This is a quick project we did for our family friend, Leslie. Actually, it took us about a full year to get it done for her, only because we drug our feet getting started on it. Once we got started, we were done in a week!
A year or so ago, Leslie got a new front door for her house. And since her late husband had designed the stained glass window in her old door, she didn't just want to throw it out with the trash. With the new door installed, the old door immediately made it's way to our wood shop with the intentions of somehow becoming a table. Dad removed all the hardware and cut the door in half...and that's where we stalled. (And I stupidly forgot to take a picture of the door before we got started.)
The door was solid so it was incredibly heavy. We couldn't come up with a table design that didn't add a bunch of bulk to it and make it even heavier. That's why we kept pushing this project to the side.
Last summer, Leslie had a new carport and screened patio built at her house. It was her idea to just turn the door into something that could hang in the breezeway. Done! That was an idea we could work with. :)
After years spent out in the elements, the wood was looking a bit...dehydrated. The stain glass was still in really good condition, but the wood needed to be spruced up a little bit. Also notice in the top two pictures above how the edges were not very pretty. Our plan was to trim the half-door out in new wood to give it a more finished look.
After I sanded the wood all over, Mom and I got to work giving it a new coat of stain. It instantly brightened up the color!
Dad and Matt cut the trim boards down to size. We used simple 1x3 boards and pieces of quarter-round trim to finish it off. Since they were new white pine, we had to stain them to match the door so they would blend in. (Sorry, no pictures...I stopped taking them at this point!)
Before taking it over to Leslie's house, we put some of the original hardware back on the door and added hooks and chain to the top so it could hang. We love the way it turned out and hope that she does too! Doesn't it look great hanging in her carport breezeway?
Here are a couple close-ups of the newly added trim. I think we did a pretty good job of staining them to match. (Stain experts we are not!) Putting these boards around the outside really made it look more finished.
Probably my very favorite part of this repurposed door is the original door knocker that we put back on. Love that it has their last name engraved on it!
Now I wish I had an old stained-glass door of my own so I could make one for my house too! Don't be so quick to throw away your old stuff...never know what you could turn it into. :)
