Home Security

7 Ideas to Help Refresh and Improve Your Front Door

By Ring on February 1, 2024

Your front door sees some of the most action around your home each day — and it shows. After years of being slammed shut, bumped into, and exposed to the elements, your door needs a little TLC to bring it back to life.

Ready for a refresh? These simple tips can help improve your front door’s look and make it more functional than ever.

1. Repair Any Damage

If your formerly pristine, squeak-free front door is suddenly peeling, hard to close, and drafty, you probably need to perform a few repairs. You can do plenty of fixes yourself, like adding wood filler to gouges, installing weatherstripping, touching up bald spots, scraping paint off peepholes, and lubricating hinges. But if the damage goes deeper, you may need to call an expert or replace your door altogether. Things like unstable framing or warping likely require a professional’s help to repair.

For older doors that aren’t energy efficient but are still worth keeping, the Department of Energy recommends adding a storm door. You can choose from several options to match your home, including wood, metal, and fiberglass storm doors.

2. Add a New Coat of Paint

Switching up your front door's paint color is one of the easiest ways to give your entryway a facelift. A big change, like painting your bright door a moody black, can completely transform the look of your home. If you’re unsure which direction you want to go, consider taping up swatches or purchasing samples to test out.

Painting your door is a DIY-friendly project as long as you follow the right steps. According to Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, it’s important to clean, sand, and prime the door before adding two coats of exterior paint. You should also remove hardware or cover it with painter’s tape for a clean finish.

3. Swap Out Hardware

Whether your front door handle is hard to turn or went out of style decades ago, it may be time to swap it out for new hardware. While it may seem like a minor upgrade, new hardware can dramatically impact your home’s curb appeal and improve security. Many modern lock options eliminate the need for keys, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of spares.

When you change the hardware on your door, you can also upgrade your house numbers and entryway decor to match the new aesthetic.

4. Add a Video Doorbell

Once you’ve given your front door a new look, you can focus on making it more functional with a Ring Video Doorbell. It replaces your traditional doorbell to add essential visibility around your front door — whether you’re home or away.

Instead of running to the door each time you hear the doorbell, you can check Live View on the Ring App to see who’s there. If somebody stops by when you’re in the middle of something, you can use Two-Way Talk to let them know you’ll be there in a few minutes. If you have a compatible smart lock, you can even unlock the door from Live View, so your guests can let themselves in.

A video doorbell from Ring doesn’t just make it easier to keep track of activity at your home; it can also complement and enhance your home’s style. There are several options to best fit your setup, from the classic Video Doorbell Battery to a flush-mount Video Doorbell Elite. And with colorful interchangeable faceplates, you can change up the look of your video doorbell to match the season or your current favorite color.

5. Brighten Up Your Entryway With Lighting

If your entryway feels a little lackluster, adding some extra lighting is an easy way to make it more inviting. A brightly lit home is also more visible from the street, enhancing your curb appeal and making it easier for visitors to find your place after dark.

Adding smart fixtures leading up to your front door is one of the most convenient ways to boost warmth and visibility outside your home. With Ring smart lighting and a Ring Bridge, sold separately, you can control your outdoor lights from the Ring App. That means you don’t have to leave the kitchen if you’re still preparing appetizers when guests start to arrive for an evening party. You can also set schedules, so your lights automatically turn on when the sun begins to set and turn off in the morning. And on a particularly dark night, you can crank up the brightness to help ensure visitors find their way in safely.

There are several different fixtures from Ring to help complement your entryway. Pathlights and Steplights can illuminate walkways and stairs to create a clear path for people to follow. Wall Lights sit on walls and fences to add low lighting around your home’s exterior. You can even make your existing outdoor fixtures smart by adding Ring bulbs, as long as they’re in a protected area.

To add even more protection with your smart lighting, you can install Spotlight or Floodlight Cams, which automatically record and shine bright lights when motion is detected. You can place them around your entryway to capture areas your video doorbell can’t reach. For extra security, you can even link your cameras to your smart lights and have them automatically record when another light detects motion.

6. Upgrade to a Smart Lock

If you have a traditional lock on your front door, you have to keep track of your keys and all the spares you’ve passed out to guests. With a smart lock, you don’t need keys at all — just your phone, fingerprint, or a code. You can even generate guest codes for visitors, so you don’t have to give out your main code, and have the door lock automatically if you’ve been gone for a certain amount of time.

Many smart locks, including Yale and Schlage options, have matching hardware for a cohesive look. But you can also choose a smart deadbolt, like a Level Bolt, that fits into your existing hardware if you don’t want to change your current setup.

Want to learn more about smart locks and how they work? Check out our comprehensive guide.

7. Install a Security System

When you’re not home, a security system from Ring can give you peace of mind that your front door is closed and secure. If someone opens the door when your system is armed, the Contact Sensor will trigger Ring Alarm and send a notification if you have a Ring Protect subscription, sold separately.¹ You can also place Contact Sensors on back doors and side doors for a layer of security around the entire perimeter of your home.

In addition to Contact Sensors, Ring Alarm kits come with a Motion Detector you can place inside your entryway to sense activity indoors. For doors with large windows or sidelights, you can also connect a Glass Break Sensor, sold separately, to detect the sound of shattering glass. If you’re enrolled in 24/7 Alarm Professional Monitoring with your Ring Protect subscription, sold separately, the professional monitoring center will call your emergency contacts if a sensor gets triggered.^{1 2} They can also request a police response if you ask for help or if no emergency contact answers.

Add Essential Protection to Your Front Door With Ring

Creating a more protected home starts at your front door — and Ring has the tools you need to improve security without sacrificing style.

Shop doorbells, Alarms, smart lighting, and compatible smart locks today, or take a quick quiz to get customized recommendations for your home.

¹ Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for in-app features and digital notifications, including digital arming / disarming and integration with other Ring, Echo, Alexa, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details

2 A compatible Ring Protect subscription is required to enroll in the Ring Alarm professional monitoring service. Professional monitoring service is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories) and in Canada (excluding Quebec). Ring does not own its own professional monitoring center. Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring is not available for a business or commercially zoned address. See Ring alarm licenses at: ring.com/licenses. Additional permit or false alarm fees may apply depending on your local jurisdiction. Additional charges may apply in areas that require permits or guard response service for alarm verification.