Meredith’s Faux-Paneled Doors

Written on February 3, 2010 at 8:43 am, by Shopgirl

If you read Do It Yourself magazine, you probably know Shopgirl. She’s our go-to gal for tips, tricks, tools, projects, and hefty doses of DIY inspiration. Meredith Ladik is one of our creative lasses behind Shopgirl, and here, she shares a beautiful repurposing project she did in her own home. Enjoy! – Team DIY

To lighten the look of my 1930s cottage, I’ve brushed many a gallon of crisp white and soft neutral paint on cabinetry, furniture, trim, picture frames, and floors. Chairs and sofas, too, were slipcovered in downy white canvas. Nevertheless, something dark and unnerving remained, lurking throughout my house’s corridors: dark-brown varnished slab doors!

Rather than replace these original, nothing-wrong-with-them doors with beyond-my-budget raised-paneled doors, I decided a fresh facelift with leftover paints mixed with a little creativity was a fun and affordable solution.

Here’s what I did:

For ease, remove your door from its hinges, placing it atop a pair of sawhorses. Remove varnish using a methylene-chloride-free citrus-gel paint remover, followed by a light sanding. Prime then paint door (I used a pale-gray color in a satin-finish), allowing it to dry and cure thoroughly. (I’d recommend a week.) Rehang door.

Plot out the size of your door’s “panels” using a tape measure; a T-square or carpenter’s ruler for straight lines and corners; a pencil; and easy-release painter’s tape.

Essentially you are taping up pairs of parallel lines that become individual “frames.” The “channel” between the two pieces of tape is where you brush on paint in a lighter color such as white and in several light coats. I used leftover high-gloss white paint that surprisingly catches light for nice highlights.

When the white paint is thoroughly dry, carefully remove the painter’s tape.

DIY Tip: As you pull off the paint, slowly and gently pull it up vertically, keeping your fingers—and force of motion—close to the door’s surface. This will hopefully prevent pulling up the paint you want left on the door.

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Old Crow Farm’s Fall Party Projects

Written on November 2, 2009 at 10:33 am, by Team DIY

We were so excited to feature Kasey and Jordana Henke of Old Crow Farm in the winter ‘09 issue of DIY that we just couldn’t leave them alone. Their fabulous ice bucket, made from a galvanized metal pail and cast-off bicycle gears, has been a big hit with readers. So we’re thrilled they agreed to share with us some creative ideas for fall entertaining.

Those of you in the Midwest have several opportunities to meet Kasey and Jordana in person. Old Crow Farm hosts tons of antiques sales and cool events throughout the year. On December 5, join Old Crow Farm for Jolly Junk, a holiday-theme junk extravaganza that is not to be missed for any serious junk-hunter. The holiday’s are coming quickly! If you can’t make it in person, check out the online store.

We hope you enjoy these fantastic fall projects from Old Crow Farm! — Team DIY

At Old Crow we rescue good junk. Saving old discarded items and turning them into something cool is our passion. Good junk is everywhere, but our favorite place to rummage is old barns. We love to bring the outdoors in, and good old farm junk is perfect for that purpose . The two materials we work with the most are wood and metal. The combination of warm wood tones and rigid textures of distressed metal lend themselves perfectly to this season. This is why fall at Old Crow is our favorite. To celebrate the harvest season we created a funky salvaged wine rack and freshened up some old junk.

Fresh Ideas

Wine Glass Rack: This wine glass rack is in fact an old rake head. The rustier the better, we say! Perfect for an urban industrial look or country primitive decor. For a fun and quirky look we added a splash of color. Just lightly brush paint onto the rake head for a more distressed look.
Cheese and Fruit Stone: Stone or concrete is another great material to work into your home decor. This piece was originally a bed-warming stone, but we think it’s much cooler as a cutting stone for your cheese and fruit at your harvest party!

Place Card Holder: These little pretties are perfect to display your place cards or menu tags. These old stamps have been given a fresh start. With a simple saw cut a thin slice into the handle portion of the stamp. They’ll hold anything from place cards to pictures.

Ladder Wine Rack: This shows how awesome wood and metal look together. All you need is a wood ladder, two pieces of galvanized tin, two hardware hinges, and wood screws.

You can vary the size of this project, but here are the measurements and directions we used:

1. Cut your ladder into two identical 29-inch lengths.
2. Lean the two pieces together, as shown in the photo. Attach the two pieces by screwing hardware hinges to both sides. The frame should be secure. You’re ready to attach the tin shelving. The top tin shelf measures 10×14 inches and the bottom tin shelf measures 15×14 inches. Attach with wood screws. Your wine rack is almost finished! Just apply a clear wax to seal the wood, and you’re done!

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