Have boring flat doors hanging around your house? Also, have you seen how much nice custom doors cost?
Before you spend a ton of money on a new door, check out this super quick, easy, and inexpensive way to update your door with just a little trim and paint.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (click to jump ahead)
BEFORE PICTURE
This was just your basic boring door. Can you believe that this is the same door as the After picture?
This is one of those quick makeovers that has a huge impact.
PREP AND SUPPLIES
TIME: 2-3 Hours
COST: $40-45
DIFFICULTY: Easy
This project doesn’t require very many supplies and it can actually be done with ZERO POWER TOOLS!
(…Although an electric sander and mitre saw do speed things up)
HOW-TO STEPS
STEP 1: PREP YOUR DOOR
To start you’ll need to clean and sand your door. First remove the knob. Lightly sand your door, then combine warm water with a small dash of dish soap (preferably Dawn or some sort of degreasing agent), then scrub with a sponge.
TIP
If you do even a small amount of DIY and don’t have an electric sander, I’m just gonna throw it out there that this is a HUGE GAME CHANGER. I would buy this over and over again in a heartbeat and I regret not getting one sooner.
This orbital sander I have is great because it has a bag that collects a good amount of the sawdust which means healthier lungs and less mess.
STEP 2: PLAN DESIGN AND CUT
Measure and plan out the spacing for your trim. I replicated the trim on my interior doors which consist of a tall box on top and a shorter box on bottom.
TIP
If you don’t have or care to invest in a mitre saw yet? No problem. Just pick up a mitre box. They’re inexpensive and will help you cut mitered edges for your trim.
(Think of all the ways you could use this, framing your TV, picture box molding on walls, organizers and cubbies for your kitchen drawers, or giving your doors a custom look!)
Measure and mark the outer corners. Don’t forget there will be more waste with mitred cuts so maybe grab an extra board when you’re picking up supplies!
STEP 2: GLUE ON TRIM MOLDING
I taped my pieces in place and made sure it was level and square with nice tight seams. Then one by one I smeared construction adhesive to the backs and glued into place.
I kept the tape on to allow for the glue to cure. If you have a pin nailer you could also nail these into place.
STEP 4: PREP AND PAINT
Now its time to prep to paint. Hopefully you have nice tight seams, but if they’re not perfect don’t worry: a little sanding block and some wood filler will fix up any imperfections.
Next, line both the interior and exterior edges with caulk.
TIP
CAULKING TIPS:
-Cut the a small amount off the tip at a 45º angle
-Cover your pointer finger in a wet wipe and drag it over the line as you go to reduce waste and quick clean up
STEP 5: PAINT AND INSTALL NEW KNOB
Sprayers are great for creating a nice smooth glass like finish. You can get a relatively inexpensive bare minimum one for under $100. I LOVE my sprayer, but I’m not going to lie, its an investment.
You can still get an amazing finish with a brush and high density cabinet foam roller. Make sure paint it on, roll over it to smooth it out, and extra fine sanding in between coats.
Love these door handles I found for my home. I had a difficult time finding good looking door handles in the right shade of brass that were not going to bankrupt me (buying one is something but replacing every door in your home is $$$$)
DOOR REVEAL
