Do you use your garage door as your home’s main entry point? Same. So, I wanted to give the space a little entryway upgrade. The trim was looking yellow after only a year (we suspect it wasn’t painted, only primed) and the stairs were unfinished, still had a tag on them, etc. Overall, the space was just unfinished and messy looking.
These simple, very low-cost entryway upgrade projects are an easy and effective way to gussy up this basic but highly-trafficked spot in your home.
Entryway Upgrade Projects
- Painting garage drywall
- Painting doorway trim
- Staining unfinished wood stairs
- Adding a garage bench
- Made a DIY “Home Sweet Home” sign
We’ll dive into each of these projects below except for the DIY “Home Sweet Home” sign. The sign is its whole own project so I’ll be doing a separate post on that with instructions and templates so you can easily follow that to recreate it.
Painting Garage Drywall
We opted to dive right into a paint and primer combination versus finishing with a PVA (polyvinyl acetate) drywall primer. Using a PVA first would give it a more finished, smooth look, but we weren’t looking for show-worthy for this space, just some color.
Our local Sherwin Williams expert informed us the best paint for garage walls and ceilings (specifically for our project) is interior latex paint. I asked her because I wasn’t sure if we’d need special paint since it’s not technically ‘indoors’ but she confirmed, no, since it won’t be on an exterior wall.
The paint color we decided on is called Reflection by Sherwin Williams. It’s a gray with a slight tint of blue, which I let Kevin pick since the garage is mostly his domain.
Ultimately, we gave the whole space two coats and it was more than enough. We opted to not paint the ceiling because it’d be a lot of taping and we weren’t up for it, at least right now. We’re debating having our pro complete it at a later time since it’s probably better suited for someone with a professional touch anyway.
Entryway Upgrade: Painting a Door Frame
Painting a door frame is very low on the intimidating home projects scale. You don’t have to paint the whole garage to do this project, either. Painting the door frame is a smaller, more easily achievable project.
I recommend painting the door frame after the drywall (if you plan to do both), and do so several days later so the drywall paint has time to dry. If you tape the drywall too soon you risk pulling up the new paint.
Entryway Upgrade Doorframe Painting Supplies
- Painter’s tape (I swear by Frog Tape)
- Quart of paint in color of your choice (we used Valspar Ebony Field)
- 1″ paint brush
- Paper towels, sand paper, other cleaning supplies as needed
- Optional: craft paint brushes for small touch ups
Painting a Garage Entryway
As mentioned, the most important pre-step is to ensure the drywall around your doorframe is dry if you recently painted it. If it’s still the least bit tacky you risk it being pulled up by the tape.
Now for the main steps:
1. Tape around the whole perimeter of the project. While I was at it I taped around the base of the stairs so they were ready once the frame was done. After everything was taped I put down my drop cloth over the area around the doorframe to avoid any spill stains.
2. Because this was a rather ‘unfinished’ space, there was some additional touch ups I did before painting. For example, I pulled these staples out of the door frame and sanded a few spots. It’s the equivalent of vacuuming before putting a new piece of furniture in its final resting place. ‘Do it right’ is the motto we live by.
3. Once your doorframe is sanded down and fully clean, it’s time to get some color on it. I used a 1″ paint brush because it’s a narrower space and I didn’t want anything big to be too bulky as I tried to paint.
4. Once your first coat is on, allow it some time to dry, at least one hour. Then, add a second coat or touch up light spots as needed. As it’s drying you can touch up really small crevices with the craft brushes I mentioned. I swear by this hack!
Once the door frame is fully dry (give it a day, to be safe) you can remove the painter’s tape and call it a wrap!
Staining Unfinished Wood Stairs
Never stained wood before? I’m not sure I have much experience myself, but I can tell you my stairs not only came out great, they are still holding up like brand new three months later.
Entryway Upgrade Stair Staining Supplies
- Painter’s tape (I swear by Frog Tape)
- Quart of wood stain in color of your choice (we used Minwax Red Oak)
- 1″-2″ paint brush
- 2″ paint brush solely for clear sealant
- Painter’s tool 5-in-1 to remove glue spots or other blemishes (this is a household staple, highly recommend grabbing one if you don’t own one already)
- Paper towels, sand paper, other cleaning supplies as needed
1. Similar to step two in the doorframe tutorial, start by removing staples and sanding down/off any possible glue or non wood materials on the surface.
2. Ensure your drop cloth is covering at least two feet beyond the steps to catch spatter when you hit the edges of the steps with the brush. Stain is MUCH thinner than paint and spatters VERY easily, even when you’re being careful, so also be sure to wear clothes you don’t mind getting splotchy.
3. To stain, take just a little bit of stain onto the brush and stroke back and forth on the surface until it’s as thin as possible. No need for thick layers of stain. In fact, if you don’t go as thin as possible on the whole surface, you may end up with darker spots in some areas. The color advertised will appear when you apply very thinly, it will only get darker from there.
Adding a Garage Bench
This was rather simple because I bought ours. I’d entertained the idea of making one and staining it identical to the stairs but we didn’t have the right tools at the time, really, and the exact same stain color here seemed like it could be too monotonous.
I’m really happy with the bench I found on Overstock because the price was reasonable and the quality is great. We find this surface especially helpful when loading groceries or putting on our yard work-only shoes. This way those extra dirty shoes never see the inside of our house!
Shop the Entryway Upgrade
- Bench / Similar Option Bench
- Basket
- Greenery
- Very Similar Blanket (mine was a gift, unsure of source)
- Home Sweet Home Sign (DIY project, full post coming soon)
More Home Improvement and DIY
- Modern White DIY Dresser Makeover
- Hanging Our New Farmhouse Shelves
- DIY Modern Bathroom Remodel
- 2021 Home Projects + Goals
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