Front door makeover

Tyson and I bought a house that was previously owned before we were married. So, we have been working hard to update it and make it the place we call home. Last fall, I decided to paint the door a different color. Our house color blends together, and I wanted to break it up a little. So, I decided to PINTEREST it, and this is how it turned out. When preparing for my project, I GOOGLED 'Faux wood door'. It gave me an idea of the products I would need, so I took myself down to Home Depot for my tools. A few things are very important when using a stain rather than a paint. You need to buy the GEL STAIN. This dries very quickly, and you can work with other tools to achieve the look you want without rubbing the stain off. My stain is in Maxwell Walnut. I also purchased a tool from the Martha Stewart section of the store. This tool is used to make wood grains on doors that are fiberglass like mine. I also had gloves (GEL STAIN is impossible to get off) and an old sock and rag for applying the stain. Now, for the actual project: 

 First, make sure you clean your door really well.  

Tape off anything you don't want to stain/paint. I did this all in one day, so it's not too bad with a door handle off. 

First layer, with some woodgrains added. In the panels, you want to make sure you are making it look like a real wood door. So use the tool to make woodgrains after applying the stain. This is simple to do. With the tool, rock it back and forth while dragging it towards the bottom of the door. If you look at a real wood door, you will notice the grain goes two different ways, horizontal and vertical. Make sure you pay attention and apply the stain in the right direction for the real wood look. 

 Second layer. I only  used the tool for the first layer, considering I just wanted to emphasize the grain shape and make the door darker. Make sure you are doing even coats. 

A little better picture

Starting to turn out! This picture really shows the grain, but I wanted it to be dark like a cherry wood door. So I did a few more layers. 

Fourth layer! I love how the bottom really looks like wood. By giving it strokes, it looks grainy and exactly what I wanted to achieve. 

The finished product. This was a relatively easy project to do once I decided what color and just started. I loved it so much, I started doing my back french doors! Pictures will come soon, considering mother nature had a hand in my project coming to a halt! Please keep in mind, you can also do this with a garage door, which is also on my to-do list!