Old Dirty Door to Unique Mantle Decor

By Melody
I love the ideas people have come up with when it comes to old doors and windows.  So, I decided to try something creative with an old door that's been sitting up in the rafters of our garage.

Once I managed to get that door down, the first task at hand was to clean that dingy, dirty door.  Here's a little video text I sent to Lyndee when I finally was able to evaluate my new project.

I cleaned the door by using a bleach and dish detergent mixture.  I didn't feel that I didn't get it clean enough, and I used a paint stripper, and scraped the paint from the door.

After the stripping process was complete, it was time to first do a base coat.









I wanted to make the door look like an old door sans the dirt and grime and racoon poop.  So, once my base coat was nice and dry, I roughed it up a little by taking a sanding block to the door.  I focused on sanding the creases and corners in order to reveal some of the old door color. 

After sanding it down to my liking, it was time to add the stain. With this process, I had to do sections of the door (in quarters) because you need to brush the stain on, then take a damp cloth and wipe it off again to your liking depending on the degree of wear you'd like the door to have.   

And, after that process, here is what I have. 

I had a certain phrase that I wanted to add to the door.  I just searched amazon.com for the saying, and found a vinyl application that I could cut apart and place the saying where I'd specifically like them on my door.  I painted the door knob with chalkboard paint, so that it would look a little more aged than the gold-colored knob. 

I am extremely happy with how the door turned out.  It did take some creativity in hanging the door securely.  It's an old door and it's HEAVY!!  In addition to a wire on the back of the door to hang on a secure nail on the wall, I wanted something more.  So, I wrapped some hanging wire through the door knob hole, and secured itto a main wall stud above the door.  I don't like that the wire is exposed, but I think I will try to paint it white to see if that makes it less visible.  Overall, I really like it!

Here is a link to the product I used from Menard's, Rust-Oleum American Accents Distressed Kit -- Ivory: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=82.  

The directions were very simple and easy.  If you have a large project like mine, I would suggest picking up a sanding block.