I've Been Hiding.......

I've been hiding out in the garage!!  And - Man O Man - it sure is hot out there!!!

I've been working on finishing doors...............  A few years ago I did a faux wood grain on our steel front door.  It turned out great and I love it!!  But there are a couple of things wrong with the door....
     First - when we bought it, it was just the door, no casing.  (But we got it for a GREAT price!!) So we used the casing from the existing door.  And it was ok for a few years...  but not now.  The screws that hold the door into the casing and the holes themselves are all stripped and worn out....  You have to LIFT the handle to get the door to close correctly....  What a pain!!
     Second - when I did the faux wood grain and then stained it, I didn't seal it......... and the sun has taken it's toll on the finish.  It's all faded out....  and yucky...


So, Mr. Inspiring and I went to Menards (isn't that the coolest store???) and bought a new front door.  And I told him that I would do the faux finish again, if he wanted me to.....  And since it was like almost $250 cheaper, he said OK!!

Here are the pictures at the beginning of the project.

At first, I couldn't get the glass and the trim off the door on both sides, so I covered the glass with old Christmas wrap that I don't like.  After I took this picture, I pushed a couple of chairs up to the door.  Good thing I did because the next day, the glass had dropped out and was on the chairs.......

Anyway, here are the pictures after I put the wood grain coat on the back of the door.

I'll take more pictures tonight of all the equipment I'm using.  If you've never tried this, it is really easy.  It just takes practice and patience.

I just want to say that I used the Minwax Gel Stain........  I LOVE that stuff.  It is perfect for this type of application.  My only issue - it isn't with the stain, it's with the weather.  Because it's SO hot, it isn't taking long for the gel to set.  I have finished the back of the door, and it's darker than I anticipated.  The stain itself is darker than what I used on the original door, and I did that on purpose (don't want any orange-y, golden stain).  But with it being so hot and drying so quickly, I believe I ended up with more coats on different parts of the door.  At first I didn't really like the darkness........... I thought I really messed up!!  But - - It's kind of growing on me and I'm ok with it!!  After I got the finish the way I wanted, I sealed it with clear polyurethane.  I gave it a few days to dry.  Last night, we flipped the door over and I started all over on that side, which is the front.  Like I said, I'll take more pictures tonight and post them.  Maybe I'll even attempt a tutorial!!

I also spray painted the new back door.  After these 2 doors are done?  Nope, I won't be finished with doors.  I'll be starting on staining and finishing 4  6-panel interior doors and 3 sets of 6-panel closet doors.  I'm ready for this reno to be done!!!   And I can't wait to start on the floors!!  I'm doing the paperbag flooring treatment!!  I'll take tons of pictures of that while it's in the works!!!

Have a great Tuesday!!

Hugs ~~ Suz

I'm linking up with these Fab Parties!!