Chatfield Court

Farmhouse Style Front Door

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Our new farmhouse style front door that we found at a thrift store.

farmhouse style blue painted front door

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? 😉

Last year when we looked at this house you could barely open the front door. The key was impossible to turn and it would stick, the result of poor maintenance. The door is original and had obviously been painted..a lot. There were bare spots and chipping paint and it was just plain ugly.

Using an old thrifted door to make a new front door for a 1946 stone cottage, and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

How to use an old thrifted door to make a new front door for a 1946 stone cottage, and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

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. Nice wood doors are expensive, ya’ll!!!

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.

Using an old thrifted door to make a new front door for a stone cottage, and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

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.

Using an old thrifted door to make a new front door for a cottage, and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

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

How to use an old thrifted door to make a new front door for a stone cottage, and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

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.

How to use an old thrifted door to make a new front door, adding new hardware and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

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.

Using an old thrifted door to make a new front door for a 1946 stone cottage, adding new hardware and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

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

Using a thrifted door to make a new front door for a 1946 stone cottage, adding new hardware and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

How to use a thrifted door to make a new farmhouse style front door for a 1946 stone cottage, by adding new hardware and painting it a beautiful color, Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue.

I love the way it turned out, even if it wasn’t in the original plan.  The light it let’s 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 Style Front Door Sources

 

pin for later graphicold door to thrift store farmhouse style front door

You can also check out another update in the living room/entry, here.

DIY Custom Curtain Rods

And how I updated an old door with new glass knobs, here.

Updating old doors with modern, new glass door knobs.Updating Old Doors With New Glass Door Knobs

 

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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.

    Reply

    • 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. 🙂

      Reply

    • 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. 🙂

      Reply

    • 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. 😉

      Reply

  9. 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!

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  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.

    Reply

    • 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. 😉

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    • 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. 😉

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      • 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.

        Reply

  12. 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.

    Reply

  13. 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!

    Reply

    • 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. 🙂

      Reply

  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

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  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 …..

    Reply

    • 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! 🙂

      Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  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)

    Reply

    • 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. 🙂

      Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  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.

    Reply

    • 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. 😉

      Reply

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