tutorial :: vintage door restoration with chalk board panel

this is one of the doors from the craigslist vintage door score.

after a close inspection, i noticed mold on these doors.  so, these are being refinished to be used in outdoor areas.

this one’s a single panel door which will eventually have a black chalk board in the panel. 

first, i washed the door to see if the black stuff was dirt or mold.  it was obvious that these craigslist doors had been sitting outside for a long time.

mold isn’t your friend.  so i wanted to figure out if these doors should stay outside.

look at how awesome this hardware is.  i was able to scrape it all off to get the brass keyhole back!

i put on my goggles, got out the chisel and lifted this part of the veneer.  yup…mold.  bummer.  but it’s ok b/c this will be a perfect piece for a beautiful garden.

i absolutely love this hardware.  they don’t make ’em like this anymore!

next step was to paint the inside panel with a dark chalk paint.  it’ll eventually be a black chalkboard panel, and rather than stripping or sanding the entire panel, i figured chalk paint was a perfect primer.  we’ll see.

notice this is where i pulled up the rotted and moldy veneer.  makes for an even older look.  i sanded these edges so that they weren’t so noticeable.

i painted the first layer on the white door with Annie Sloan Paris Grey.  i didn’t fill in all the white as i wanted to preserve some layered look.

in the same bucket with the darker Annie Sloan chalk paint, i added the Paris Grey and about 8 drops of Old English dark wax.

 

after brushing the Minwax/Old English concoction on, i used a previously used rag that was crunchy to wipe it off.  this served two purposes….to wipe off the excess and to use the rag as a pseudo sand paper.  you can see that it worked as parts of the white and Paris Grey are sneaking through.

i finalized the Restoration Hardware wood finish look by generously wiping on Annie Sloan dark wax with a soft rag all over the piece, going with the wood grain.  the blue-ish, grays are poking through, and the layers are rich.

yippie!

my client is going to be so happy!

what do you think?

check out the finished door with the chalk board panel!