If you revel in creative home projects, you know that the smallest changes like an interior door update can sometimes make a huge difference. Take, for instance, your guest bedroom’s closet doors. A simple DIY makeover could turn your builder-grade doors into a modern, stylish centerpiece which will be your customized new door. So add this to your list of DIY projects. This blog post shares a comprehensive step-by-step guide to your interior doors update, giving them a contemporary twist. Let’s dive into this easy DIY closet door makeover.
Table of Contents
Materials
Tools
How to update your interior doors?
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If you want to know all the details, here is a step-by-step tutorial for an easy Interior door update in our guest bedroom. Along with this closet door makeover, here is another blogpost on some unique air dry clay ideas that I used to decorate this guest room.
Step 1: Preparing the doors for an easy interior door update
Usually, the builder-grade doors are hollow core doors. The first step is to remove the old door from its hinges on the side of the door. Although you can undertake this project without removing them, taking them off will simplify the process. If your doors are held in place using magnets, remove them and save them for reattachment later.
Step 2: Sizing and Cutting the Plywood
The next step is to cut the quarter-inch plywood sheet to match the size of your doors. You can use a circular saw, or a table saw for this. You can also get these cuts for free at a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowe’s. It’s essential to remember that the plywood meant for the door’s backside should be cut slightly smaller. The reason behind this size discrepancy will become evident as we proceed further.
Step 3: Priming and Painting
Once you have the cut plywood ready, it’s time to prime them. Focus on the “good” side of the sheet. Following the priming process, paint them with your favorite paint color. Two coats of paint with a small roller should provide a smooth finish, as a paint brush might leave some brush strokes. If you have a paint sprayer handy, it’ll offer an even better finish. However, a roller will suffice for a fresh coat of paint. We chose dark gray to go with our color theme.
Step 4: Creating the Door Handles
The next stage involves the creation of door handles from the 3/4 inch wood strips. Carefully assemble a handle with wood glue and nails. Employ a nail gun, but proceed cautiously, given the small working area. Alternatively, you can buy door hardware, i.e., metal door knobs or handles.
Step 5: Painting the Handles
Spray painting the assembled handles with a gold finish can give them a stylish metallic look. The gold color provides an eye-catching contrast against the dark grey, adding to the door’s overall appeal.
Step 6: Attaching the Handles and Plywood Sheets
After meticulously assembling your handles, the next phase involves securing them to your plywood sheets. We are going to use little glue and brad nails for this. To avoid any inaccuracies, it’s recommended to mark the exact position using painter’s tape where you intend to attach the handle. For precision and a sleek finish, nail the handles from the backside of the sheet using a nail gun. This technique conceals the nails and ensures that the handles are securely attached.
Now that the handles are in place, it’s time to attach the plywood sheets to the door. If your door doesn’t have a perfectly even surface, a common characteristic of some builder-grade doors, you’ll want to be careful where you’re nailing. The objective is to ensure that the nails have solid wood support. Pay attention to uneven areas and aim to nail where there is more substantial wood backing. Once you nail the sheets, fill the holes with wood filler and lightly sand for a smooth finish.
Step 7: Reattaching the Magnets
Once the plywood sheets and handles are securely attached, it’s time to reattach the door magnets at the top of the door. Reattaching the magnets might seem like a small detail, but it’s crucial to maintaining the door’s functionality.
To do this properly, place the magnets back in their original position. The placement of the magnets directly impacts how the door will close and latch. If incorrectly positioned, the door might not close properly, leading to problems.
Step 8: Adding the Wood Strips
This step involves personalizing your closet doors with creative detailing on your flat door. Adding the wood strips to the plywood provides a decorative flair that brings your custom door together. Begin by arranging the wood strips in a pattern that appeals to you. This door design is subjective and a great way to bring style to your existing door.
Once satisfied with your design, you can nail the strips onto the plywood sheets. Use a small piece of wood as a spacer to make this process easier and ensure a consistent gap between the strips and that they are in a straight line. This technique guarantees a uniform design, making the doors look professionally done.
Step 9: Sanding and Adjusting
After attaching the wood strips, you must address any excess edges, particularly where the hinges will go. This process ensures that your door swings open and close smoothly. Using a grit 40 sandpaper, sand down these areas until the edge of the door aligns perfectly with the door frame.
In addition, this stage allows you to correct any errors you may have made during the plywood-cutting process. For instance, you can trim the excess if you accidentally cut a plywood sheet too large. Similarly, if the plywood sheet obstructs the hinges or the door’s groove, sanding it down can solve the problem.
Step 10: Applying Edge Banding
With the sanding complete, it’s time to give your closet doors a finished appearance using edge banding. This material is designed to cover the raw edges of the plywood, presenting a cleaner and more professional look.
Edge banding comes with glue on one side, activated by heat. Apply the banding along the door’s edges and iron it on. This application ensures the banding adheres securely and uniformly. Be cautious during this process to avoid wrinkles or air bubbles, which could spoil the door’s sleek finish.
Step 11: Final Touches
As you near the end of this transformative DIY project, there are a few finishing touches to be made. First, evaluate the wood strips to see if they need an additional coat of paint. If they do, paint them to match the rest of the door, ensuring a uniform look.
Once the paint is dry, it’s time to rehang your upgraded closet doors. Ensure the hinges align properly and that the doors open and close smoothly. After a final check, step back and admire the modern twist.
Conclusion to DIY interior door update
Your closet door upgrade is complete, and you have a stylish modern twist to your guest room. You can design your doors to go with your interior space. The entire project took us a couple of weekends.
If you found this DIY guide helpful, share, like, and subscribe for more home improvement projects. Moreover, if you have innovative ideas for a closet transformation, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments section. Let’s make our homes more beautiful, one DIY project at a time.
Hi!! I'm Gowthami
I am passionate about changing my builder-grade house into a home I love. I love DIY and sharing all my successes and failures in this process and I hope to inspire your next project. Thank you for hanging around!