Friday, May 29, 2009

REPURPOSING VINTAGE DOORS...A Short Tutorial

HOW TO RE-PURPOSE OLD DOORS

Several weeks ago I shared with you some pictures I snapped of the vintage doors I have re-purposed in our home! I love decorating with vintage finds...especially old doors and windows! I just can't pass up wonderful old architectural pieces...especially when I can get them for FREE! Since making that original Post I've gotten more emails than I can even say about the doors...lots of questions about "How to Hang Them" and "What was used for the shelf brackets?", etc.

Since I've had an extraordinarily busy week (keeping our Miss K for her last week of school)...I thought I'd do a quick recap for those of you I've yet to respond to. Sorry to be soooo tardy in getting back to you all!

First...let me tell you about paint...

If you plan on using old doors and windows that are chippy and distressed...please...PLEASE seal them! More often than not they were painted with lead-based paint and you do not want those poisonous flakes and stuff flying through the air. Give those babies a couple coats of a low-luster acrylic sealer and you should be great! If you opt to repaint them (I almost always do because even though I like vintage I do NOT like dirty), don't forget to PRIME. Again...use ZINSSER PRIMER! The best! A couple coats of your favorite paint (I lover Behr Paint...a bit pricey $$$ but the best!) and you are just about ready to embellish!

Before you decide if you want your door to have a shelf (or two or even three!), you need to think about how you are going to hang it on your wall. When I owned a retail gift shoppe several years ago my My AGPMan designed "stands" for them so they could be displayed "free-style" anywhere in the store. For my home I wanted to hang them directly on the wall. I'm not able to take pictures of the brackets my guy made for mine because they are already hung in place. But, simply put, he made "tongue and groove" brackets, two pieces cut out of solid oak. One half was put on the door and one half was put on the wall...about the width of the door. This way you can lift the door off the bracket or even slide it side to side a little bit to get it in the right spot! Makes sense? Doors are heavy and having the slider/oak brackets makes it easier to change things around and CLEAN!

GUESTROOM - SWEET DECORATIVE DOOR

If you have a Hobby Lobby Decorative Center in your State then you are blessed like us Oklahomans! I found these great vintage-looking brackets in their garden center and I used them for holding up all the decorative shelves. I painted mine with spray paint made especially for metal projects (Rustolemum is good) and then distressed them. A simple piece of plywood was measured and cut, gently rounded and sanded, painted, and then attached to the prepared brackets. The shelf was then hung in place!

VINTAGE STYLE BRACKETS

Now...I've seen doors re-purposed that were made for use in a cottage bath or shower. DARLING! Shelves are placed all the way down the door and they are a great (and beautiful) way of holding pretty towels, bath soaps, etc... They are also fabulous for store owners...darling for displaying wreaths or add just a decorative hook on the top front for clothing...promise you...they look beautiful!

DOOR IN UPSTAIRS LANDING

I've opted to hang vintage lace pieces behind the glass in my doors. On the ones we just finished hanging in our guestroom (promise to show pictures soon!), they are solid, no glass! So...I'm either going to embellish them with artwork (roses, of course!) OR....I may add carved decorative pieces to them and leave them as they are...can't decide! :( Since I love cottage decor and shabby chic anything...it's sometimes a challenge to make every room beautiful AND unique. I don't want our gathering room to look like our bedroom~ These doors match and have the most unbelievably 2die4 doorknobs and faceplates...yi yi yi!

That said...I'm considering doing the room in light creams with very pale/soft sepia tones and fresh white...lightly antiqued furniture with neat old linens, etc. I'm THINKIN'....can you tell...THINKIN' I SAY! :)

BRACKETS USED FOR SHELVES

I promise to share with you in a few days pictures of the old sewing table we found last week. It is already painted (sometimes I work FAST!) and it is beautiful! Since the cabinet was fairly weathered from lack of care, I didn't mind one bit in giving it a paint job...

Thanks for stopping by again on this lazy-hazy day! Promise to have more for you soon!

Blessings to you and you figure out how everyone is doing all that neat stuff out there...when in doubt...ASK...Rebecca

17 comments:

A Southern Rose said...

Thanks for the great info! I have the door off of my old house when I was a little girl and also the door to my bedroom. I have been storing them for years. Maybe one day, I can get around to repurposing them. Yours are truly beautiful. Your whole entire house that you have shown us so far is very charming and beautiful.
Hugs,
Lee Laurie

Anonymous said...

Would you believe I have read this post twice?? I am mentally going through my house & trying to picture what I can remove from the wall to put up a door.... LOL!! No really, I have 2 old doors in the garage that were from my house.
We shall see!! You have inspired me!! Thank You !!
Love,
Marilyn
xxoo

Faye said...

Rebecca, This is awsom.You are so talented. Thank-u for sharing. Hope you have a great weekend. Blessings, Faye

Allidink said...

Hi thanks for visiting me! Your Yorkie sounds adorable :) Your blog is amazing! Everything is so shabby and beautiful and I would love to have my entire house look like the things in your blog LOL. I have just discovered brackets and now own a couple! I love them :) Your vintage door is so pretty!

All the best,
Allison

Jennifer Chronicles (jenx67.com) said...

That is so gorgeous. Love the tutorials even if I could never pull any of this stuff off.

June said...

Hi Rebecca,
I love these doors in your house! You find the prettiest ones. I love old doors and windows too. But I can't make them look as pretty as yours. Thank you for explaining how to hang them on the wall. I've wondered about that, because I don't like to just lean them against the wall in case the little ones were to pull them over on themselves. Have I told you lately that you inspire me? Well you inspire me!
Hugs,
June

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing all that wonderful information. Have a great weekend, Esther

Sue @ Not the Good Scissors! said...

Thank you Rebecca for sharing. Although my new home is not cottagey, my former home was. I miss living with the shabby chic style but I do love my current home very much. I have fallen back onto my very traditional style (lots of natural warm woods and traditional furniture.) That is what this home needed to be. But Rebecca, I am vicariously living my cottage, shabby chic style through you. I love, love, love your doors. I can't stop looking at them. They really need to be in a magazine.
xxoo, Susan

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Rebecca, I just love your vintage door display,talented girl!!!. Great directions too. Yes, HL has so many wonderful brackets.
I had old screen doors free standing for our shoppe several years ago. Love the endless amount of display space.

Your guestroom is gorgoues. No one will want to leave.
Have a special weekend.
XO Celestina Marie

Margie said...

Ok Rebecca, I want some free old doors!! Me and my sister are always painting furniture. I need to start putting them on my blog. If you have any good places to pick up old doors or funiture, then let me know. I'm right here in Moore, Oklahoma Girl!! Margie
p.s. love your shelves on the doors, what a CuTiE idea:)

Anonymous said...

You bring soup, i'll make you a pillow. It's a win win situation my dear friend. :)

The front door to my cottage will be saved when we do the doors. I am going to have my son wood burn some important dates into then shabby chic it up. In the meantime, we have been on the look out for months for free doors to do this with. I can't wait to find my first, what appears at present, elusive door. How fun and exciting it will be to give it new life.

Your is simply beautiful! Well done.

My Pink & Cream Cottage said...

Stunning work as always, I have our old front or back door can't quite remember which out in the shed. My Darlin' has been at me to *turf* it but for some reason I held onto it, now I know why. Oh & I just love listening to your music Rebecca, brings back so many good memories especially Bread.
Hope you are having a lovely weekend.....

Lyn xxxx

Tara said...

Everything looks beautiful, as usual!
Old doors are great looking when fixed up, sometimes even when they are not. I love reusing old things that have a past to them and some character.

Sandy~Romantique Inspirations~ said...

To one of my favorite girls in decorating. I love old doors too Rebecca. I have one in the utility room behind another door. It's not as pretty as you have yours, but I used in in a different way for hanging up my things. There are so many ways of displaying them. Just another thing I could have to many of. But unfortunately my house doesn't have enough space. You truly have an amazing eye for decorating my friend. I appreciate seeing your beautiful home. I just wish I could see it in person.

Have a Super Day-

Anonymous said...

Oh Rebecca~~How I LOVE yur pretty, pretty blog! This post is so excellent...I want to work on our guest room soon~~wonderful ideas on your blog!

Hugs,
♥Lynn

Deja View Designs said...

Oh my goodness gracious, I am in awe and in love!

Yadira Rodriguez said...

Hi what brand and color pink did you use?

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