Transforming your home’s exterior can be one of the most rewarding DIY projects, and few elements offer as much impact as a freshly painted front door. We recently embarked on such a transformation, breathing new life into our entryway when we painted our brick house white. This wasn’t just any paint job; it was an opportunity to experiment with a specialized, high-performance paint designed specifically for exterior doors. The star of our project: Grand Entrance by Benjamin Moore, a premium product that truly elevates curb appeal. We chose the captivating shade Tranquility, also by Benjamin Moore, opting for a finish that promised unparalleled shine and sophistication.
Benjamin Moore’s Grand Entrance offers two distinct finishes: a classic satin and an ultra-luxurious, hyper-glossy mirror finish. Given our passion for making a statement and trying innovative products, it was an easy decision to embrace the allure of the “high gloss” option for the first time. The mere thought of a door reflecting its surroundings like a polished jewel was too tempting to resist.
The Unrivaled Brilliance of High Gloss: A Visual Feast
Words and even photographs often fall short when attempting to convey the true splendor of this high gloss finish. While the image above captures a pleasant aesthetic, it simply doesn’t fully translate the profound depth, the mirror-like reflection, and the sheer luxury that this paint brings. This effect is particularly striking when juxtaposed against the super-matte paint we used on our brick exterior. The contrast creates a dynamic visual interest, making the front door an undeniable focal point.
This paint isn’t just shiny; it’s so incredibly reflective that you can literally see your own reflection in its surface. It commands attention and exudes an undeniable sense of glamour. We’re talking about a finish so impressive that even our Fed-Ex delivery person paused to admire it, running their hand across its smooth surface as if starring in a paint commercial! This level of unsolicited admiration speaks volumes about the product’s impact. And for the record, this glowing review is entirely organic; we purchased this paint ourselves and are simply thrilled with the results. We want to share our genuine enthusiasm for this remarkable product.
To give you a better idea of its reflective quality, take a look at the close-up image below. Notice how my fingers are distinctly reflected in the paint’s surface. This level of clarity and sheen is something you simply won’t achieve with a standard semi-gloss paint, which is typically what homeowners and professionals use for both interior and exterior doors. The difference is truly astounding.
A Home-Wide Transformation: Beyond the Front Door
Our experience with Benjamin Moore Grand Entrance didn’t stop at the front door. After witnessing its transformative power, we gradually began applying this exquisite paint to all the exterior doors around our home. Having now completed four doors (and counting!) in the same stunning Tranquility color and with this very product, we’ve accumulated a wealth of tips, tricks, and insights that we’re eager to share. While photos can only capture so much of the high gloss effect, we’ve also created a video of the painting process. Videos often provide the best tutorials online, and crucially, it truly captures the dynamic sparkle of the doors in a way still images cannot.
Even in the photo above, you can catch a glimpse of the light gleaming off the right side of the door panel, just above the handle. However, to truly appreciate the captivating glossiness and mirror-like finish, we highly recommend watching the accompanying video. That’s where these doors truly “shine” – pun absolutely intended!
Understanding the Investment: Grand Entrance vs. Premium Alternatives
Before committing to Grand Entrance, we were aware of ultra-premium paint brands like Fine Paints of Europe, known for their exceptionally high gloss finishes. However, these paints come with a hefty price tag, often ranging from $110 to $150 for just a single quart. While undoubtedly stunning, this cost felt prohibitive for our budget. We jokingly wondered if it was made of gold or if it would magically fold our laundry! We simply weren’t ready to invest that heavily in our painting endeavors, especially for a DIY project.
Benjamin Moore’s Grand Entrance presented itself as an ideal alternative, offering a similar high-gloss aesthetic at a more accessible price point of approximately $44 per quart. It represents Benjamin Moore’s answer to that coveted, luxurious look without breaking the bank.
While $44 a quart might still seem like a considerable expense for paint, the value becomes clear when you consider its coverage and durability. We’ve painted four doors with a single quart – one on both sides and three on one side (as the other side of those doors remained white). This calculates to roughly $11 per door, which feels entirely reasonable for such a high-impact, long-lasting finish. The investment is justified by the transformative results and the superior quality that stands up to the elements.
The Cornerstone of Success: Meticulous Preparation
Now that we’ve established *why* we adore this paint, let’s delve into the crucial *how* of applying it. This is where diligence truly pays off. We cannot emphasize enough: while Grand Entrance delivers exceptional results, it is also unforgiving of shortcuts. Proper preparation is not merely recommended; it is absolutely essential to achieve that stunning, shout-it-from-the-rooftops happy finish. Neglecting prep can lead to a result you might actually dislike, potentially forcing you to redo your entire door. This is truly one of those projects where prep work and meticulous attention to detail are paramount.
To further illustrate the critical nature of preparation, consider a friend’s experience with a different high-gloss brand. She invested over $120 for a quart of premium red high-gloss paint for her front door in DC, even hiring a handyman to ensure a flawless application. Unfortunately, the outcome was disappointing. The handyman had to sand it all off and repaint with regular paint. The paint itself wasn’t the issue; the challenge lies in the application of super high gloss finishes. Such paints act like a magnifying glass, highlighting every tiny flaw, dent, or imperfection on the door’s surface. Without proper preparation, a door that looked merely ‘dinged up’ with semi-gloss can appear battered and bruised with high gloss.
Therefore, lesson number one for high-gloss painting is uncompromising surface preparation. Every bump, every crack, every raised imperfection must be meticulously addressed. Fill any existing cracks with a high-quality wood filler, sand down all raised areas until the surface is perfectly smooth, and then thoroughly clean the door to remove all dirt, grime, and cobwebs. This paint offers no mercy; skipping this vital step will compromise your final finish. The smoother the canvas, the more spectacular the reflection.
My friend’s ordeal initially made me wary of high gloss paint, especially since experts widely acknowledge it as the most challenging sheen to work with due to its flaw-magnifying properties. However, a strong intuition compelled me to give it a try when we painted our house white. Walking into the paint store, I just knew that the incredible shine of Grand Entrance would provide the perfect contrast to our extra-matte brick paint. And I am incredibly glad I followed that instinct – the results exceeded all expectations.
The Right Tools for the Job: Brushing to Perfection
Here I am, hard at work painting the kitchen door that leads out to our garage. This door previously sported a lighter, chalkier blue. However, once our foyer door was repainted with Grand Entrance, I knew I wanted the kitchen door to match, boasting the same sophisticated high gloss texture. The reflective finish also creates a wonderful aesthetic next to our tumbled marble tile. (A quick tip: I often paint with my clothes inside out, which explains the tags you might spot in the photo below!)
When it comes to application, a crucial decision is the tool you choose. You might be tempted to use a sprayer for an ultra-smooth finish, or perhaps a small foam roller for convenience. However, for Benjamin Moore Grand Entrance high gloss paint, we unequivocally recommend a high-quality 2-inch angled brush. We used a brush on every single part of every door we painted, and we stand by this method. While a brush will leave some subtle brush strokes, as you can subtly discern here…
…the alternative, a stippled texture from a roller or an inconsistent finish from a sprayer, is far less desirable when working with a paint that magnifies every detail. The long, smooth brush strokes, when applied correctly, are actually much more pleasing to the eye and contribute to a truly professional result. We are absolutely delighted with how ours turned out. In fact, even the professional painter who applied our home’s brick exterior paint advised us that he exclusively uses brushes for doors painted with high gloss. So there you have it: your DIY enthusiast, $herdog, and Lance The Pro Painter are united as #TeamBrush for this particular project!
Mastering the Paneled Door: A Step-by-Step Approach
For any door featuring panels, a systematic approach is key to achieving a flawless finish. We follow a specific order to ensure even coverage, prevent drips, and create a smooth, consistent sheen. This method minimizes overlaps and maximizes the high-gloss effect:
- Recessed Areas First: Begin by painting the recessed areas of the panels. Always follow the grain or the direction of the panel’s length, as indicated by the arrows in the diagram below. This ensures paint collects evenly in these deeper sections.
- Raised Panels Next: Once the recessed areas are done, move on to the raised panels. Again, paint in the direction of the arrows, striving for smooth, even strokes that don’t overload the brush.
- Large Cross Sections Last: Finally, tackle the larger flat surfaces, including the horizontal rails and vertical stiles. Work systematically, following the grain and the direction of the arrows. This sequence helps feather out any potential brush marks from the previous steps, resulting in a seamless overall finish.
To truly see this process in action and witness the super shiny result more effectively than in a static photograph, we’ve prepared a quick video. John filmed me applying the first coat to the very last door on my list, providing a dynamic visual guide to our technique.
NOTE: If you’re viewing this post in a reader, you may need to click through to see the video. You can also watch it here on YouTube.
Important Considerations and Pro Tips
One crucial tip, particularly if you’re painting doors with glass windows or panes: I’m generally a proponent of the “paint on the window and razor it off later” method for regular paint. However, this rule changes dramatically with Grand Entrance. This paint dries incredibly hard – like a diamond! Its durability is truly exceptional. If it were a reality TV housewife, its tagline might be: “Diamonds might be shiny and hard, and darling, so am I!” (*spins to camera to reveal super glossy shine*).
Therefore, my biggest piece of advice is: do not wait too long to scrape off any errant paint from the glass. This paint’s hardness means that waiting even a week, as I mistakenly did once, will make scraping incredibly difficult. It dulled new razor blades in about a minute. So, if you get paint on the glass, attack it within a day or two if you can, while it’s still somewhat pliable, to save yourself a lot of effort and frustration.
The transformation is evident throughout our home. You can see in the picture below that the door leading to our garage was initially white when the house received its fresh coat of paint. We’ll capture a wider shot in the spring when the backyard isn’t looking quite so stark and wintery, but it’s incredibly satisfying to have that vibrant hit of shiny blue paint on that door, as well as on the French door that opens into the living room on the other side of the house. These small changes have a massive impact on the overall aesthetic and feel of our home.
Here’s a closer look at that other back door, nestled under our covered porch and leading directly into the living room. The consistent application of Tranquility high gloss paint creates a cohesive and elegant look across all our exterior access points.
Final Thoughts: Embrace the Shine!
There you have it! We sincerely hope that sharing our experience with Benjamin Moore Grand Entrance paint and our detailed application tips proves helpful for your own home improvement projects. The video, in particular, should demystify the process of tackling a high gloss door painting project. More than anything, if you happen to be a friend or neighbor reading this, you are absolutely invited to come over and “pet” our front door, just like the Fed-Ex guy did! It genuinely brings us immense joy to sing the praises of this exceptional paint to anyone who will listen.
And for those interested in other significant transformations around our home, we’ve documented them extensively. To revisit our post detailing the process of painting our home’s exterior brick – including what products we used, how long it took, and the total cost – you can click here. Do you remember when we converted the back room off the living room from a less-than-ideal sunroom into a comfortable covered porch, complete with a lofted ceiling? Here’s a post about removing the sliding doors, one about planking the ceiling, and another about tiling the formerly carpeted floor. Lastly, for those seeking the perfect versatile neutral, we’ve dedicated a write-up all about why Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray is our favorite wall color, used in many rooms throughout our home.
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