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Farmhouse Front Door

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A new (old) farmhouse front door that was found at a thrift store for $15.

I’m so happy to be able to finally show and talk about our new front door. Actually it’s an old door but it’s a new door in place of the old door. Does that make sense?

farmhouse style blue painted front door

When we looked at this house the first time you could barely open the front door. The key was impossible to turn and it would stick, the result of poor maintenance.

The door was original to the house (almost 80 years old) and had obviously been painted..a lot. There were bare spots and chipping paint and it was just plain ugly.

back of old front door painted white

We started using the back door but my fall down the stairs 2 days after we closed, resulting in a broken foot, was enough to get the hubs to get the front door in working order. He worked his magic but the uglies couldn’t be overlooked. As soon as I was able to get around, I started looking at new front doors. It didn’t take long to realize that a new door wasn’t in the budget.

front side of front door painted black

Nice wood doors are expensive, y’all!!!

So the search for a new old door began. There’s plenty out there, at decent prices, but the size we needed is pretty popular. I probably searched every shop around for months and finally found “the one” at a local ReStore.

It was a close enough match to the size we needed, and a steal at $15.

Actually, we found 2 doors (the white one and the black one). I was going to use the white one for the front and the black one for the back but decided that the white one just didn’t fit the style of the house.

The green door loveliness is the storm door that will replace the old storm front door. I found that before we even moved into the cottage, and it was only $12. I can’t wait to get that baby up.

3 thrift store doors leaning against a brick wall. One white, one black and one green.

Once we decided on a door, we took the old one down and cut the black door to size. We took a little bit off each side and were careful to leave space for a new lock and door knob.

We also cut a hole for the mail slot. The old door hardware wasn’t salvageable but we were able to reuse the old brass mail slot.

black painted thrift store door leaning against a table saw

We had to fill a few holes and then gave it a good sanding and cleaning.

door dimensions written in ink on old front door

The install was pretty easy but picking out a door knob and lock that actually fit was difficult.

We bought 5 knobs and locks on our first trip but every time we tried a set, the lock would hit the door knob. Our third store, and the sixth or seventh try, we found a winner.

It’s not what I originally wanted but it works and looks good.

new door hand and lock on front door

Paint color was the next step.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you might remember our front door in our Illinois house. I loved that color and wanted something similar, but softer. It didn’t take me long to settle on Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue, Regal Select, Eggshell.

Oh my…I love this color. It’s a pretty green/gray with a hint of blue.

back side of new farmhouse front door

Yes, I am mixing the metal finishes but I’m ok with it. I really wanted to reuse what I could from the old door.

front view of newly painted thrift store front door

back side of farmhouse front door

I love the way it turned out, even if it wasn’t in the original plan.  The light that comes into this once dark space is awesome. Now I’m really itching to get the new, old storm door up. Oh, and replacing the back door is also on the long to-do list.

It never ends.

Farmhouse Front Door Sources

We have more thrift store (and curbside) finds that we’ve transformed…

Bathroom Sliding Barn Door

DIY Barn Door with Mirror

old door to thrift store farmhouse style front door

45 Comments

  1. Love your “new to you” front door! We recently downsized and bought a 1958 brick ranch about 30 miles west of Chicago. The front door barely allows light to pass through into our small foyer and is hard to lock and unlock. It doesn’t fit probably and we have cold air coming in during winter months. I’ve been looking on line at door options and considering the purchase. I love the character of yours. Wonder if I could convince my husband to tackle that project? We have a ReStore in the Fox Valley area that my husband and I frequent. I might suggest this project and see where it leads. What do we have to lose, right?! You and your husband are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing.

    1. Thanks so much, Teresa! We had a lot of the same issues you are facing with your front door. I searched for a new one as well but the ones I liked most were way out of our budget. This was a much cheaper alternative and I’m thrilled with the way it turned out.

      We lived outside of Chicago for 5 years and loved visiting the ReStores in the area, I talked about them a lot when we lived there. I got quite a few treasures that I still love. It would be awesome if you could talk your hubby into tackling this. If you find a door that is similar in size, it’s really not that hard to do.

      My fingers are crossed for you!

      Thanks so much for visiting. 🙂

  2. Oh wow! Sorry to hear you fell down the stairs and broke your foot. Glad to hear you got a beautiful new front door, at a really good price.

  3. Why not take off the brass mail slot or tape around and spray flat black to match doorknob?

    1. I don’t feel the need to match and I like the patina of the old mail slot. 🙂

  4. Regina Boutwell says:

    Love love love it. Beautiful!!!

  5. Love the look, but security-wise is not very practical! Easy access for would-be burglar.

  6. Love it! Love it! Love it!

  7. So nice!! Your door is fabulous and what a steal! My eye also caught a glimpse of that fur on your chair! Wherever did you get that, if I can ask.

    1. Thanks so much, Sandra! I’m thrilled that we were able to find a solid wood door, with windows, in the right size, for only $20. The wait was definitely worth it.

      The fur on the chair is from HomeGoods. You can usually find them in with the throw rugs. You can also get a piece cut to size from Joann’s. I actually got a yard of it and used it for my tree skirt this year. Hope that helps. 🙂

  8. I think the door turned out great! I especially like the hooks you have on the wall behind the door.

    1. Thanks so much MJ! It’s taken a while but this tiny area is finally coming together. I had trouble with my last entryway, too. Tiny spaces like this are tough. 😉

  9. Marlene Stephenson says:

    I love your door, it looks great. I want another door, mines those old metal door with etched oval glass and i want a wood door. Now you really make me want one, lol!

    1. Sorry about that. 😉

      I wanted a new front door in our Illinois house too, and never got it, so I’m thrilled that we were able to get this one done.

      Thanks so much for stopping in Marlene!

  10. Kristi, This is an awesome door, wow, all the light it lets into your room, and the color you chose looks great!! I also really like that you incorporated the former doors mail slot into this new door. I love the charm the old mail slots bring to a front door.

    1. Thanks so much, Kaycee, I appreciate it! It didn’t turn out the way I thought it would when I went looking for doors but, when you work with vintage pieces like doors, you make the best of it. 😉

  11. Looks very nice, pretty color. Ha Ha, I remember you saying your hubby thought there would be less “house” work if you downsized…:)

    1. I know, right? We both love it though and wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if we didn’t have a project to do. I already worry about running out of projects. 😉

      1. That is a great thing…we need creative projects in our lives. I think my hubby has become resigned…for many years he thought doing some things would mean we are done LOL. I doubt I will ever run out of projects. I am certain I will be on my deathbed imagining a new something to work on…or pushing my walker around the yard while we install something else. I think we both like to work 😉 P.S. I love the sheepskin and pillows on the bench by the door.

        1. I am with you, Jillian. There can never be enough projects on the list. It may be overwhelming at times, but you gotta have projects. 😉

  12. Jill Jones says:

    Wow, wow, wow! I love this door and the lockset. The windows on it are lovely, too. Great work rehabbing such a beautiful piece. I admire your do-it-yourself talent, Kristi & husband.

    1. Awww, thanks so much for the sweet comment Jill! 🙂 We love it too, and I’m so glad that we were able to turn a dusty old door into a beauty.

  13. Julia Grayson says:

    I love your new door! And that color is so pretty! We moved into an older home about 4 months ago and the front door is not my fav! But the door leading to the side porch is perfect or will be after painting!

    1. Thanks so much Julia, I appreciate it! I never worried about the kind of door we were getting until we bought this house. The front and back are so bad. Really, really bad. That’s great that you inherited a good door. I’m sure a fresh coat of paint will do wonders for it. 🙂

  14. Love the front door. Pretty color and fits your house but I still like the Illinois door color best. What can I say I love bright color. You are so lucky to have a husband that is able to do anything. Enjoy your Thanksgiving. Debbie

    1. I loved that color too Debbie! I thought about using it again but wanted to try something a little different. I had that for 3 years so it was time. You never know though, I may go back to it one day. 😉

      Happy Thanksgiving to you, my friend!

  15. Love your new door and the paint color is amazing with the rest of your home, especially the inside decor. Also, the storm door you found is a great door, but won’t putting it in front of your new door cover the great architecture of the new door. I know the full view storm door is a more modern touch than you probably want, but the new door is so nice I would hate to cover it up with another door that is so solid. Just one old woman’s opinion …..

    1. Thanks so much Pat! We love the new door. We tried the storm door over each door (that’s why they were all out in a line). The new storm door will cover a little bit of the door but it has windows all over it so it should be ok. The hubs actually hated the full glass door. Besides the fact that it was too modern, he didn’t like all the glass. Way to much for him.

      No worries about voicing opinions here. We are all friends! 🙂

  16. I love your new front door. Don’t you love the glass and the way the light comes in? It’s perfect!

    1. Thanks Stacey! Love having windows and all that light coming in. We’ve actually never had a door with windows (strange but true) so it took some getting used to. I love it though. 🙂

      Thanks for visiting!

  17. I forgot to mention I really like the color of the door. I might use it in one of my bedrooms in the future. I also noticed you wanted the interior the same color. I can’t decide what color to paint the inside of my front door. I won’t be using the same color as the outside. It’s too vibrant for the living room. A real estate woman said not to paint it. Currently, it is still white. The entry closet door is stained original 1950’s door and I hate them. (same door in whole house)

    1. Thanks, I love the color too. It’s not too bright but adds a little pop in this space.

      I was hesitant to paint it the same color but I think it’s subtle enough and goes with the decor of the living room and entryway. You can definitely have the outside one color and the inside another. I painted the front door in our Illinois house a turquoise but tired of it on the interior so I painted it a dark gray. I also had a closet door right next to the front door (a teeny tiny space) and ended up painting it the same color as the walls, so it blended in. You can see it here (https://www.chatfieldcourt.com/front-door-refresh/)

      I hated that door but, like I said, it worked fine and we had more important projects to do. 🙂

  18. LOVE your new door! And it’s so much brighter!

    1. Thanks so much Ann! I love how bright it is with the new door. We have a huge oak tree in the front of the house that blocks a ton of light so the windows in the door are great for letting in the little bit of light we do get.

  19. Love the new door and the hardware. I had a new steel door installed about 10 years ago. Doesn’t seal right and my taste has changed but I’m forcing myself to live with it. So many other things that are more important.

    1. Thanks so much Rose! I know what you mean about waiting to change. I wanted to replace the door in our Illinois house but we just never got to it. This one needed a lot of work so it was pushed to the top of the list. 😉

  20. Catherine Feeney says:

    I absolutely love It. I want one too! Good job.

  21. Really pretty and worth the wait.

    1. Thanks so much Melanie! Well worth the wait. 🙂

  22. Love your new door, what a difference, and is the colour of my house paint!

    1. Thanks so much Jacky! I love the change. Don’t you just love the color? I bet it looks beautiful on you house. 🙂

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