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Knock, Knock!
March 1st, 2010The Inspiration
Our Current Door The Goal!
My husband and I moved into our house nearly two years ago now and sadly we haven’t been able to make much of a dent in our “yay-we-have-a-new-home” to-do list. One of the many things I wanted to do right away was replace our front door. Relaity set in quickly once we realized how much a fancy new front door actually costs. But, being the DIY lady that I am, I still have hopes of trying to spruce up the one we currently have and make it into something we love.
I recently spotted this posh black door on Flickr and the gorgeous ice blue door on Simply Seleta and haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since. Though this wouldn’t fit with our homes asthetic I decided to try to create what I had in my head in Photoshop real quick. My rendering skills are a mess but it gets the idea across and helped me visualize it all together. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to create the faux trim that I crave but I’m now on the hunt for some door makeover tips and tricks.
How about you guys, seen any amazing doors or have any advice you could pass along? Once I start to tackle this for real I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes. Happy Monday and have a great week everyone!
Links: Outdoor Sconce, Door Bell, Door Mat
March 1st, 2010 at 8:05 am
I just love a pretty painted door!
March 1st, 2010 at 8:07 am
You have to do this! It would be such an easy DIY! Moulding like that is only $1-2 at the big box home stores. And if you don’t have a miter saw then a cheap miter box and hand saw would be just fine. The secret to making the miter corners look great if you’ve never done it before is to 1) buy extra 2) use a nail set, and 3) paintable wood filler. Any small discrepancies can be filled and sanded and once painted disappear. Just caulk around all edges before painting to make it look seamless.
I redid a wall in one of our bedrooms and had to match 70 year old baseboards, door trim, and picture moulding with no prior experience. Wood filler, patience, and a bit of time are your best friends. And the results, they are well worth it. Good luck!
March 1st, 2010 at 9:34 am
So, I’m fond of DIY stuff, and I tend to walk to the beat of my own drummer, and looking at this door, my first thought was – “Dude, I could totally have Hobby Lobby make a simple picture frame to the specs I needed, and then I could just attach it to the door, calk and paint!”
Of course, I’m not sure that would actually WORK, but I’m all about having someone else do the hard stuff, so I can do the easy parts. That, and I have no skills with power tools. Thankfully, I have a Mister who does.
March 1st, 2010 at 11:43 am
Great idea! I love the direction you are going! My inner architect would like to mention a few things to keep in mind…
Your current deadbolt is quite high and you have lowered it significantly (obviously making it more aesthetically pleasing!) which will leave a big hole in the current door. This hole can be covered by using a long-bar handle (similar to what you have shown) with a backplate. The metal back plate will cover the hole.
It looks like you have a petty solid door, thus putting extra holes in isn’t likely to hamper the structural integrity of the door.
Good Luck- I can’t wait to see the results!
March 1st, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Go here:
http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/walls/trim/upgrade-a-door-with-molding/
I think your front door could totally look like your rendering!
Good luck!
Renae
March 1st, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Good luck, our front door has similar issues. One word of caution for the black paint…make sure you account for the direction your front door faces.
The previous owners of our house painted our front door black, but it faces southwest, getting wicked strong sun year round. Needless to say the paint is peeling horribly, and you risk second-degree burns during our hot southern summers!
March 1st, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I’m sure you can do this! It looks like a few people have already suggested moulding…I think that’s your best bet. What do you do with the doorway while you’re working on the door? I’m sure this can’t all be done in one day and would be much easier if the door were not still attached…something to consider since it’s a door to the outside. Would you do the same to the inside of the door? Good luck!
March 1st, 2010 at 3:38 pm
OOoh the Robins egg door has been on my “want to do that” list for a month! Love the shade, so pretty
March 1st, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Yes, nice front doors are expensive. We settled for re-painting and nice new hardware (similar to your “new” version) which made a dynamite difference that was affordable. You could just paint your front door a glossy black for now and update the hardware, too.
March 1st, 2010 at 7:18 pm
lovely doors! i love the molding and the blue color of that door you found on flickr..
March 1st, 2010 at 9:40 pm
I want that ice blue door!
March 1st, 2010 at 10:48 pm
I’d love to see what you come up with for the diy. But have you ever been to the RE store in Ballard? You might find a door in the right shape and size for pennies, and then you’d only have to paint. We weren’t looking for doors when we were there, but there was a whole aisle of reclaimed doors. Worth checking out!
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:36 am
I wonder if you could use some chair rails from the hardware store to make the trim? Just nail those babies in (after careful measuring, of course!) and paint them up. Add a little fancy handle and you’re all set.
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:37 am
I’m so happy you loved that door as much as I did! It’s definitely has a “stop and stare” effect.
Can’t wait to see your “after.” Be sure and show us! Thanks for the holla’.
xoxo
Seleta
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:40 am
You could totally redo your door! I painted our front door black and LOVE it. It took some convincing to get my husband on board but it looks so much better now and was so much less expensive than replacing it. Good luck with the project!
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:38 am
Try Fine Paints of Europe. We painted our door a beautiful black, just like the one in your photo. If we did it again, we would probably hire a professional painter since the paint was a bit tricky to work with. Good Luck.
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:40 am
How about adding a cool door knocker? It would make your rendering look closer to your inspiration doors. Good luck!
March 2nd, 2010 at 1:46 pm
so frustrating, lmk what you come up with too. i need to replace our door as well, and all the doors are like $4,000?!? what’s up with that
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:09 pm
We are on the hunt for a door too! Found this awesome company that sells kits for adding windows to existing doors. Great for folks w/ a mid century or anyone wanting to give a plain door some pizazz. Fab prices. A MUST see:
http://www.crestviewdoors.com/
March 3rd, 2010 at 12:06 am
Just buy some moulding and add it. .
Many stores will even cut the angles of moulding for you for a couple of dollars a cut… (i say let them!)
and then add a gorgeous knocker.
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:40 pm
great inspiration, love the blue one.
I’m thinking of changing my front door now.
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Thanks everyone for you feedback and great ideas! A friend of mine saw the post and also sent me a link to this great post about painting doors and furniture black. I’m super excited to give this a go so fingers crossed it all works out! xoxo, Kathleen
March 4th, 2010 at 4:26 am
Looks great, definitely give it a try!
Replacing our front door is on my 2010 wish list …
March 4th, 2010 at 10:24 am
You should try salvaging a vintage door that already has the moulding you want – There’s two great cash n carry type places in Seattle that are great for {cheap} vintage finds!
The Re-Store: http://www.re-store.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=56
Second Use: http://www.seconduse.com/
March 6th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
you absolutely can do this yourself! go for it!
March 8th, 2010 at 6:02 am
I didn’t read the comments – someone may have already suggested this – but trompe l’oeil would work beautifully here – even for the door knocker
If you can do it yourself here’s a site that gives images – scroll down to see molding:
http://www.mjpfaux.com/TrompelOeilwebsite.htm
And if you can’t here is a site that has stencils:
http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/shop_stencils.php?name=Trompe%20Loeil%20Stencils
March 28th, 2010 at 11:59 am
One summer, my mother and I decided to update our kitchen cabinetry from plain old 1970′s ugly wood to a mordern masterpiece. I wish I had pictures of how great it turned out! It was beautiful. Each cabinet door was this nested framing effect and painted a contrasting color from the door.
It is relatively simple to do, as Jamie Z said with moulding from the local lumber bigbox store. It just takes patience and practice `;~)
Good luck