Let’s talk about this $50 DIY door makeover!! I am in the process of renovating my son’s big boy room since our second baby is due in September, and I’m having a lot of fun updating his new room! If you missed it, check out the DIY shiplap wall I did here. Today I’m going to show you exactly how I upgraded builder grade doors to shaker style doors for $50. (That price is for the lumber only!)
If you prefer video, check out my reel where I share my DIY tutorial on IG!
Materials:
- 1/5″ thick plywood
- Liquid nails
- Wood filler
- Handles (I used leftovers from our kitchen renovation)
- Paint (I used Irony by Clare, which was leftover from the shiplap wall)
- Hinges (if you’re switching out the old ones) & 3″ long screws
Tools:
- Miter saw
- Jigsaw or Circular saw
- Table saw (unless you have Home Depot or Lowe’s make all the long cuts for you!)
- Hand sander
- Drill (depending on what handles you choose!)
- Clamps
- Chisel & mallet
- High density foam roller
Step 1 – Gather supplies and make your cuts
You’ll need one 4’x8′ sheet of plywood per door. The scrap wood leftover from each door panel will be enough to make all your decorative pieces. I had Home Depot cut the plywood 2’6″ wide for the width of the door, but you could also have them make the cuts for the height of the door and the decorative pieces, too! The standard door height is 6’8″, but of course you should always measure twice, cut once. 😉
I used my jigsaw to make the cut for the height of the door panel at home.. but honestly, the cut wasn’t super straight, so I used the circular saw for the second door panel. In hindsight, I think the easiest solution would be to have Home Depot cut the height of the panel as well!
The decorative pieces are 4″ wide and vary in length. I asked my husband to help me use the table saw to make these cuts. I’d never used it before, so it was nice to try a new tool out! The table saw is great because you KNOW you’re getting perfectly straight cuts. This was important to me because the decorative pieces are really what give the doors that custom, elevated shaker style look. And remember, the cuts for the door panel won’t be visible – they’ll be covered up by the decorative pieces.
Once I had all the decorative pieces ripped down to 4″ wide, I laid them out for a sanity check. (Sanity checks are always important!) Then I measured and marked each piece so I could cut them with my miter saw.
Hot tip: on a project like this, precise cuts are key. Place your miter saw blade on the exterior of your cut line to avoid under cutting the wood.
Step 2: Glue the wood to the door & clamp
This is where the project starts to come to life! Before glueing, clean your doors with a tack cloth to remove any sawdust. Then, use Liquid Nails to glue the plywood panel to the door, and clamp to make it secure. I ran out of clamps, so I ended up using paint cans, leftover mortar mix, tool boxes, and pretty much anything heavy I could find haha!
FYI – Liquid Nails has a 24 hour set time. I went ahead and glued the decorative pieces down at the same time as the panels. Just make sure your edges are clamped and secure.
Step 3: Add wood filler, sand, and prep the wood for paint
If you want your doors to look flawless and custom, wood filler is a MUST! I used wood filler at any joints and for any imperfections in the plywood. After it dried (only takes about 10 minutes to dry), use a hand sander with 220 grit sand paper to smooth it out. It’ll be so seamless and gorgeous, especially once you paint! 🙂
You’ll also need to chisel out the plywood so the hinges can fit in the exact same spot. They’ll be inset in the plywood a little, but I promise you won’t notice the difference, and it’ll look great!
Next, you’ll need to wipe down the plywood with a tack cloth to remove any saw dust, and then caulk the seams of the decorative panels. This is such an important step – DON’T SKIP CAULKING!!! It truly makes a world of difference and will elevate your design.
Step 4: PAINT!
Finally, it’s time to really see the doors in new light.. it’s time to paint! BRUSH the joints of the decorative panels where you just caulked. FOAM ROLL the rest of the door. A high density foam roller will eliminate any brush strokes or imperfections. It makes the paint go on so sooth!
I needed to do 3 coats of paint.
Step 5: Hang the doors and add the hardware!
Now it’s time to attach your hinges! Make sure your hinges are in the exact same spot on the original door. This will allow your door to open and close properly. I wondered if the doors would stick out of the door frame too much with the extra 0.4″ thickness from the added plywood, but I didn’t even notice the extra thickness once they were hung.
Use 3″ long screws to hang the doors.
The doors will be heavy with the extra wood, and using longer screws will ensure it is anchored into a stud.
Once your doors are hung, you can add your handles! I used 9″ long handles that were leftover from our kitchen renovation, and I love how they complimented the craftsman style of the doors!
What do you think?! Can you even believe they are the same doors?! It’s so rewarding to see a vision come to life. I can’t wait to continue to share these fun DIY projects with you.
If you prefer video.. I have everything saved to a story highlight on my instagram. 🙂
Stay tuned to see how this room evolves over the next couple months! Next up: I’m tackling the INSIDE of the closet. 🙂
