Shut the front door!!

We live in an old house with ugly old doors. We replaced the back door because it was literally falling off the hinges, but we have not had the means to replace the front yet. And my husbands favorite saying is “If it’s not broke.” You know where I’m going with that. Apparently ugly doesn’t constitute replacing. And let me just say, when it comes to doors, ours was not winning any beauty contests. But since I knew a replacement was not in our budget or a priority (according to my husband) I decided to spruce it up with a DIY that was super inexpensive. And it made such a huge difference.

I am obsessed with dentil shelves and decided my door definitely needed one. Keep in mind this project had to cost as little as possible. So I went rummaging through all of my scrap pieces of wood and found a 2 x 2. I cut one piece for the “shelf” and then cut a few small pieces to make my dentil shelf. I fastened it to the door with finish nails. I also found some leftover pieces of basswood that were 3 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. They worked perfectly for the decorative trim. I used liquid nail to secure those to the door.

The door still needed something. A window? Well that’s not going to happen. But what about an arched mirror that mimics a window? I just happened to have a cute mirror that would work perfectly. I got it cleaned up, removed the backing and the mirror and painted the frame. After I got it put all back together, I positioned it on the door and marked where I needed the screws. I was concerned about how well the mirror would stay secured with the door getting opened and shut all the time, but it has not been a problem at all. It’s hung just using the existing D-ring hooks on the back.

After the trim, dentil shelf and mirror were all up, I painted the entire door. I used Antique White from Glidden in a satin finish. It’s the perfect creamy white and my go to when painting almost anything in my house. I absolutely love how this door turned out. It went from plain and boring to pretty and charming. We also added new farmhouse trim around the door and a small section of hardwood flooring to make this space feel more welcoming. The trim was made using 1 x 4, 1 x 6 and 1 x 2 pieces of pine board.

Can you believe the difference? This door update literally cost me nothing. We did, however, purchase the wood for the trim around the door and the hardwood flooring. This is still my favorite and most asked about DIY I’ve done. I plan on doing the same thing to the outside, minus the mirror. I’ll probably just add more trim above the dentil shelf instead. I still want to replace this door eventually but for now I’m content with the way it is. I still can’t get over the difference these small changes made to this door and really this whole space.