Rustic Painted Doors

Funky & Fabulous Doors for your Rustic Garden Sheds

Doors are a great canvas for really making a statement.

I like the sheer size and challenge of painting a rustic door to fit in with the architecture of a building such as the greenhouse, Glory Be the root cellar or the Eggporeum.

The rustic painted door on the greenhouse was salvaged from an old house and is now a masterpiece of exuberant flowers and bugs, just the right note for a place where it all happens.

Making the rustic painted door on Glory Be was interesting, as it was built from scratch, using two layers of plywood insulated with blue styrofoam board.

It's made with an arched top to fit the look of the little hobbit house.

The plywood was primed with a water based latex paint, and then several layers of acrylic craft paint were applied and allowed to dry between each layer.

This layering technique gives depth and dimension to the design.

After all the layers are complete (an arbitrary decision) there are about four layers of spray urethane to protect the paint.

This has lasted over five seasons of full sun, rain and freezing temperatures.

The door on the Eggporeum was salvaged from the recycle center, and the only preparation was to scrape off any loose paint, sanding to rough up the remaining paint, and the addition of the decorative molding (also salvaged) from an old mirror.

The gold painted molding was applied to the door with carpenters glue, then also nailed.

The blue paint has been sanded off the edges a little for a more rustic look.

You can sometimes find them still in the original packaging. I distress them with steel wool, or paint them with rust paint to make them look original.

Unique and fun handles can be made from rustic twigs or found items such as an old brass tap, a hook or even a piece of chain.

As the doors in all cases had to be specially fitted, there were technical issues to be dealt with when installing them.

If you’re in the position of using salvaged or recycled doors, or building them yourself, be prepared for a steep learning curve, and don’t be afraid to ask for help in the installation phase.

Use the doors you find at garage sales, second hand stores or at recycle centers and then paint them to accentuate the rustic look.

You can economically add just the right finishing touch to an otherwise simple outbuilding or shed.

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Rustic Crafts