Front Door Makeover

One thing always seems to lead to another with me, and that was certainly the case with this Front Door Makeover.  Believe it or not, it started when I decided to dust the ceiling fan in my living room.  I pulled out my 8-foot ladder to reach it, and while I was up there wiping the blades I thought, “So long as I have the ladder out, I might as well dust the ledge near the front door.”  I took everything off and was dusting away.  I even took down a fake plant and gave it a good rinse in the bathtub.  But then…when I got back up on the ladder, my front door was staring me right in the face.  I was reminded of how, from the day we moved into this house, I’ve never liked it.  It just screamed 1990’s and was so ready for an update.  So, I stepped off the ladder, got my electric sander, and started going to town on the door while it was still hanging!  It was right about then that my teenage daughter got home from school.

Fanning away the dust with her hands, first words out of my daughter’s mouth were, “What’s wrong with you? The door is hideous!”  Gulp.  I admit, at that point, it absolutely was hideous.  In fact, I was kind of wondering what I got myself into.  So I started justifying my actions, telling my daughter about the dusty ceiling fan, etc.  And all she did was shake her head and say, “This is why we can’t leave you home alone!”   At this, I busted out in laughter… nervous laughter.  Why?  Because now I could only imagine what my husband would say when he got home.  Thankfully, he was working late.

The good thing about starting an impromptu project like this is…once you start, there really is no turning back.  You’re pretty much committed to finishing.  My husband saw my mess and never said a word.  He just helped me take the door off the hinges the following morning so I could finish the job the right way.  The doorway was covered with a plastic drop cloth so no little critters could come in the house.  (BTW, if you’re thinking of taking on a similar project, Spring or Fall is the best time to do it, that way you’re not letting in all the cold or heat when your door is off.)

We placed the door on a couple of sawhorses in the garage, and I was then able to I take off all the hardware and properly sand both sides.  I started with a coarse sandpaper, and and finished with a finer one.

With both sides of the door fully sanded and wiped clean, I pulled out my paint sprayer and gave each side two coats of a dark espresso paint.  I waited for the paint to dry, then coated it with a clear polyurethane by Minwax.  (Incidentally, you can use your paint sprayer to apply polyurethane from a can.  I just diluted mine with a little water.)   

Completely satisfied with the paint job, I was all set to put the hardware back on when my husband suggested we buy a new doorknob set.  He even went to the hardware store and picked it up.  (To be fair, only one of us could leave since there was only a sheet of plastic for a front door!)  

Now that this Front Door Makeover is all finished, all I can say is, “Shut the front door!”  What a difference!  I should have done this years ago.  Who knew it would take a dusty ceiling fan to kick me into action!?