Front Door Paint Colors for Siding and Brick

The classic front door colors are black, navy, deep green, red and dark bronze, and the right one depends on the siding, brick and trim around it. Pick a door color that contrasts with the body of the house and coordinates with the trim, then check two practical things before you paint: whether a storm door will cover it, because several door makers do not warranty dark doors behind non-vented storm doors, and whether the weather is warm enough for the paint. Below are 15 front door colors, the closest match for each in other brands, and the colors Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore pair with them.

15 front door colors and their closest matches

Each color below links to its color page. The matches come from our database of manufacturer colors, rated in plain language. A digital match is a starting point, so paint a sample of the substitute before buying a quart.

Some of these hold up across brands better than others. Hale Navy and Urbane Bronze have nearly identical matches in every brand listed, so you can buy either wherever is convenient. Heritage Red is the hardest to substitute: its closest Sherwin-Williams and Behr colors are a visible difference away, and the nearest stand-in is Valspar Quite Red, rated very similar. If you want that exact red, buy it from Benjamin Moore. Every color page has the full list of matches across all brands.

What each color family pairs with

Black. Sherwin-Williams says Tricorn Black complements nearly any exterior, "from crisp white siding to warm red brick," and Benjamin Moore lists its Black among its popular front door picks. Tricorn Black and Benjamin Moore Black rate nearly identical, so the choice between them is about which store is closer. For softer blacks and black for trim, see our guide to the best black paint colors.

Navy and blue. Sherwin-Williams says its dark blues pair with light-colored homes and natural wood, and create a striking contrast against brick or stone. Naval (LRV 4.5) is the darker and more saturated of the two navies here. Hale Navy is a step lighter and grayer. More options are in the blue color family.

Green. Essex Green is a very dark green, while Pewter Green (LRV 11.8) and Rosemary (LRV 13.6) are lighter, grayer greens. Browse the green family for lighter options.

Red. Benjamin Moore names Caliente among its popular front door colors. Rookwood Red (LRV 4.8) is the deepest of the three reds here, and Heritage Red is the lightest and most saturated. The red family has the full range.

Bronze and charcoal. Sherwin-Williams calls Urbane Bronze (LRV 8.1) a sophisticated anchor, and says Iron Ore (LRV 5.6) particularly complements homes with gray or cool-toned exteriors. Both are lighter than a true black like Tricorn Black (LRV 2.9). Compare any two side by side in the color comparison tool.

Colors the paint makers pair with each door color

Benjamin Moore's advice is to look to the other colors on your exterior, including the landscape, when choosing a door color. Both companies publish coordinating colors for each shade, and those lists make a ready-made exterior scheme: use the lightest color on the trim and a mid-tone or light color on the siding.

Sherwin-Williams lists coordinating colors for its colors, and Benjamin Moore groups each color into expert-picked combinations. Neither labels a color as siding or trim, so the roles above are our suggestion. Preview the colors in the room visualizer, or build a scheme around your door color in the palette generator. For body colors, see our guide to the best exterior paint colors, and for the trim white, how to choose a trim color.

Dark doors behind a storm door

Check this before painting a door any of the colors above. Sunlight through a full-glass storm door heats the space between the two doors, and a dark door absorbs more of that heat. MMI Door's care guide says the temperature behind a storm door can exceed 200°F in many applications. Door makers respond in their warranties:

• Masonite excludes damage from a product installed behind a non-vented storm door, or from excessive heat because it was finished a dark color.
• JELD-WEN warns that a storm door in front of a dark exterior door accelerates heat buildup, and says storm doors in that situation should be vented.
• ProVia covers its composite frame and brickmold only if no storm door is installed in the same opening, and if painted, only with paint of LRV 57 or higher.
• RealCraft does not cover doors finished in colors below LRV 25, including black, because of surface heat from the sun.
• Simpson treats any exterior paint below LRV 55 as dark. Its dark doors keep the 10-year warranty without overhang requirements only when ordered to a specific spec.
• Pacific Entries says a storm door installed in front of its doors voids the warranty.

Every door color in this post is below LRV 15, far under every threshold above. That does not rule them out. It means you should read your own door's warranty before painting it dark behind a storm door, and if you go ahead, use a vented storm door or keep its vent open on sunny days. The storm-door warranties and guides we read from Andersen, Pella and Larson set no color limit on the entry door behind them.

What paint to use on a front door

Use a door and trim enamel rather than wall paint. Benjamin Moore points front door buyers to its Advance Interior/Exterior High Gloss, and Sherwin-Williams to its SnapDry Door & Trim Paint. The details that matter for a door are how soon you can close it and how cold it can be when you paint. From the manufacturer data sheets and product pages:

These are best-case figures: Benjamin Moore notes that high humidity or cooler temperatures prolong dry and recoat times. Benjamin Moore says Advance can take up to 30 days to reach optimum hardness and final sheen, so expect a newly painted door to stay a little soft for a few weeks. Sherwin-Williams also notes that Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel is for doors, trim and other small exterior areas, not the main body of a house. For the wait between coats on other paints, see how long to wait between coats of paint, and for finishes, our paint sheen guide.

How to choose

1. Note the fixed colors: siding, brick or stone, roof and trim.
2. Pick a family that contrasts with the body: black or navy against white siding or red brick, a softer green or bronze against stone and wood.
3. Check the manufacturer's coordinating colors for your pick against your siding and trim.
4. Storm door? Read the door's warranty before choosing a dark color.
5. Paint a large sample board and look at it on the door in morning and afternoon light. Buy from whichever brand is convenient using the matches above.

All the colors here are available from Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore, and their color pages list the closest match in every other brand we track.