Not all doors can be so genetically blessed...(source: Flickr.com/maluni)
I have long professed to being a bargain hunter/do-it yourselfer, and will cross my heart that the satisfaction I feel because of it beats instant gratification and spending big bucks hands down. Well, for most things anyway...
One of those things is refurbishing what you have and making it just as pretty as its pricier counter-parts. Case in point: interior doors. A good friend of mine asked me if I could point her in the direction of some creative makeovers for slab doors, and it got me thinking that if she's looking, then some of you might be also. Slab doors are the no-man's land of interior finishes. They are also in a good majority of North American homes built in the sixties and seventies. Replacing them with new doors is always an option in theory; but for those of us not willing or able to fork over the hundreds of dollars it would cost to replace them all, then a creative solution is to pretty them up! Decorative mouldings and trims - even wallpaper, chalkboard paint and mirrors - offer a much cheaper and easier alternative...and will leave both your wallet and sense of achievement more plentiful.
Check out this wallpaper option to tricking out your door. A few mouldings, a little adhesive and pretty, pretty doors!
photo source: Country Home.com
Here are more examples of trimmed-out doors using cost-effective mouldings (and a little paint)purchased at your local building supplies store:
photo source: BHG.com
And a link with instructions to do both!
I think this one is my favourite:
How clever is that? A faux French door using a simple mirror, some mullions, and double-sided adhesive. You can get the instructions here.
Need some hand-holding? No problem! Here is a link to a video detailing the steps involved in adding mouldings to your slab doors.
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Want more ideas?
- This is a great example of how a little moulding, paint and great taste combined to make a perfectly inviting front door.
- And from the same creative gal, here are the directions for making a chalkboard feature out of a slab door. I would add that a nice picture frame moulding around the chalkboard would look even nicer! Oh, and if you find the black too jarring, or wish you could have a chalkboard in your favourite colour, your wish is Martha's command. Check out this tutorial on making your own custom-coloured chalkboard paint.
Now, get to work...and don't forget to share photos of your door makeovers with me. I'll pass them on to the rest of you and we will ooh and aah over your creativity and craftsmanship!
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