See how an antique exterior door is repurposed as an interior barn door in a modern farmhouse mudroom remodel.
MACTAVISH HOUSE | Updated October 29, 2024
In an old house fixer-upper, the real charm comes more from what you keep over what you renovate away.
There is so much that you'll likely uncover as you remove the layers that have been added on over the years.
When we renovate now, people tend to take things back to the studs and start from scratch. But in older homes, it is common to find new flooring, wall covering, and ceilings were added on top of what was already there... sometimes in multiple layers... before you get back to original hardwood floors and horsehair plaster walls like I've discovered in my own home.
Original (or old) trim and doors are another thing you might find in an old home that are worth saving. They can be reinstalled or repurposed for another use, as you'll see with in this post.
In my entryway remodel design plans, I'm installing a "barn door" on a track for the bathroom door.
While this kind of door isn't always ideal for a bathroom, a sliding option works best for this small area where a normal door when opened cannot clear a drop-down light fixture. The floors are also uneven in this space so a swinging door scraps against the wood flooring.
Many years ago, the garage beside this house was torn down. I had rescued an exterior door being stored inside without a clue what I would ever do with it. While I can't be sure where the door hung in the house, I would say it was the entry door into the living room before the porch was built in because the interior side has the same layers of paint that the staircase did in the room.
After spending about ten years in storage, I thought the door would be perfect to use here in the entryway/mudroom and was so glad that I had saved it from going to the dump years ago. (Solid wood antique doors should never be thrown away, in my opinion.)
It should function fine once a few modifications are made to both the door and jamb.
- The door frame has been removed. To ensure that the sliding door completely covers the opening, the space has been framed into a cased opening using the same trim as in the rest of the home. Since this door was already larger than the bathroom door that was removed, it is able to cover completely.
- After installing the door on the track, it was discovered there was a gap between the door and trim boards around the door frame. Addition trim has been added to the bathroom side of the door to close everything in making it look like a thicker wood door.
- Due to the uneven floors of the 1900s house, there is also a gap at the bottom when the door is slid closed. This will disappear when a threshold and floor tile are installed in the bathroom, however.
When working on an old home on a budget, you must find ways to alter your original design plans to work through the problems that arise. There is almost always a solution.
If you followed along with my living room renovation, you may remember stories of the never-ending paint removal process on the staircase. And this door was unfortunately no different.
In order to get a smooth finish for the new coat of paint, I realized it was all going to have to come off.....which meant in some places about 5 layers of paint.
- I tried stripping the paint first, which helped a bit, but just as on the living room steps, the stripper didn't remove the paint like it claimed it would.
- I sanded the door using a random orbital sander and by hand.
- And in many places, I literally chipped the paint off with a sturdy putty knife.
Once most of the finish was removed, the door was given another light sanding. Some of the paint remained, but not enough to really ruin the newly painted surface.
The door was then painted with two coats of Cracked Pepper from Valspar. Although doors generally benefit from a semi-gloss finish for easy cleaning, an old one like this is better with a satin or even eggshell finish. The glossier a sheen is, the more the imperfections will show.
READ NEXT: How to Choose the Right Paint Sheen in Every Room
I chose antique brass track hardware over the black that was shown in the original design to add a nice contrast to the black and white design.
A flush mount pull was installed on both sides of the door for easy sliding and a tight fit to the wall.
READ NEXT: See the Complete Renovation of a Dated Pantry to a Mudroom
There is nothing wrong with new things, but when the original bones of an old house remain, finding ways to incorporate them makes a home timeless and original rather than a replica of everyone else's contemporary remodeled home.
Be sure to have a look below at all the posts in the One Room Challenge Makeover Series where I transformed a dated pantry in my 1900s home into a modern farmhouse entryway. This bathroom door project was just a small piece of updating the room.
More Posts in the ORC Mudroom Makeover Series
WEEK ONE: Entryway Before Tour - Discover what this space looked like before the demo started.
WEEK TWO: Demo in the Entryway - See at what is uncovered beneath layers of dated paneling, linoleum, and ceiling tile.
WEEK THREE: Entryway Design Plan - An in-depth look at my original design and the changes I was forced to make.
WEEK FOUR: Cleaned Up and Painted
WEEK FIVE: Building a Console Table - Follow as I DIY a table inspired by Restoration Hardware using boards saved from my childhood sandbox!
WEEK SIX: Barn Door Project - You are here!
WEEK SEVEN: Mudroom Entryway Revealed