How can I make a very old interior door look better?
by
Bev B
+5
My rental house has two very old bedroom doors that are an odd size (70-71") so not easily replaced. Probably about 100 years old with many layers of toxic paint I don't wish to sand down. What can I do to make them look not quite so bad?
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You can use a chemical stripper to peel off all those old layers of paint and start over. There are some good ones out there that are more environmentally friendly. Be sure to wear protective gear though since you're not sure the types of paint on there.
Sounds to me apart from replacing is just to paint them again. Chalk paints are easy to work with as they go over everything. You don't want to have sand anything first. Just wash them first to remove built up grime. Chalk paint has a surface that is very forgiving to uneven surfaces or built up layers.
Hi Bev! I’m going to guess that those 100-year-old doors aren’t just a flat surface, either. Maybe you could tack fabric over the doors. Or sew a pocket from fabric with the opening on the side with hinges. You can find fabric in wide widths at www.fabric.com.
If you don’t want to use chemicals at all you can use a heat gun and scraper. Heat guns can be had for less than $25. When you finish this job it’ll be a nice tool to have for future projects.