Black or White?

I know.  I’ve got that Michael Jackson song stuck in my head now too.

Anyhow, I have a question for you.  My brain hurts trying to decide this on my own, so why not let your brains do the hurting for me?   😉

My new patio doors were installed yesterday!  Don’t judge the mess though.  I didn’t clean up for you.  The vacuum cleaner is behind me in this photo, and as soon as I put the camera down I hit the power button.  Honest!

The old ones had seen better days.  The wood was rotting.  I don’t want to scare you, so I’ll show you just one picture to give you an idea of how bad they were.  ðŸ˜‰

We replaced these doors with sliders which function so. much. better!  They are made by Anderson and they qualified for that tax thingy (whatever it’s called- we asked our accountant about it).  We ordered them through Home Depot right before the end of the year (and saved our receipt) even though they have just now been installed (special orders take a while).  It’s always a good idea, if your a homeowner, to find out if there are any tax credits/breaks you can take advantage of besides the obvious writing off your interest.  Most often, there is some type of incentive out there in regards to home improvements.  Ask your accountant; they’re the smart ones.  I’m just smart enough to ask mine.  ðŸ˜‰  Ok, blah, moving on……..to the question that’s hurting my brain.

When we ordered the doors I had envisioned that we I would paint them black.

                                                                           Source: houzz.com via Diane on Interest
                                                          Source: nestegg.typepad.com via Van Wicklen Design on Interest
                                                                Source: abodelove.blogspot.com via Colon on Pinterest
                                                         Source: jonathanadler.com via Carmel (@ Our Fifth House) on Pinterest

The interior of the door is unfinished (or natural wood), but the exterior is actually covered with a composite that matches the trim color of our house exactly.  This composite material will never weather, so the issue we had with the old doors should not happen with these.  There was no way to order the door we wanted with different colors on each side.  I knew I wanted the outside to match the trim color (which is a taupe color that doesn’t show dirt) but I didn’t want the interior of the door to be that color.  I opted to have them leave the inside in this natural state, and I figured I’d just paint the inside myself.  I can handle taping and painting, right?  The only problem is that I can’t decide what color to paint them –  black or white?

The old doors were white.

The new doors are a little different in style from the old doors besides the fact that they’re sliders.  We went almost completely gridless.  I like the new look much better, and it’s going to be so much easier to keep them clean!  Now if I can just decide what color to paint them.

Here’s a better pic for you to make a decision.

These poor curtain panels were man handled today, and they are not dealing with it too well!  

So, what do you think?  Black or white?  I have a headache.  Although, that probably has more to do with this

than anything else.  Saw. dust. is. everywhere.  Even in my hair, and I didn’t do anything but watch the installation with my head titled to the side trying to decide what color to paint them!

Black or White?

I’m not gonna spend my life being a color……….   😉   Be thankful you can’t see me dancing right now!  I may or may not have been listening to that song the entire time I was writing this post.

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  • DEFINITELY BLACK! Will really bring out the black frame around the ?horse? Also, might consider painting the mantel either black or the same trim color as above the horse….. taupe?
    Beautiful!!! You will be thrilled. Can't wait to see the "afters"

  • If they were in my house, I would totally paint them white. But looking at your photos & the decor, I think for your home, black would be best!! So, I vote BLACK!

  • I immediately thought black when I saw them! Not sure if you will use the doors but I love my doors black because the dirt doesn't show as much.

  • I just painted my french doors black and I love it. It'll definitely change the look of your room and give it more depth. If you still can't decide, tape something black up around the door to see if you can get an idea of what it'll look like or color it in Photoshop.

  • I say black!! I think white will make them feel like the old doors after a while. It's only paint and you can always change them, but I would think once they're black, you'll never want to!

  • For me, the decision was easy…black!! The reason being, the most permanent thing showing in your photos is the flooring, and that appears to be a dark stain, maybe black? Yes, you can repaint your doors down the road, but I think you'll like having the permanent things in the room tie together in color. Black.
    Linda S. in NE

  • I love back doors, so I understand your dilemma. Would your beautiful hardware disappear on black paint?

  • Go for the black, it is easier to see past for the eye than white, and it is gorgeous! I split the difference an painted mine white on the inside (dark charcoal walls) and black on the outside to match the trim.

  • You have a lot of natural light and high ceilings I think the room could definitely handle black doors..it will tie everything together while framing the room and brining in those amazing curtains. You will notice the doors more as well. I am sure the decision is unanimous!

  • Out of the two choices. I say black. However I am going to suggest Navy.

    Also Glideen has a new paint out. It's gel flow. No brush marks!!!! And I mean NONE

    But I adore the idea of navy. Just adore it !

  • How about an accent color like a high gloss gray or gilt (!) – with gold leaf! It makes for a bigger project, but definitely one you will fall in love with over and over…

  • Hi so nice to meet you I came via Rhoda……

    I vote for black, I am currently changing over our interior doors and love the look 🙂

    All the best,
    Kathy 🙂

  • Have you seen the post over at Playing Sublimely she posted recently? She had the same dilemma and makes a pretty strong case for black. She had some gorgeous pictures. I think both would look great but black would be different and make a big impact.

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