I'm Inspired

Painted door with new hardware

I have 11 interior flat hollow core doors in my old house. Some have been painted and repainted, others still in their 50+ year original varnish, most with grungy brass hinges and door knobs. Paying someone to come in and replace all the doors and hardware was not an option, what can I say, I’m frugal! I thought it was wasteful to throw the doors away. I didn’t want to just paint them white—boring. I wanted them to be lighter in color than the original varnished doors, so I had to come up with another solution. I decided to test paint one door with a simulated wood pattern. I gave it shot and I'm quite happy with the result. Below are some pictures and information on my project.

Old varnished door

Newly painted door matched to floor and furnishings

The following is to give you an idea of the process, how easy it is and inspire you to try it! I still have four doors to go and when I start up again in Spring, I will take pictures along the way so I can show you how I mixed the paints and created the grain pattern. For this post, I created some illustrations since I didn't take pictures during the project.

Materials List

Here is a list of the types of materials needed and some idea of what they cost. I've added links so you can peek at them.

2 Pack Hinges (satin nickel finish) $6
Lever Door Handle (satin nickel finish) Schlage, Kwikset $20-$25
Latex Wall Paint (leftover white) 1 quart is more than enough
Plaid Folk Art Acrylic Paint ($1.00-1.50 each)

Yellow ochre
Red
Raw Sienna

Stiff bristled paint brush (old crusty one for creating grain lines works great)
Foam Sponge Paint Brushes
Synthetic Brush to apply Finish
Paper Towels
Cotton Swabs
Water to Thin Paint
Sandpaper/sanding block about $6 each ( I have a palm sander, but these will work)

1. 60 Grit
2. 100 Grit

Low VOC Poly Acrylic Satin Finish (one quart was enough to coat 5 doors with 2 coats each side or 20 coats total) $15
Floor Sample (I used this to guide me in mixing my paint colors)
Screw Driver (for removing and installing hardware)
Saw Horses (or something else to lay your door on)

These are the steps:

1. sand door to rough up surface so paint will stick

2. tint white latex paint with small amount of red and yellow ochre acrylic paint and apply 2 coats to door

3. mix 3 colors of paint for creating the pattern, all these need to be very watery

"grain" – mix yellow ochre and small amount of red in to separate container of diluted base. This color needs to be strong as it will be blended after application and washed over with another paint

“wash” for entire door – add yellow ochre into separate container of diluted base, should be semi-transparent

“dark accents” – dilute small amount of raw sienna in water only, should be semi-transparent

4. starting at the ends of the door, drag long stripes of “grain” paint with a stiff brush keeping the lines long and thin and smooth them out with a damp sponge brush to soften edges.

5. apply “wash” with a wide foam sponge brush over entire door, don't over work. The mix should not be so watery that it puddles as this will create noticeable spots. If this happens, wipe excess with a dry foam brush.

6. add “dark accents” with cotton swab and smooth out with damp foam sponge brush

7. apply two coats of finish per manufacturer's instruction

8. install hinges

9. re-hang door

10. install new handle

2 coats base paint

"grain" start at edges

apply thin "wash"

add "dark accents"

Tips:

Fill holes and dents in the door with a wood putty after sanding, sand dried putty before painting
You may want to tint a primer for the base coat, use a small amount of red and yellow ochre acrylic to tint
If you are starting with a white painted door, one coat of base is sufficient
Find a swatch, sample or piece of wood or furniture that you want to simulate and use it as a guide to mix your colors
Mix all your colors and test them on a piece of scrap wood or heavy cardboard
Use old margerine/deli type plastic containers to store the paints
Swirl your paint mixes before use as the pigment will separate and settle when not in use
Use a flat bottomed open container for the “grain” paint and barely dip the edge of the brush in it. Have a paper towel ready if you get too much paint on the brush and tap it on the paper towel. DON’T rinse this brush under water as it will stay too wet to work with.
When applying grain and washes, work in long strokes from top to bottom of door as much as possible
Make sure your door is dry before going on to the next coat/application –dry with hair dryer to speed it up but be careful, if your paint is too fluid, the air will push it around creating a pattern
ALWAYS have paper towels and a damp sponge brush ready during the painting process.
Squeeze sponge brush between paper towels to dry the brush out. Rinse in water if you pick up too much pigment.
Use washes to even out or adjust the appearance of the door
If you aren’t happy with the way your door came out, DON’T APPLY THE FINISH. Repaint the door in the base coat and start over.
Rotate doors as you are doing each step so they come out looking the same. I had 3 bedroom doors in the same hallway and I wanted them to look identical. I placed an old towel on the floor and leaned the additional doors up against the wall as I worked on the other.
Test your finish (product) before application – the second product I purchased was semi-glossy, not really satin as advertised.

Get creative! Explore the possibilities! Be Inspired!

Though the doors throughout the house were all finished alike, I found this a bit monotonous and chose to mix it up. I decided on black for the closet doors, the linen closet/drawers and shelf in the entry way. The bedroom doors (in the hallway pictured below) were painted to match the floor and furnishings.

I would like to try this technique on a piece of furniture like a dresser or a night stand.