The Door to the Past

Got some old doors?  Make them work for you! 

Do you remember all those old doors I scored from the old church here in my town?  You know the ones they literally “gave” me??

I finally got my act together and used them for something.  I was especially partial to the white one on the right, the hardware is original, post World War II and I thought the three panels would make an excellent chalkboard.

I started by removing all the hardware.  Unfortunately, when the door had been repainted, much of the hardware had been too.  I made a lovely soup for dinner that night in my crock pot.

After a thorough overnight simmer, most of the paint just peeled away.  Next I turned my attention to the door.  I cleaned it thoroughly with TSP solution to get all the accumulated dirt and yuk off of it.  Sanded it with a 220 grit, then sprayed the entire piece with my favorite primer Zinnser 123.  I decided to prime this piece because I didn’t want any of the old paint coming loose and compromising the finish of my work.

I painted all three panels with Chalk board paint, and painted the remainder of the door in CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White.  Two coats, sanded it until baby soft smooth with a 320 grit sandpaper, then sealed the Vintage White with 100% Natural CeCe Caldwell’s wax.  If you haven’t tried this wax, then you are in for a huge surprise.  It has very faint, pleasant smell, no harsh fumes, no petroleum, nothing.  CeCe Caldwell’s wax is as tough as nails, but it is 100% natural.  After the wax had dried, I buffed it to a lovely shine, put the hardware back on, voila!  I have a chalkboard door, ready for service.

Side note: Did you know that most competitive brand’s wax is full of harsh chemicals, and even one brand contains NAFTA, which is listed as a known Carcinogen and directly linked to Cancer.  Do your homework when you are using painting products, especially wax.

I love how the original hardware adds character to the door:

Check out that chippy goodness on the hinges!

And how about that plate?  You don’t see that served up every day

Here is the finished product:

I wish I had room in my home to keep this door, but Suffering Husband has already placed a Moratorium on anymore chalkboards around here.

Next time you come across an old door, take it out of the past and give it new life as a memo board.

This post originally aired a bajillion months ago.  However, that moratorium on chalkboards has since been lifted. Check out how I used another door for a chalk board in “Keeping It Real Holiday Home Tour” .

Moral of the story.  Keep the door to the past open for all the many ways you can use an old door……