We bought a cool old 1940 home. It is made of stucco, and before we bought it, I had no idea what the style art deco was. I knew the house was fun and different, but since moving in, I have fallen in love with the design style.
The doors in our house are old hollow core flat doors. Some of them have a few designs on them that match the outside of the house design. When redoing each room in the house we have been re-doing the doors as well.
The first ones that we re-did were the closet doors in my kids room.
This month, I finally finished the door that goes into their room, and I am so excited with how it turned out.
It is pretty easy to do, and actually possible to do any design that you can think up.
Ill share how I did it below:
Materials:
- Plain primed door not in a frame or in.
- MDF wood in any thickness you prefer
- wood glue
- Bondo or wood filler
- Caulk
- Rubber gloves
- Sandpaper
- Shop Vac
- Jig Saw or band saw- if cutting by hand
- Primer
- Paint- I used oil enriched enamel for self leveling and durability
- Paint sprayer or Foam roller
- Hinges and Doorknob hardware
- Optional- Brad nailer and nails
Step 1: Design
This part started out on paper, and actually looked very different over several different drawings. I made some rectangles that were blank and came up with several different designs until I found one that I liked. Then I drew a more detailed drawing of that design really thinking about every line and curve.
When designing this door I wanted it to fit well with the house. Since we have a lot of lines on the outside of the house, I knew that would fit. We also have a lot of curves in this house. There are circles, arches, and every outside corner is actually rounded.
So I thought that this design would work well.
Step 2: Digitizing & Converting files
The next step took some serious time. I opened photoshop, and began making the design I had drawn out on a blank canvas. I made the canvas the exact same dimensions as the door so that everything would be to scale.
I drew solid lines for the design, trying to make sure everything was square and evenly spaced. If you are not going to be cutting the files out using something like a CNC machine, or a laser cutter, then this step might not be necessary. You could alternately, just draw your design out on wood, and then cut it out by hand.
With digitizing your design it also gives you the flexibility to project it onto your wood too. This way you could trace the design onto the wood, and then cut it out with your jigsaw. So there are a lot of options on this step if you do not have a CNC machine. I bought mine from Sienci Labs. They are a pretty cool company that is all about innovation and creating. They send you the parts, and you literally build the machine yourself. It is pretty cool… and affordable. This is not sponsored, but I just really think that they make a great thing. I have the Longmill MK1. It is 30″ x 30″ of cutting space, and I have not found something I can’t make yet.
After I got my design in photoshop done, I broke it down into smaller pieces that would be easier to cut in separate jobs.
I then took those files over to a program called Inkscape. I used this program to create a scaleable SVG file that won’t pixilate. I do this so every edge is smooth and clean.
The last program I take the files into is something called carbide create. This program is where you plan out how you want the machine to cut the files. You drag SVG files into the canvas, and arrange them. Then you can plan cuts and depths of cuts etc. in there.
It is a lot of steps, but that is all so that you can tell the brain of the machine cutting what to do. It is basically like creating a program for it to run. If you feel like that is a lot to handle, start small and choose shapes that you can confidently cut by hand. I am a firm believer of using what you have and making it work.
Step 3: Cut Files and Pieces
After I created the program for the files to cut, I then set them up to run through the CNC machine. Things went great for the first several cuts, but then I ran into a few hiccups.
My machine has been through a lot of jobs. It is over 4 years old, and it was just a matter of time before one of the motors went out. That is exactly what happened. There are several motors that make rails move that hold the router. One of those smaller motors died. It is a $25 fix, and not a huge deal. But I had a deadline because I was submitting this door build into The Makers Central Challenge for February. Their Theme was #FINISHitFEBRUARY meaning: Do that project that you have been putting off for forever, and just want to finish.
So since my girls bedroom door has been a sheet for over a year ( to keep out dust) I figure it was the perfect project to get done.
When the motor died, I called them right away for a replacement, but unfortunately it would not ship in time for the challenge. So I pivoted.
I thought about these lines on the other doors I did, and the lines on the outside of the house.
I decided that instead of trying to cut the rest of the circle by hand, that I would do something a little easier, and use scrap wood to create the lines around the inside of the circle.
I actually love the way it turned out even better than the original design.
Step 4: Layout / Glue up
The next step was laying out all of the pieces that I had cut to make sure that they fit together and the design worked.
After seeing that I liked it laid out and fitted, I busted out the glue and started securing things into place.
I used regular wood glue and then a foam brush to really spread it evenly over the surface of the wood. I then squished it onto the door making sure to wiggle it back and forth, and really get it on there.
On some of the heavier pieces, I used my brad nailer to secure the pieces to the door through the glue. I didn’t go crazy, but also really didn’t want anything falling of either.
Keep some paper towels handy to wipe away any excess glue that seeps out around the edges.
I also forgot to mention, I wear rubber gloves for all of these parts so that my fingers don’t get destroyed.
I clamped everywhere I could and put other heavy things where needed to help secure the stuff to the door.
Step 5: Bondo / Wood filler
After everything was dried and cured I removed the clamps. It was time to fill any weird gaps and holes from the brad nailer.
In the past I have tried just about every kind of wood filler you can think of. They all shrink a little, and I end up having to do a few layers. They also take forever to cure.
I LOVE BONDO>
It is stinky sure, but it is strong. It never shrinks, and it cures in 15 minutes.
I bought a jar at home depot for $20, and it has lasted forever too. It is a two part mix. I recommend doings small batch amounts since it does cure fast.
Step 6: Sanding
After the bondo is done curing, you can sand! I use a fine grit sandpaper around 100 grit, and do it by hand. I didn’t have a ton of spots to do, so it wasn’t that bad. I just made sure to apply even pressure everywhere so that I wasn’t creating more dips and grooves where there wasn’t. Wear a mask , and vacuum all the dust when you are done.
Step 7: Caulk
After you have cleaned up all of the dust from sanding with a vacuum, and wiped it clean with a rag, it is time to caulk.
I love Daps alex Plus silicon caulk. It lasts forever, is water cleanup, and can be used inside or outside. I get the 40 yr. one.
Cut a small angle on the tip of the silicone, and puncture the inner seal. Usually there is a small little rod on the bottom of most caulk guns that is used to do this.
Then apply a small bead of caulk along the edge you want to seal.
I then use my finger to smooth the caulk. I wear a rubber glove, and a little water in a bucket. I dip my finger in, and smooth the caulk line out. This part takes a long time, but it really is what makes the project look clean and professional.
Step 8: Prime
After the caulk had cured it is time to prime! I used a basic all purpose primer and a wagner spray gun to spray it on. I did two coats to make sure I got every angle.
Step 9: Paint
After the primer sat for a day, I set myself up for painting!
I used Valspar’s, door and cabinet enamel paint. I love this paint. I chose it because it is oil enriched. This means that it has self leveling properites like an enamel paint does, but it has water cleanup. This is a game changer since those oil based paints were a pain to clean up. It creates a beautiful smooth finish though.
I sprayed mine on. I started with the door laying flat, but after a couple of passes, I realized that the angle I had to hold the sprayer at was making it spray larger dots of paint, and it wasn’t as consistent or even.
So I stopped, stood the door up, and finished spraying it standing up instead.
The spray pattern was way more even and clean this way because I could keep the angle on the sprayer the same the whole time.
The paint says it can be recoated within 4 hours. So I did a coat, waited 4 hours, and did another.
It takes about 24 hours to completely dry and not feel a little tacky IMO. The temperature of the space you spray it in will definitely effect the dry time as well.
Here is the finished door!
I am so excited with the way it turned out, and am looking forward to making another one for the bathroom door very soon. Stay tuned for that one!
-Amanda