If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to brighten up your home’s decor, consider painting high-profile features such as doors or cabinets. Fixing up these smaller spaces can really make a big impact.

Here are a few tips from the experts at Behr on how to proceed:

How to Paint an Exterior Door: The Door Frame

Step 1. Starting at the top door frame, begin painting the inside of the frame. Work outward from the edge of the door.

Step 2. Continue until the frame is complete. Wipe away the excess paint.

The Door Trim

Step 1. Starting at the top corner of the door trim, paint along the side edge of the trim where it meets the wall. Continue until all side edges of the trim are complete.

Step 2. Return to the top of the door trim and paint the face of the trim.

Step 3. Continue until the door trim is complete.

The Door

Step 1. Pour thoroughly mixed paint into a bucket and dip a quality 2- to 21/2-inch wide nylon/poly-ester brush into the paint. When working outside, work out of direct sunlight and in temperatures between 50ºF and 90ºF with moderate humidity.

Step 2. With your brush, paint the inside and outside edges of the door.

Step 3. Starting with the top panel of the door, paint into the recessed area of the panel. Begin at a corner of the recess and continue around its perimeter. Work from top of the door to the bottom.

Step 4. Paint the remainder of the panel until the entire panel is complete. Repeat until all panels are complete. Wipe away any excess paint. To eliminate unwanted brushstrokes, smooth out the panel by taking a lighter stroke over the newly painted area.

Step 5. When the panels are complete, paint the stiles of the door in the following order: middle, top, center, bottom, left, right.

How to Paint a Cabinet: The Stiles and Openings

Step 1. Pour thoroughly mixed paint into a bucket and dip a quality 2- to 21/2-inch wide nylon/poly-ester brush into the paint. When using more than one gallon of paint, combine the colors for better color uniformity. This intermixing is called boxing.

Step 2. With your brush, paint the inside edges of the cabinet door openings.

Step 3. Paint the middle stile from top to bottom, following the wood grain. Then paint remaining stiles in the following order: top, bottom, left, right.

The Side Panels

Step 1. Using your brush, paint (cut in) around the perimeter of the cabinet where it meets the ceiling, walls, countertops and floor.

Step 2. Pour paint into a paint tray. Work the roller into the tray until it is fully loaded with paint. For best results, use a ¼-inch roller cover.

The Paneled Doors

Step 1. Paint the edges around the perimeter of the door.

Step 2. With the door open, paint the recess of the door panel. Start at a corner of the recess and continue around its perimeter.

Step 3. After painting the entire panel, wipe away the excess paint that has overlapped onto the door frame.

Step 4. Paint the door frame in the following order: top, bottom, left, right.

Step 5. Paint the backside of the door. Leave the doors open until the paint is completely dry.

Need inspiration? Visit Behr. com, where you can browse image libraries for inspiration and find design, style and color trend advice from experts. You can use the ColorSmart by Behr feature to coordinate color online and apply colors virtually to your walls using the Paint Your Place feature. Using the Virtual Color Center, you can view all Behr paint colors from the comfort of your own home.

You can also order 8-oz. paint samples on the site, making it easier to test colors in your home without having to buy quart- and gallon-size containers. What’s more, you can find tips on a variety of projects such as painting ceilings, floors, shutters, siding and stucco trim.

Behr paint is available exclusively at The Home Depot. For more information, visit www.behr.com. (NAPSI)