1) The old door's paint was chipping and this exposed the metal door. Because of the metal's exposure to the elements, it rusted in some spots.
2) The old door was very dated.
3) The seal at bottom of the door would often slide out.
4) The door was also put on a tiny bit crooked so there was a little crack at the bottom corner that you could see light coming through.
5) Because the door was put on crooked, it was a tad difficult to close and lock the door from the inside. You had to do a "hip bump" move while locking it at the same time.
6) The deadbolt didn't quite fit right - I couldn't unlock it with the key.
Pretty much since the very moment I bought the house, I decided to buy a new door. I wasn't sure when this would happen, but I seized the opportunity of my friends' visit and decided to get it done now! I wanted to order the new door online because it would be easiest to have it delivered to my home. As much as I would have loved to have a door like this...
Via Home Depot |
Via Home Depot |
Here are some shots of the original door. You can see how the lighting is bad in the first picture - there is no source of natural light on this side, so it's always a bit darker. You can also see in the second picture all the spots where the paint was coming off. Ugh - and that ugly trim!
Here are some close-ups. You can see the rust in the top picture. Poor, poor, sad little door.
So, it was time to put in the new door. Off came the trim. I decided to also have the trim completely replaced because a friend's dog clawed & chewed up the bottom piece of it. :(
And well, there always has to be some kind of issue with a home project, right? Even though my new door was of "standard" size, it was still a bit too tall for my old door's frame. Because my friends were from Utah and had to bring some tools with them, they didn't have the proper tool to make the frame bigger (since this issue was unexpected) and I didn't have it either, so off to Home Depot my friend's handy hubby went to go get it (sorry!). Once he did that, he was able to install the new door with no problem. And not to worry - a bit of foamy stuff filled in all the gaps. Whew!
Here's the new trim I picked for the door. My french doors that lead to the back yard already had a nice trim around them, so I tried to pick trim for the front door that was very close to it. It's close enough that you can't really tell the difference.
And here is the new door installed and trimmed out!
I just need to figure out how I'm going to cover those windows for privacy and need to paint it. For now, I'm just going to paint the inside part of the door a bright white and I'm not going to paint the outside part of the door until I have the exterior of the house painted (which won't be happening anytime soon - the house has hunter green trim, light brown trim, and the main part of the house is a tan color. It needs a major update, but I need to get some other projects done first). But, I'm just in love with my new door! It has resolved all the issues I had with the old door.
Thanks for looking! I hope everyone has a great week and stay cool!
Posted by http://adventuresindiy1759.blogspot.com/
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see, now you're going to think i'm stalking you, b/c this is totally the door i want, whenever we get a new one. it looks like it will let in so much light. yay for you! and i'm off to see if i'm a follower of yours, b/c if not, i better become one, right?!?
ReplyDeleteNo offense, but your old door was really a mess! Love the new door! The chipping off of paint on your door is most likely caused by weathering – either that, or it’s the quality of its paint. To maintain the paint on your door, be sure to coat it with a layer of paint that has ultraviolet protection. And just a little info: Paints with darker tones fade faster than lighter ones.
ReplyDeleteMarla Hinds
Hi Marla - no offense taken at all! When I bought the house, the paint was already chipping off the door. I believe it's the original paint job from 1988! I think you're right - I think it was chipping due to weathering. And thanks for the tip about the paint with the UV protection. I'll remember that for when it's time to pick out a paint color for the exterior. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteYour friend’s husband was truly kind! Imagine, they were your visitors, but he helped you install a new door. If all visitors are like that then you can have an overall house makeover for free. Just kidding! :D
ReplyDeleteI am very much appreciative of everything he did! He even offered to help with other things too (I had him help with only one other thing - I didn't push my luck. lol). This was their way of thanking me for letting them stay with me for a week, but either way I was glad to have them. I will take any help I can get. :)
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