Updating Our Entry Part 2: DIY Antique Door Transformation

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They say all good things come to those who wait, and perhaps that is true, as that certainly has been the story of our front door transformation. When we first moved into our fixer upper, updating the front door was on the list, but was wayyyyy at the bottom. Changing out a perfectly usable front door when there were more pertinent needs seemed to always push this project to the backburner. But after 3 years, it seemed we were ready to make the change and that the shifting glass in our creaky storm door may not make it much longer. A gem from the 1970s, our ranch style home featured an aluminum door with a black and glass storm door that both had seen better days. Seeing this, Charlie and I wanted to update our door without spending a fortune. Preferably it would be solid wood, have some glass, charm, perhaps historical character… certainly all the things that cost an arm and a leg. Loving a creative challenge, we gave ourselves a $500 budget to transform our entry, therefore leading us to a DIY antique door.

For any of you that have ever priced doors, you know $500 will not likely get you solid wood, glass, historic character, or charm, but I was very hopeful that we would be able to find just the thing. After scouring Lowes, Home Depot, and the internet, we decided that our best route to find a door would be to refinish an antique door. Knowing of a great antique store that has many architectural treasures in Asheville (check out a day trip itinerary to Asheville including a visit to this store HERE!), we planned a date to scour their offerings. Before we headed over there however, we checked Facebook marketplace to see if there was anyone in the area looking to get rid of an old door. Sure enough, before we even had to drive to Asheville, we found a door for a steal of a deal within 45 minutes of us. So… tip#1, be resourceful and check out all your options! Upon picking it up, we found out that it had once been apart of an old church and while it needed a lot of maintenance and refinishing, it was everything I had dreamed a door could be.

If you are thinking of replacing a door with an antique find, I hope the following steps that we took for our DIY antique door transformation will be helpful in your process of integrating one into your home as well!

Part 1: Stripping and Sanding

As both the lacquered wooden front and painted side were peeling their many layers (not in an attractive way), Charlie and I decided that we needed to fully strip and sand the door down to its original wood. Unless you have found an antique find that has amazing crackling paint that adds to the charm of the piece, likely you will need to sand and strip your piece as well.

To do so, we began by laying the door out on an even surface. Next, we coated the painted side with CitriStrip and let it soak in according to their directions. Following the first waiting period, Charlie and I proceeded to scrap off the paint and goo as much as possible. As the door was so old and had so many coats of paint, we had to repeat this step a couple of times, until we ran out of the CitriStrip gel. While this step is messy, I would highly recommend it, to prevent you from burning through so many sanding pads.

Following stripping the door as much as possible, we used an orbital sander with 60 grit sandpaper to sand off any remaining paint. In the grooves, we had to hand sand, so we simply tried to get off as much as possible but knew that we wouldn’t be able to get it entirely down to clean wood. After the 60 grit round, we proceeded sanding with 80 grit, 120 and then finally 220. This progression helps to smooth the surface and prepare it for adhering to the new paint.

Updating Our Entry Part 2: DIY Antique Door Transformation

Once our painted side was fully stripped and sanded, we flipped over the door and repeated the steps above to address the lacquered side. Thankfully, the lacquer came up much faster, so this side was a much quicker experience. If you don’t have a lacquered side, just repeat the steps above for the remaining painted areas.

Part 2: Epoxy

After both sides were sanded to clean wood, Charlie and I were able to fully inspect the door for any markings, holes etc. While I do love small markings and character lines, we had a couple of large gashes from wear and tear over time that we believed would be best filled to help prevent any further damage.

Once talking with my dad (who makes wood furniture frequently- see his artisan highlight HERE!), I ordered a product called System Three T-88 Epoxy that was a 2 part epoxy for such a task. The directions were simple, just mix equal parts of the epoxy solution, stir, and fill in your holes and gashes. As recommended by my dad, I found that it was best to mound the epoxy up slightly over the gash so that as it hardened, it would seep into any cracks or crevices that I could not see below. While this step did not take very long, the epoxy does require a 72-hour cure time before you can sand it, so again, patience is key.

Following the 72-hour cure, sand down the areas that you epoxied to ensure you have entirely clean wood surrounding your filled gash.

We primarily used this epoxy on the lacquered side that would be sealed again to showcase the woodgrain, so if you are just painting your door, you can fill in your holes with caulk and/or wood filler.

Part 3: Sealing

Having stripped, sanded, and epoxied, our next adventure was to seal the front! Since we wanted to keep the front the natural wood color, we used the Miniwax Spars Urethane in Clear Satin to help seal and protect it. The Spars Varnish is what they use for wooden boats to weatherproof them, so it most definitely should work for our front door also. Our entry has a fairly large overhang, but even if yours doesn’t, the varnish is rated for water and UV protection.

We found that moving the door inside for the sealing step helped to keep any extra dirt from stealing into the varnish, however we did have to take it back outside between coats when we sanded with 220 grit sandpaper. Also, as we had a few small windows at the top of the door, we found that using blue masking tape to prevent any stain or paint from getting on the glass was very helpful. Likewise, be sure to seal the bottom and top edge of the door in addition to the edge that opens to the exterior (paint the edge that opens interior, which for us, was the edge with the door handle). We added weather stripping later along the base but having sealed edges will help weatherproof the wood further.

We did 5 coats of the sealer, but before the last coat, added Wood Putty (colored to match the wood) in small holes or scratches. The epoxy is great for large gashes or holes, but for small marks, you can use the wood putty to fill them. As the wood putty won’t ever harden entirely, be sure to apply it before your last coat of sealer to help provide a sealer barrier over the putty.

Finally, I would say that with this step, our biggest challenge was getting the sealer to not show brush strokes. Honestly, between a Purdy paint brush and a foam brush we never found a great solution as the paint brush gave a nice heavy coat, but the varnish pretty much ruined the bristles, while the foam brush was cheaper and easily disposable, but provided a much thinner coat. Seeing this, we kind of alternated between the two options, but you certainly could try either option to see which works best for you!

Part 4: Painting

Once we had put on all the coats for the front (5 or 6 if exterior), we flipped the door to paint the back. Since the door was down to bare wood, we first primed it with a Kilz primer, before painting with the remaining trim/door paint we had in the house. Like the front, this step took several coats with thorough drying times in between, but thankfully you do not have to sand in between each coat. Similarly, to the wood putty, use wood filler or a paintable caulk to fill in any small holes, marks, or gashes that you want to smooth. Do this at least before your last coat of paint to help provide an even finish.

Part of the charm of an antique door is the unusual markings, so you certainly don’t have to fill everything, but just enough that the surface feels finished and the integrity of the door is maintained.

Part 5: Installation

As Parts 1-4 took us several weeks to accomplish, we felt that upon arriving to the installation phase, we were almost finished. That in some respects is true, but the installation for an old door is not exactly easy.

The first step of installation is to measure your hinge locations. If your door did not come with hinges, as ours did not, we planned to use the hinges that were on our original front door. Seeing this, we had to recut out the small insets for each hinge, pilot the holes for the screws and then screw the door on mounting to the door frame.

Once mounted, we found that the door had swollen again due to the change in weather, so we had to unmount the door and slightly saw down the size to fit. I would highly recommend measuring as many times as possible to ensure that it will be a proper fit, both before and after you mount it on the hinges, especially if you are in spring or fall with large temperature swings.

Next, after the door was hung, trimmed, and closed properly, we could turn our attention to installing the door hardware.

Part 6: Door Hardware

Unless your antique door comes with unique hardware, you likely will be purchasing new hardware like us. While there are so many beautiful hardware options (see a few of the options that I love HERE in Updating Our Entry Part 1) in a plethora of gold, brass, bronze, nickel, and black finishes, we landed upon an attractive matte black handle set (the Addison Front Entry Handleset) that provided a transitional design to correspond with our black exterior lanterns, railing and shutters. I found that when looking for an economical handleset option, matte black was the best finish and gave the highest end, polished appearance. So far, I have been very pleased with its appearance, weight, and operation, but I will recommend that during installation, put all the pieces together before attempting to assemble in the door. We found that several of the connections fit just perfectly together, so there was little room for error when assembling on the door. We discovered this the hard way and had to un assemble / reassemble a number of times. As our door was not new, we also had to contend with the slightly wonky holes for assembly, so knowing how the hardware was SUPPOSED to go together became very helpful and would be a step I would highly recommend if you are looking to DIY a door yourself.

Schlage Addison Entry Handleset In Black

Part 7: Finishing Touches

After our antique door was hung and the hardware was installed, we proceeded to take off the storm door and paint/ repair any wood areas needed. If you do not have a storm door, you thankfully will not have to do this step, however it is very simple to remove with a screwdriver.

Similarly, we added a weather-stripping protection at the base of the door to help bridge any gaps between the door and the threshold. We found this awesome weather-strip that simply slid on the door and provided a clean crisp appearance, so if you have any small gaps or simply want to keep any bugs and debris out, I would recommend using this one!

Finally, take off the blue tape (if you had to tape off any glass panes), wash the windows and viola, your new (old!) door is finished!

antique door transformation: Before

antique door transformation: After

Final Thoughts

While this project became a bit more extensive than I had originally anticipated, I believe it made such a difference! Not only does the warm wood tones of the door enliven the front entry, but the glass panes also provide more light into our foyer. If you have any interest in updating your entry but are unsure how to accomplish it or have a limited budget, please know you can transform your entry without spending a fortune. Use your resources, find an antique, give it a little TLC, and watch your space be transformed before your very eyes! If you have undertaken a project like this, how did yours turn out? I would love to know your experience in the comment section below!

Happy transforming!