$3 Front Door Update

RebD
by RebD
3 Materials
$3
1 Hour
Easy

We have a very old front door that needs to be replaced. But like many home owners, the desire to make upgrades and our budget doesn't always align. I also very much disliked that anyone at my door could easily peer inside.

I've tried a few things to make the door look better and obscure the view. Below I used cloverleaf aluminum sheet, spray painted it black and taped it to the inside the door. It was an improvement but kept falling off the door.

I thought a metal design in black would be great but probably pricey. Then it occurred to me a floor register might fit. I priced them and really didn't want to spend nearly $50 on 3 registers especially since I wasn't sure it would work. As luck would have it, I found three very abused registers for a dollar each at the Restore.

I figured out how to get the dusty, filthy backs off, then bent them back flat and cleaned them really well.

I spray painted the registers black and spent about 15 minutes figuring out how hang them in the little windows on the door. I didn't want to glue them so that I could easily take them off to clean the windows when needed.

I used nails at the top.

and used upholstery tacks on the bottom and spray painted them black to blend in.

Here's the end product from the outside.

I use a wreath to hide the door further.

Here is what it looks like from the inside.

I had the spray paint and upholstery tacks. Not including paint dry time, I spent an hour and $3 to update my front door.

For total privacy, I cut plastic shelf liner to the size of each window, cut a slit at the top, placed a clear Command hook above the window on the inside and hung the plastic from the hook. The plastic has some rigidity but flexible enough to push inside the window frame. I put them on at night and take them off in the morning.

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  • Joni Joni on Feb 12, 2022

    Very creative. And awesome that you found the register so cheap! I love your solution. I had a bathroom window that I needed privacy for and used a glue solution called gallery glass that you smear on in whirls and it dries to look like decorative glass. It lets the light in but you can't see thru it. I wonder if that's something that you can put on your glass to avoid having to cover it every night. Either way, the vent covers really dress it up

  • Gar kaz Gar kaz on Feb 13, 2022

    baby mini blinds would look good , I got some costume made for 7 bucks ea. do u think that would look good

  • Lep4348698 Lep4348698 on Feb 13, 2022

    Looks great! Off subject but where did you get the beautiful wreath - looks like roses but in a muted beige-pink tone? Beautiful and I’ve been looking for a year for something like that. Pls share. Thx!

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