Doors and Trim

When we moved into the house it was clear that the doors and trim were original and would need some updating.

The doors were flat, hollow-core doors with an odd shiny glaze.  This combination made them unpaintable and unstainable…or at least for the amount of work we wanted to put in – trying to strip them, install panels, and paint them was out of the question, when we could buy primed doors for $40 at Lowes, Home Depot, or Menards.They didn’t always latch, and the knobs were push locks…not push the button and it locks, but push the entire knob and turn to lock the door. There were a number of times people (including me the day we moved in) got locked inside the bathroom!

While the trim was solid wood, the color was horrible and we knew we probably wouldn’t be able to remove them without ruining a number of pieces. So, after completing the kitchen we decided to move on to the trim and doors. We loved how the kitchen turned out and decided to do wood trim to match.

Taking the frames out went smoothly once we learned we would need to cut the top piece in half. It took about 1/2 hour per door to remove the trim and frame. Then it took about another 1 hour per door to install the frame. By the 4th door J was basically a pro and the door was perfectly square.

J has started on the trim. Here is what we have so far: