Chalk boards, coffee table, picture frames, kitchen tables, headboards, benches coat racks and wall decor all made out of.. you guessed it ---> DOORS! My love of doors all started with these pictures. The following are from various online blogs and were (and still are) the source of inspiration for me.
Filled with inspiration I set out to find some doors. But not just any doors... they had to be free (or under $20), made of solid wood and old. And of course, preferably full of character. My search was mostly conducted on Craigslist. I would look in the For Sale Section and set my search parameters to under $30 and within 25km from my house. Another favourite search category of mine was the FREE section.
When I am itching for a new project I tend to refresh my searches hourly in hopes of being one of the first to respond to an ad and secure a time to meet. It is astonishing how fast things can be scooped up! You've got to be quick, friendly, committed and willing to work around someone else's schedule in order to secure the most Fabulous Frugal Finds. I am refreshing my searches on my iphone craigslist app right now even :)
When I am itching for a new project I tend to refresh my searches hourly in hopes of being one of the first to respond to an ad and secure a time to meet. It is astonishing how fast things can be scooped up! You've got to be quick, friendly, committed and willing to work around someone else's schedule in order to secure the most Fabulous Frugal Finds. I am refreshing my searches on my iphone craigslist app right now even :)
*A little tip for finding stuff on Craigslist - I find the best time to look is between 3:00-5:00pm. I find there are the most new listings during this time likely because most people are getting home from work.*
My Frugal Finds
For this project I had the help of my Deal Diva Mother. I'm pretty sure the passion for finding deals and turning junk into treasure runs in our blood and has been passed down to me through the Hannah family genes.
I came across an add on Craigslist that offered not just one, but 2 old doors for FREE. I love FREE! The only problem was that the door in the picture was GORGEOUS and full of character. I knew if I wasn't able to pick it up soon, someone else would. The location on the post was in Vancouver, almost an hour drive from my house, but only 15 minutes from my mom :D. I'm lucky she loves me so much!
I came across an add on Craigslist that offered not just one, but 2 old doors for FREE. I love FREE! The only problem was that the door in the picture was GORGEOUS and full of character. I knew if I wasn't able to pick it up soon, someone else would. The location on the post was in Vancouver, almost an hour drive from my house, but only 15 minutes from my mom :D. I'm lucky she loves me so much!
She drove to the house and picked up the 2 doors in the pouring rain. Apparently they were on the porch around the side of the house, up 2 steep flights of stairs. Good thing she's SuperWoman and didn't let a downpour of rain and a long dangerous trek stop her from loading 2 heavy solid wood doors into her little Black Honda Civic. Not only is my mom the Deal Diva and SuperWoman, she is also the Queen of packing and loading her little car with larger items than any Honda owner has ever attempted before. THANKS MOM <3 My doors arrived the next day - and so did my helper. | Here are 2 pictures of each door |
Let the Project Begin
For this project I used the first door (above). The colour was perfect, slightly muted, natural and warm. I decided not to paint the door. While the back of the door had naturally distressed look that was stunning and very unique, I decided to use the front because of the peaceful green colour, brass door knob and I think the hinges look best on the left too.
The design of the door didn't inspire me to give it purpose other than decoration.
After some cleaning, light sanding, the removal of the door knob on the back side and some embellishments - Here is how it turned out!
The design of the door didn't inspire me to give it purpose other than decoration.
After some cleaning, light sanding, the removal of the door knob on the back side and some embellishments - Here is how it turned out!
Total cost for this project
$3.00
(crazy right?)
$3.00
(crazy right?)
Tools Used
- Warm water and dish soap to clean all the dirt off
- Sander for touching up rough spots
- Pliers to remove the back door knob so it would fit flush again the wall
- Sticky tack and a short pencil to hold the front knob in place
- Wood and screws to hang the door (see the hanging system in the picture below)
- Husband (just kidding, he's not a tool) but he did the hanging and heavy lifting for me :D
I looked on eHow and found this tutorial for hanging heavy items on a wall. The photo is taken on my iphone using the screen shot function. Just hold down the power button and the home button at the same time to take a picture of your screen. This function is great for storing ideas in your photo library!