We painted our front door a new color when we refreshed the brick on our house in October. For the doors I used a specialty product made for entryways: Benjamin Moore’s Aura Grand Entrance in the shade Tranquility. It’s available in satin or an ultra-high-gloss mirror finish, and I opted for the high gloss.
Photos don’t fully capture the finish. The images here are nice, but the actual shine and luxury of the mirror-like surface is much more striking in person — especially contrasted with the extra-matte brick paint we used on the house.
The finish is so glossy you can see reflections in it. Even our delivery driver commented and ran his hand across the door like it was a paint ad. I bought this myself — not sponsored — because I was genuinely excited to try a high-gloss door paint.
In close-ups you can see how mirror-like the finish is; my fingers reflect in the paint in a way that wouldn’t happen with normal semi-gloss, which is commonly used for doors.
I tested the paint on both sides of the front door and have since repainted several other exterior doors in the same color and product — four doors and counting. After doing multiple doors I gathered a handful of practical tips and filmed a short video of the process. The video shows the shine better than still photos and is helpful if you want to see how the paint behaves while being applied.
If you’re considering high-gloss paint, know that there are super-premium options like Fine Paints of Europe that cost well over $100 a quart and deliver an incredible finish. I wasn’t ready to spend that much, so I tried Benjamin Moore’s Grand Entrance instead, which runs about $44 a quart. That’s still an investment, but I used roughly a quart to do four doors (some only one side), so the per-door cost felt reasonable.
High-gloss paint is dramatic, but it magnifies imperfections. That’s the most important point: prep matters. If you skip filling cracks, sanding raised areas, or thoroughly cleaning the surface, the gloss will highlight every flaw. I’ve heard stories of people who spent a lot on premium glossy paint, had a poor application, and ended up stripping and repainting. Do the prep work and you’ll be pleased with the results.
I was initially wary because of those cautionary tales, but I wanted the mirror-like look to contrast with the matte brick. I’m glad I took the leap.
For doors with panels, I used a high-quality 2″ angled brush on every surface. You might be tempted to spray or roll, but with high-gloss finishes those tools tend to leave stipple or texture. Smooth, long brush strokes look more pleasing and the subtle brush marks read more like a polished finish than a stippled surface. A pro painter I know also prefers brushes for high-gloss doors.
When painting paneled doors I follow a consistent order to keep brush strokes uniform:
- Paint recessed areas first.
- Then paint the raised panels.
- Finish with the larger rails and stiles, working in the direction of the grain for the smoothest appearance.
There’s a short video that demonstrates the application and shows the glossy result better than photos. Watching the process helps you see how the paint lays down and levels out.
One practical note: this paint dries extremely hard. If you get paint on glass, remove it quickly. I waited too long once and scraping the cured paint dulled razor blades fast. Try to scrape off any drips from glass within a day or two for an easier cleanup.
We repainted several exterior doors — the garage door, the French doors, and the kitchen door that leads to the garage — to match the glossy front door. The pop of glossy color looks great against the painted brick and around the house.
I hope this overview and the video make the process less intimidating. If you like the look, take your time with prep, use a quality angled brush, and work carefully — the high-gloss result is worth the extra effort. And if you happen to be nearby, feel free to stop and admire — or pet — the front door like the delivery guy did. It’s a small thing that brings a lot of joy.
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