As part of our never-ending whole house remodel, we decided to replace the old, cheap, hollow core doors with new craftsman style 3 panel solid doors. But, they were still a little plain, so we gave them something extra. Read on for more about our DIY door makeover.
Step 1 – Door Prep and Measurements
The seams where the rails and stiles met on our door were a little rough in some places, so I filled the gaps with spackle, then sanded all the seams. Hand sanding or a random orbital sander both worked fine, although care should be taken to not remove too much material. It’s okay to take off a little primer as this will be completely covered up with 2 coats of paint.
Next, I took careful measurements of all 6 panels (3 on each side) on each door. Everything was nicely square, but there some variations of, for example, 1/8″ difference in width of the right and left panel. So I really had to treat each panel on each door separately.
Step 2 – Plywood Cuts
For this project we used 1/4″ maple veneer plywood. We have used it in other remodel projects, like our DIY plywood ceiling, so it fit in the general aesthetic.
If the project and size requirements allow for it, I almost always cut sheet goods roughly in half, on the floor, with a circular saw prior to ripping on the table saw. It can be difficult and dangerous trying to control a full sheet of plywood through a rip cut, so I just don’t do it unless I have to.
To protect the edges of the cut, I like to use painter’s tape on both sides of the plywood. When using a circular saw, especially with veneer plywood, I cut the material “good” side down. Because of the direction of rotation of the blade, this results in a cleaner cut.
I used a long level as a straight edge, clamped to the plywood. To minimize dust, I ran the shop-vac along with the saw as I made the cut.
Once I had the plywood in manageable size pieces, I made all the final cuts to size on the table saw.
Checking the fit.
Step 3 – Paint and Poly
I’m not allowed to paint anything, so Amanda, and helper, painted all the doors. Note that there is no need to paint the inside panels as these will be covered up with the plywood.
It’s a good idea to finish the wood door panels before installing to avoid getting finish on the door. Wipe on polyurethane from Minwax is our new favorite wood finish. It’s a bit tedious to apply; it takes 3 or 4 coats with dry time and sanding in between to get a nice smooth surface, but for anything that will see a lot of wear or dirty hands, it’s a really great finish.
Step 4 – Glue and Nail
To install the plywood in the door panels, we used heavy duty construction adhesive, followed by short finish nails to hold the plywood in place. Note that finish nails need to be shorter than the thickness of the door plus one plywood thickness to avoid prodtruding on the opposite side.
Conclusion
All that’s left is to re-hang the door and you’re finished with this DIY wood door makeover.
At the time of writing, 1/4″ maple veneer plywood cost about $30 per sheet. We were able to get 2 full doors worth of material out of each sheet. The paint was either left over from other projects, or already being used in the room/space for each door.
So, for about $15 a peice, we’re pretty happy with the result.
Have you done a similar door makeover project? Have questions or comments? Let us know.
