An Easy Kitchen Refresh
Hi everyone! I’m going to warn you right up front: this will probably not be my most exciting post. However, I am personally very excited about it. I changed the color of the doors to my pantry and cellar, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been planning to do it for almost a year now, waiting for a day when I had the house mostly to myself. (It doesn’t happen very often around here.)
I’ve been looking for what seems like years for vintage replacement doors. I finally gave up on the idea when I realized that not only are my door widths odd-sized, but they are longer (80″) than any typical vintage door. Once I accepted this fact, I decided to paint them, but what color? I finally settled on a dark, charcoal gray semi-gloss (Behr Premium Plus, paint & primer in one). Unfortunately, the name of the color is lost forever–I bought it over a year ago after all. I’m lucky I could find the paint can after all this time!
Pretty nice, right? And surprisingly, much easier than I expected. First, I removed the knobs, since I planned on replacing them anyway. Then I put vaseline on the hinges so I could easily wipe off any paint spatters.  To apply the paint, I used a paint brush on the molded areas and a half-sized roller on the rest. The next day, I had to touch up a few spots, but one coat was pretty much sufficient. While I was at it, I gave the molding a coat of white semi-gloss to freshen it up, too.
I wanted to give the doors a vintage touch and was so pleased to find these lovely glass knobs at Lowes. After talking with one of the fellows who works there, I felt confident that I had the product I needed. No such luck. I’ve never replaced doorknobs myself, so when I opened the package, I wasn’t sure quite what I was looking at. I got to the point you see in the photos (entirely assembled, but no screws to hold it tightly in place) before realizing they weren’t going to work.
So what was the problem? These knobs only work with a small knob hole, as you would find with most vintage doors, or with a new door (drill-your-0wn hole). To my chagrin, my doors have large knob holes (made for standard door knobs). As a result, the screw holes on the knob collar are in the wrong place–I was screwing into air, not door(!). So I took everything apart, didn’t swear (not even once), and painted my old knobs flat black. As of this writing, I’ve only got one set back up because they are darn tricky to re-attach. Otherwise, I’d have taken a picture for you. Plus, Â I like pretending that these pretty glass knobs are still gracing the doors.
So that’s my story. An almost perfectly happy ending. I’m going to search online and see if I can find a specialty product that will work with my doors that doesn’t break the bank. Meanwhile, here’s hoping all of your DIY projects go to plan.
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Bye for now,
Come party with us tomorrow morning at 8 am–
Good until February 14, 2016.
I think your doors look wonderful! I live in NH and my house was built in 1840, so I sure do have “vintage” doors.
I love reading your blog..keep up the good work!
I’m just a little bit jealous of your genuinely antique knobs 🙂 So glad you enjoy reading my blog!!! So nice of you to say; you’ve made my day–
Great job on your doors! Mini makeovers can really make a difference.
Thanks Cecilia!
Very pretty, Diana! They really make a statement now!
Thanks Linda!
Nice job — they look great! What a shame about the hardware issue. It’s frustrating to get so close…
Thanks Julie! I know…so close…yet so far…
It’s amazing what a little paint can do. Love the new look! I think it adds a whole lot of interest. Too bad about the glass knobs. They’re so pretty.
Well, they aren’t pieces of art like your painted rag rug(!), but I’m so glad to have them painted. Here’s hoping I find some alternative glass knobs…
I love the new look.
A little paint can make a big difference!
Love the color on the doors. Hope you find some vintage inspired knobs that work with your doors. Nice update!!
Funny how the contrast from painting something dark can make everything look bright!
Your doors turned out wonderful! I love the glass knobs and its too bad they won’t work! I was picturing the doors a darker color before I saw the reveal and I thought no way but I am so surprised! I love them!!
xo Dianne
I think it’s wonderful when we can get excited about the small changes we make, as well as the biggies. The doors look lovely and the doorknobs are perfect!
Love rthe new color on the doors. It is a shame the glass knobs wouldn;t work. I’ll pretend they’re on there too. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Your post has been pinned!
Cheers,
Jennifer
http://awellstyledlife.com
beautiful , thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop xo
I dislike the harshness of BLACK sometimes; this dark charcoal color is just a bit gentler; I really like it. Dark pine and a lot of black will never grace my house caz I ain’t houseproud enough! I hate dusting; with 2 cats, forced hot air heat, and occasional wood ash from the woodstove, dusitng it is neverending!! It will also provide a nice contrast for anything you hang on it, too! Win-win!