint the whole house, so think about it before you do it and play it safe for resale.
Decorating around black interior doors
If you are going with black doors, you can decorate as usual. If your style leans farmhouse chic, all these creams, whites, warm wood tones, and rustic finishes look great next to black interior doors.
And If you lean more minimalist and modern with a scandinavian vibe, the polished, rough edges and contemporary styles would be complimented by black doors.
If you are a maximalist or bohemian, you will have many patterns, fabrics, and colors that will combine well to create a moody, universal look if you mix black interior doors.
And then there are people like me who mix the traditional with the eclectic- I love my classic chinoiserie blue and white decor, but I still love a touch of glam and the bold contrast of black door paint and white walls to make it more versatile.
I would recommend taking your decorating style (and family situation- children, pets, etc.) Into consideration for the type of doors (beveled panels, louvered, french doors, glass insert, flat panel, etc.) And your paint finish. (is it vital? Scratchy?)
Are our black door paint broken or damaged?
I get this question often on my instagram or through reader emails. I will be sincere that we never had black chips on the end of our doors.
Now, we have a scratch. I often ran into our black door in our closet and bathroom with the laundry basket.
I’m pretty picky about things being perfect, but little quirks here and there don’t cause me to lose sleep at night.
And in the guest room, which used to be my office, the furniture fell and left several drops on the floor. Not fun, but not the end of the world.
Overall, I think our builder did an excellent job on the doors because we’re not too careful with the black door paint after living here for 5 years, and they’re holding up well.
What kind of door hardware should I choose for black interior doors?
We went with chrome hardware for our black door paint for one reason and one reason only: it fits within the specifications the builder gave us.
When we were building in late 2017, the cost of the gold finish was much more expensive than chrome or nickel.
The chrome door handles on our black door paint still work perfectly, so it seems like a waste to change them for the sake of changing them.
I mentioned spray painting doors earlier in this post, but with all our entries, it’s not a project I want to do.
But back to the question:
what color and finish to pick for the door hardware.
The great thing about black door paint is that they look great with any finish you choose.
If you have a farmhouse style, you can choose oil rubbed bronze or brass-type finish to make it more beautiful. If you are modern, chrome or black finish for a monochromatic look would be a better choice.