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We’re ticking away at Operation Curb Appeal and bam.
Last you saw that door had a lot of dust and chipping paint on the door and hinges … and there were silver color screws in our porch light because I lost the ones that go with the fixture. And don’t forget the hot mess of a shiny brass deadbolt and aged brass front door handle.
At least you couldn’t tell from the picture that on our front door lived 6 plastic panel inserts that were painted white on the outside. They were actually a lovely green (and taped) on the inside.
And I know I’m supposed to be finishing up the beadboard on the ceiling, but my I’ve-been-installing-caulking-and-painting-things-above-my-head-far-too-often-these-days shoulders needed a little change of pace.
So I took a break to hang out with Stephen King. Whaaaat!?!?!
For a girl from Maine, where he is also from, it was pretty darn cool. Even though I would never read any of his books for fear I could never ever close my eyes again. But I’m a sucker for a cool guy and I think he’s about as cool as they come. And clearly I like to get right up in your personal space when a photo-op arises, so please consider yourself forwarned. 🙂
A few days of fun in the sun did this body good and when we returned the tempered glass we ordered a few weeks ago to replace that silly plastic in our front door was on our door step and I thought installing glass door panels would be the perfect little project to tackle while I continue to procrastinate finishing up the touch-up paint still needed on that porch ceiling. 🙂
And here we are. My shoulders are happy, our porch looks happy (just don’t look too close at the ceiling in need of more touch-up paint) and our puppy is happy. More on that in a bit.
I started by taking off the little quarter round pieces that were holding in the glorious plastic panels from the inside of the door. I used the smallest pry bar we had and it proved that it wouldn’t be the perfect tool because it left some pretty visible gouges in the small little quarter round.
A quick trip to Home Depot and we learned a couple of things:
1 – pry bars come in itty-bity sizes
2 – quarter round this small is not a standard item, we’re thinking it was either part of the original door or custom-made/ordered
So I bought a pry bar that, other than for this project, would probably be perfect for remodeling a doll house. And it still left little marks in each piece but I figured a light sanding to soften the edge would make everything alright.
So I painstakingly removed and sanded each little piece of trim, and only broke a few before I realized that using a utility knife to score the seams where apparently the previously applied polyurethane or stain had created a bit of a seal actually helped move the process along.
For each panel I found it worked best to remove the smaller pieces of quarter round first (the top and bottom pieces) and then remove the longer side pieces.
For some of the pieces a little nudge with the utility knife was all I needed to wedge it free and for others I could hammer the pry bar up into the gap created by the utility knife so I ended up with no marks to sand. It was a challenge for me to work slow enough to wiggle each delicate piece free.
As the quarter round was removed I laid it all out to be sure I was able to replace it piece for piece. Each panel is supposed to be the same size, but you know how those things go and I didn’t want to take any chances. And let’s not worry about the rocking chair/church pew combo. It is irrelevant to this story.
A few whacks of the hammer easily removed the plastic panels, and uncovered that some were even painted plywood and plastic. Bonus goodness.
A quick pass with a medium to course grit sandpaper to remove the stray white paint left over that would now be visible from the inside through the new glass and we were ready for install.
Actually, if you are repainting your door, now is the time to do it, before installing the glass panels, but we’re going to talk paint another day.
This was also the point of no return, since I couldn’t exactly abandon ship and decide to be done for the night with 6 gaping holes in our door.
Since I was installing glass panels instead of plastic I really wanted a little extra security, considering the miniature nature of the trim that we had to hold it all together, so I used Elmer’s ProBond Advanced. ProBond is Elmer’s strongest and safest multi-surface glue, it is specifically designed to bond materials such as wood to metal, glass to concrete, or ceramic to drywall without the messy residue often left behind from a polyurethane glue.
Basically the glue is designed to adhere porous (wood door) to non-porous (glass panels) materials so it was the perfect application to give us the added security to insure our new glass panels weren’t going to come crashing out. It was my first time working with it and I really appreciated how it didn’t bubble up or expand to create a goupy mess.
The glass we used is 3/16″ tempered glass with a 1″ bevel. I used the glue on the beveled side and installed the glass with the bevel facing out, then reinstalled each piece of quarter round with 5/8″ nails.
We still have some work to do on the inside of the door. Sand and stain to match the floors? Paint it white? I’m not really sure and I didn’t want to rush to a decision so when that time comes I’ll just probably tape around each glass panel and go from there. But for now, even the pieces that I broke when I was removing them aren’t that noticeable as is.
And honestly, I would have opted for frosted glass, but another human who lives here persuaded me that the desires of another blonde in this house rank supreme.
That dog has just always enjoyed watching the world go by, and was a huge determining factor in how we picked our rental house in Curacao, so we’re just steadying the course on that front I guess.
Much more to come on this little upgrade including “why aren’t all oil rubbed bronze finishes created equal”, “every front door should automatically lock from this day forward” and “when something looks good in a photo doesn’t mean it really looks good in real life”.
Update: All the details on the new front door color are here.
But until then I think you should take a closer look at ProBond Advanced and check out Mixed Materials for other DIY projects you can do using this glue.
And because a look back is always a good reminder of how far we’ve come, remember when I first posted about my curb appeal ideas? Woah.
Audrey Zumwalt says
Great job Karah … I always learn so much from you. Just a little tip to add to your tutorial on removing quarter round. Take your smallest nail punch and tap the finishing nail head below the surface. This releases the pressure and usually makes it easier to remove the trim. If the nail is left in the trim, pull it out with pliers … not hammer it out. This works on all boards with finishing nails.
Keep up the good work.
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures
Karah says
Thank you so much, Audrey! I’m normally a “pull nails out with pliers” gal but I did just hammer them out from the back because they were so small and cute, do you believe I’m holding onto them? I have to be able to make something with rusty little 5/8″ nails, right!?!? 🙂
Kim H says
OMG!! I can’t begin to tell you how many things I loved about today’s post. I love that you chose clear glass for “the other blond” in the house…You guys rock! I loved the door before, but I love it even more now. What is that color blue? The inside of the door is just as pretty. Beautiful! I loved learning about the Probond glue. Thank you for that. And I love the porch light. Where did you get it? It all looks amazing! PS. Stephen King’s pic was pretty amazing too. 🙂
Karah says
Yay! I”m so glad you like it. The color is Martha Stewart Blue Suede mixed in Behr Exterior Satin, I’m writing up a whole post about it for later this week. Oh the light! I wish I had all of the details, it was actually something I bought many years ago on clearance at Lowe’s and still had in the box so I moved it down here with us, I’m going to try to find some details on it because we really do love it, too. I’ll keep you posted with more info if I find anything. And seriously, Stephen King is the coolest!!
lynn cockrell says
What a beautiful makeover on your front door, Karen! Thanks for showing us how to do it!
Karah says
Thank you so much!
Sue says
I can’t even believe that’s the same front door. Like, I had to do a double-take to make sure. It looks awesome! Loving the blue! 🙂 🙂
Karah says
Well, blue is your favorite color 🙂
Kelly @ Corner of Main says
It turned out beautiful! I love the bright blue too!
Karah says
Thank you, Kelly!
cassie says
i don’t think i would have thought to do that and it looks amazing!!
Karah says
thank you my friend!
Larry says
You’re pretty amazing, Karah. Your posts are always fun reads. Thanks for sharing. When you need pry bars for trim, you need to visit the pry bar section in the paint aisles. They have the best selection of small to large flexible pryers. They insist on calling them putty knives, but I know better.
Karah says
Ha! Such a great tip, I even have a plethora of “putty knives” and totally should have used them!
beth j says
The door looks incredible!
Steven King……OMG. I was with you on his books however a friend convinced me to read a few of his less creepy books . If you ever have time to read …….The Green Mile, Hearts in Atlantis and The Stand are all amazing and they won’t give you nightmares
Karah says
Ohhh, thanks for the book tips, I feel like I want to be a Stephen King reader so this would be a good place to start!
lindalw666 says
I enjoy your posts so much! It’s not that I have a door with plastic side lights that needs work, but I come away feeling like I’ve learned something that I may be glad I learned about someday! I’m doing some work now on rewiring some lamps that turned into such a big convoluted job that I’m sort of wishing I’d just sold them…. but thank you for the entertaining and education postings!
…and Hello to your puppy, he’s adorable!!
Karah says
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment. And Marley says thanks for the compliment! I totally hear you about those resurrection projects that just feel like they are going no where good. Good luck with the lamps!!
shirley@housepitalitydesigns says
The door is absolutely gorgeous…love the color…and yes, the girls need to see the goings on . . . and how great to meet the great Stephen King…
shannonatfoxhollowcottages says
You are so cute, “the other blonde”. What we do for our pets right? The beveled glass is gorge!!
Karah says
I should have said “the more important blonde” lol 🙂
krissottoh says
Great transformation and easy to follow steps
Janie says
The door is really pretty! I love the blue you used. I bet your baby is loving the new view of the world.
I do have to day that the hinges on the outside is a scary safety issue though. By removing three pins, your door locks are a mute point.
Karah says
Thank you so much, Janie! Marley is found laying in front of those windows all day. 🙂 And I get so many comments about the outswinging door, I wrote a post about it, and actually got a great response about safety from a police officer’s wife. https://thespacebetweenblog.net/2014/05/16/outswinging-door/
Melissa Gorman says
Am I the only one who noticed your door opens out instead of in? It wouldn’t take much for a bad guy to pop those hinges and be in your home in a flash. Normally the hinges are on the inside of the home for that reason. Stay safe, I do like the remodel of your door. I am looking at replacing panels on an interior door.
Karah says
Haha, many people have commented about that. Must be a Key West thing.
Debredhead says
It totally makes sense that your door swings out for storm purposes. Even in the Bible, God closed (sealed) the doors to Noah’s ark from the outside. If Noah closed the doors from the inside, the pressure from the water could have forced the doors back open. Swing out doors are also harder for burglars to kick in. Beautiful blue door btw, great job!