Photo credit: Rachael Ray Show
Aired October 03, 2019
A new front door is one of the easiest ways to boost the value of your home without spending a ton of money. In fact, it can increase your home’s curb appeal so much that it could translate into thousands of dollars more in perceived value.
Need some inspiration?
Check out the TLC star Genevieve Gorder's recent home renovation in Savannah, Georgia — done with her designer husband, Christian Dunbar — featuring a glossy tigerwood front door.
Rachael Ray Show
Stunning, right?
Well, if you thought only professional designers like Genevieve and Christian could pull it off, think again.
"The first impression of every home is the front door," she says. "So often, it blends in with everything else, [and] no one notices it." But not this one!
Rather than ordering a custom front door — which could cost thousands — Genevieve and Christian purchased an 8x4 sheet of exotic tigerwood veneer (rather than real tigerwood, which costs more) for $200 and varnished it. "We basically stuck [it on the existing door] like a sticker," Genevieve explains.
To varnish the wood, apply penetrating resin first (which you can buy at a boat store, Christian says). Give it a day or two to cure — and sand the wood in between coats — before applying spar varnish with UV protection (since it'll be outdoors.)
And voila! You'll have a front door that people will gawk at — for a fraction of the cost.