Monday, July 9, 2012

Banishing White Doors From a Kid's Bedroom


White is one of those shades that we often avoid at all costs in a kid's bedroom, since it stains very easily and takes a lot of work to keep clean and looking great. In most children's bedrooms, the only place that you will see white is on the ceiling, with most parents taking the stand of banishing white doors from a kid's bedroom. Here are just a few alternatives that make great replacement for white doors in your child's room:

Natural wood finishes are great, but faux wood materials that are more durable are a better choice. Your first priority in a kid's bedroom is durability, otherwise you will be replacing the door far more often than you would like. Natural woods are easy to scratch, stain very easily, and cost a lot of money. There are plenty of alternatives that look great and do not cost a lot of money, from hard plastics to metal options and even eco-friendly doors.

White is great for an older child's room on occasion, but it becomes a magnet for everything that kids track in and play with. For instance, crayons, food, gum, dirt, mud, pencils, and markers leave marks that are almost impossible to get rid of totally, and to even make a dent in the stain you have to buy special products. Pen, marker, and gum rarely come off entirely, leaving some trace of the original stain. Some color options will not have this problem; such as black and some wood finish shades. Consider this scenario: Your six-year-old son comes running in the house after an afternoon playing outside. His feet and hands are covered in mud, grass, and grime, and the first place he is heading is not likely to be the bathroom if he can sneak past Mom.

Browns and black hide more than just stains on your child's bedroom doors. We mostly consider the entry door for the bedroom, but this also applies to closet doors, and bathroom doors for some children's rooms. Many shades of brown and black hide the stains we have already gone over, but they also mask scuffmarks, small scratches, and small dings. White doors show everything, including the smallest ding, nick, mark, scratch, or scuff. As you make plans to do your spring-cleaning or just think about touching up the details in the house, those white doors will often be the first things that catch your attention.

If you choose white doors, be prepared to deal with these issues and more. To keep the room looking fresh and clean, be ready to handle the stains, scuffs, marks, nicks, and gouges that will quickly and often appear from one day to the next. It requires frequent patching, scrubbing, and touchup paint jobs, and each of these cost money, often more than it is worth for the look of white doors. It is sometimes easier just to choose a different shade that coordinates with the rest of the child's room, such as a great faux wood finish or even contemporary black options.