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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Front Door: Interior Before and After

Well, I've put this post off long enough. I'm not feeling so excited about this one. The door looks so much better than before, but I feel like the before pictures don't show how bad it actually was. So, I'm afraid the before and after may seem a little underwhelming.
We started with a turquoise/teal two-toned door. It was dirty. It was peeling. The paint had been slopped onto the jambs, but only here and there in an "I just don't care anymore" kind of way. The threshold was so old that the rubber "seal" crumbled when we removed it. Oh, and did I mention the brass peep hole and mail slot? I truly do love brass, and I know I'm in the minority on that. However, I don't love fake, ugly, filigreed brass that is peeling.
After removing the peep hole window and mail slot, we were left with gaping holes. We filled in the holes with some rigid insulation that we happened to have on hand. Then we put up some 1/8" plywood with a teeny trim to give the door a panel. It's not exactly period looking, but there's not much left in this house that is from 1914 anyway.
Once the plywood was up, we filled all the nail holes, sanded that down and got to painting. It took two coats, but I'm going to add one more coat to the panel because there are some brush stokes bothering me. We painted the jambs with white trim paint we already had, and we spray painted the hinges with ORB that we already had. I felt a little guilty about the hinges, they were decent quality solid brass. However, they don't match each other (?) and there was already plenty of paint from before on them.

This was a simple project that could have been done in about three days if we had the luxury of spending three days in a row on one thing. That just doesn't happen for us. Luckily it was an inexpensive project: 1/2 sheet of plywood $15, trim $9, paint (around) $15, peep hole $10 and threshold $13. That brings the total spent on this simple front door upgrade to about $62.

$62 for a practically brand new door! Even Walmart can't compete with that.

16 comments:

  1. I really like the new colour, and the panel is a nice little detail - well done!

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    1. Thanks! The panel was an easy way to cover up the holes, but I like how it looks, too.

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  2. it def adds a more sophisticated look to the front foor! you think its underwhelming, but i think it makes a huge difference!

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    1. Aww, thanks! We need a little sophistication around here, what with my missing teeth and all. (I'm totally joking - I have all my teeth except the wisdom teeth.)

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  3. It looks very clean and fresh! I think it's a big improvement from before. Great job!

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    1. Thanks! I actually find myself glancing over at the door once in a while wondering why we waited so long to make it better.

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  4. Don't take this the wrong way but I didn't find the transformation at all underwhelming! I love the new colors and that price is amazing.

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    1. I looked at the b&a picture this afternoon with fresh eyes, and it really does look different. I think living with it has made it seem less impressive :)

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  5. Looks so much fresher and brighter. Got to love a cheap DIY. Your brass aversion sounds like my pine aversion! LOL, everyone has something.

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  6. I love the dark blue! It's clean and classic, but different from a basic black door. It looks beautiful with the interior color and it's amazing what a little trim will do for a flat panel door. Thanks for sharing the before and after... not underwhelming at all!

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad we kept the panel and trim simple. It ended up being just enough without going overboard.

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  7. Love it! Amazing what some molding and paint can do. The molding update in particular looks great. Looks like a much higher end door now, and the color is gorgeous too!

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    1. Thanks - we love the new look and color, too. So inexpensive and one less thing in the landfill for now!

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  8. Dark blue will always look ideal to my eyes! It's dark, but not enough to overpower your interiors, which is a good sign. Maybe you can consider painting the door frame, to give your front door a twist or, at least, put a design on it.

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  9. It's pretty amazing that with just $62 you already have a door that looks brand new. A makeover that doesn't cost much with just a little effort. The color is a pretty nice contrast with the wall. It was, indeed, a great decision that you chose that shade.
    Mason Mcnulty @ Renewal by Andersen

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