I picked out an antique door.

Ok so you are interested in finding an antique, vintage door for your home? Where do you look and what is the right kind of door that is right for your space? When building my home I had envisioned an old door for my pantry. I started calling all our antique stores here in Utah to see if anyone had any. I had zero luck.
Unfortunately we don’t have a big selection of vintage stores here in Utah but I didn’t get discouraged. I started checking the classifieds and that’s where I hit the jackpot! A kind old gentleman was selling several old doors so I quickly scheduled a time to come check them out.
I wish I had taken a picture of the selection he had. It was hard to decide on which door I wanted to say the least, but this is the door I brought home. What you don’t see on the door is the mint green and peach paint that had layers upon layers on it. Good thing I saw past the paint color and knew I had a treasure. I call this door my “Summer Project of 2017”.
Ok here are the steps if you want to bring back to life an old door if you are going to stain it.
Steps to bringing your old door back to life.
-First thing you do is sand the door down to its raw elements. Use an electric hand sander and gently sand off the layered old paint if there is any. To protect yourself from inhaling old paint dust wear a mask and to protect your hands where some good working gloves as well. It took me a couple of weeks to work on this door but the hard work paid off.
This door was more beautiful than I could ever imagine. I love the light wood color. I love that this door has history. If only the door could talk. I wonder what kind of story it would tell me?
-Second, after you sand down your door then you need to seal it. I used a pre-stain wood conditioner from Miniwax.
-Third, you will then need to decide on the stain color. Deciding on the color stain for me was easy as I wanted to keep the look of the light color of wood so I picked a white wash stain from Miniwax.
Forth- after putting 2 coats of stain on it to make sure you have it completely covered, seal it with a semi gloss sealant from Miniwax. I chose a semi gloss as I knew I wanted it to be extra protected and easy to wipe down if needed. Now if you are painting your door and not staining it then these steps will different.
Where to find glass for your door.
Did you notice the door had no glass in it? Here’s what I did to solve that problem; I called around to my local glass companies and ended up using Beehive Glass Co Inc. to create my custom made window for my door. They had me email over my design for the word PANTRY. I told them I wanted the design on frosted glass. After some back and forth emails I approved the design and they got to work!
Beehive glass was kind enough to deliver it to my home and install it for me when they were finished making it. I never have been more excited in my life to see this fun project all come together so nicely.
Next was figuring out the hardware.
I was now in need of the perfect hardware. I needed not only a door knob but also hinges and the strike plate. Best place to go hands down is eBay! I found exactly what I was looking for. I did my research before hand thanks to Google and I also did a lot measuring for sizes. The crystal door knob I found on eBay fit like a glove and was exactly what I envisioned.
When the door was completely finished, I brought it to our home that was being built and our builders measured it so they could make the frame around it. This door is a traditional, pretty close to a standard size door. The doors throughout my new home are 8 feet tall so I made the decision to add a transom window above the pantry door.
I wanted to give it a good balance and have all the doors look symmetrical. I also had the transom glass frosted as well to match the PANTRY glass. When it was time for the door to be officially installed it was like the most rewarding feeling ever. I actually did it! I pulled it off!
This door is a dream come true.
Have you ever done a project that you are so proud of and you smile every time you look at you? This is just that project for me. I told myself to have patience, take my time, and work on it with much love. I’m so glad that I didn’t listen to that voice in the back of my head doubting myself that I could do it.
I actually did it and I have no regrets. I think it’s time to do another project that gives me so much joy again. What do you think? Maybe you should do that project you’ve been putting off or debating whether you could do it or not. You’ve got this and you can do it! Just take your time, have some patience with yourself and see your vision come to life.
Love your style! Such a great blend of old character and new. Thank you for the inspiration. I would love to find an old door like this with the intent of repurposing it as a pantry door!
Oh thank you so much Bethany! And I love your name by the way! 😉
Can I ask what the glass and installation of the glass cost you?
Hello! So the glass is frosted glass and for the custom glass and came to my home installation it was around $300.00
I want to do this for my laundry room door. Thanks for the tips … I definitely will be headed back to this post when the time comes!!!
Oh thank you so much! Such a good idea for a laundry room door! You’re going to love it!
B-
I love this door, it turned out amazing! The color is what sold it for me. I have also found a great selection of door knobs at our local Hobby Lobby ( they are mixed in with drawer knobs). Thank you for your inspiration to all of us DIY’ers.
Oh thank you so much! And Hobby Lobby! What a great idea!!!
LOVE your pantry door especially the color of wood that it is. Good job on refinishing. Great find.
Thank you! It was my most favorite project I’ve done so far.
I love you’re old vintage door! It is beautiful and looks so good in you’re home! I’ve always been drawn to vintage antique pieces and having that little bit of history and the stories it holds in my home. Thanks for you’re inspirations and always kind, cheerful personality you show to others! 😊
Oh wow! Thank you so much for your kind and inspiring comment! I bet your home is filled with such lovely history!
Loved your pantry always!
Oh thank you! It’s definitely my favorite project I’ve ever done.
Love the door Bethany! Such a fun project with big impact! Congratulations on your blog! I’m looking forward to the inspiration, both in decor and spirit.
Thank you so very much Dawn! That means so much to me!
Thank you for the step by step walk through of this project. I’m trying to decide what I want for my new pantry door right now and this is a great help!
You are so welcome Amy! I would hav got say it was my most favorite and most rewarding project I have done thus far!
I want to find an antique door to our sunroom. The current one is so demoralizing! You did a good job envisioning your pantry door!
Oh thank you so much Betsy! It really has been one of my most favorite projects I have ever done.
Hi, I’ve been on the hunt for a door exactly like yours for our pantry in our new build. Thank you for all the steps! Love your house and style!
Oh thank you so much!!! It has been my most favorite project thus far!
I saw this on your Instagram account and have planned to do this for my Laundry room door once our house is finished building. Loving the idea of etched glass…can’t wait to see how it turns out!! No…I haven’t found “the door” yet haha but still on the hunt, thanks for the inspirations! 🙂
Oh I’m so excited for you!!! Just a little hint… these old doors come in various sizes so you may want to find the door now so your builders can frame around the door so it fits perfectly in your home. 😃 That’s what I did and it made the project that much easier.