By DAVID A. WILSON
Democrat Staff
Doors have always been paintable, even when most of them were wood and paint was hard to find.
Now, with the advent of smooth metal and fiberglass house doors, they are even more paintable. The real advantage is that often no sanding is necessary.
The new question is what the color of your house door says about you. In fact, a color expert, Kate Smith, of Sensational Color, has come up with what different paint colors on the doors of people's homes say about them.
Smith says the color of the entry door says important things about the resident:
Red says "look at me! I'm not afraid of standing out or saying what's on my mind."
How about White? That says, "I prefer things that are organized, neat and clean. Even if my home isn't always this way, I wish it were!"
What about the opposite color, Black? That is supposed to say "I'm consistent, conservative and reserved in my manner as well as my approach to color." A black door says your design style is timeless, not trendy.
What about Green? Well, that tells the world you have traditional values and enjoy being a member of the community.
Yellow says the resident has a personality similar to green, but a bit less traditional. That person is supposed to be more likely a leader or organizer of a group.
Blue tells people the resident is naturally at ease in most situations and people are attracted to their easygoing personality.
Purple is different. A purple front door apparently reveals a "free spirited" person who is comfortable taking risks, thinking differently and dreaming big.
In Moniteau County, a quick turn around the area shows that a majority of the front doors are white. Does that mean the residents prefer things be organized, neat and clean?
Not necessarily. Why do so many people have white front doors? Because that is the color they were when they were installed. The same seems to be the case with some of the gray doors. They were gray to begin with and gray they remain.
One interesting fact found is the fairly large number of wood doors, whether left natural or stained. That may reflect a more traditional view of the home. Sometimes, it probably better fits the older style of the house. In fact, one homeowner said her beautifully refinished wood front door was the same door her father installed more than 40 years before.
One blue-gray door was originally a mauve color, according to the owner. When the house was given new siding, the door was painted to go better with the siding.
The owner of a house with a burgandy front door commented that the door color was chosen because it was a good contrast with the colors of the interior of the house.
Another homeowner said the front door was painted red because that was the color of paint already on hand.
Several people said they simply left the front door the same color as it was when they bought the house.
Others, who had painted the front door, just liked the color they chose with no particular reason as to why.
None of this rules out the psychology of what the color of the front door might mean about the personality of the homeowner. What it could mean is that many Moniteau County residents are more practical and don't concern themselves with a statement to be made about themselves by the color of the front door.
Whether anyone actually uses the door color to reflect their personality is not as important as the fact that the new doors are paintable and the color can be changed. The door can go from white to red to blue to black or something else as the owner wants. The door can be painted to update the look of the exterior of the home, or match or contrast with the siding, trim, or possibly a flower garden, gazing ball or bird bath.