Universally considered an eyesore but often putting up with out of necessity, bifold doors have long been the default option for closets and other tight indoor spaces. But bifold doors don’t have to be just functional — with a few simple upgrades, they can become a stylish addition to any room. In this post, I’ll walk you through how I did this cheap and easy DIY pantry door design update.
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Materials
- Retique It Liquid Wood with the Barnwood stain – for the wood look at the top of the door
- paint sticks – horizontal sticks at the bottom
- bamboo sticks – vertical sticks at the bottom
- BEHR MARQUEE #PPU18-01 Cracked Pepper semi-gloss paint – for the dark fluted look at the bottom
- matte black handles
- Gorilla Max Strength Clear Construction Adhesive
- Primer
Painting Supplies
- Frog tape
- Painter’s tape
- Miracle wipes for paint cleanup
- Plastic adhesive drop film or Painter’s drop cloth
- Paint brush
Tools
- Wood graining tool – to create the wood textured look
STEPS
First, check out my youtube video if you want to see the overall process or if I am not explaining things very well! And of course, don’t forget to subscribe to my channel!
To start, as you can see, my pantry door wasn’t very glamorous.
Quick Overview of DIY Pantry Door Update:
1. First, remove the current door handle
Usually, most handles will have a screw on the other side of the door that goes through the door that you have to unscrew in order to remove the handle.
2. Then, glue the flat-edged paint stick horizontally on the pantry doors
When deciding how high to place them, I placed them at the height of the bamboo sticks so I wouldn’t have to worry about cutting the bamboo sticks to be the same size.
3. Then, glue the bamboo sticks vertically
The distance between the vertical bamboo sticks is up to you. However, I did about 1/8 of an inch.
4. Afterwards, prime the door and fluted design
Specifically, I used Rustoleum Universal Bonding Primer.
5. Then, paint the bottom fluted section
In order to obtain “rhythm” in my entryway, I used the same paint that I used for my entryway door design and my shoe cabinet.
6. Afterwards, use carpenter square to draw lines on door.
In order to draw the lines, I used a sharpie. The goal is to try to keep your wood pattern at a consistent angle (see image below). But don’t worry, you will be covering up these marks with the paint!
7. Following, apply first coat of RetiqueIt Liquid Wood paint
In order to keep the the wood grain/strokes at a consistent angle, I painted the brush strokes along the sharpie lines. In this situation, it may take a couple layers to fully cover it.
8. Then, apply a second layer and use the wood graining tool to get the wood texture look.
See how to use the tool to get a wood textured look in this youtube video!
9. Finally, apply the stain of your choice!
Surprisingly, RetiqueIt provides stains in many different colors. For example, they have barnwood, charcoal, weathered wood, java, cherry, and many more!
And that’s it!
I ended up feeling like the door didn’t go very well with the walls, so I ended up adding this textured wallpaper around it and in my entryway.
Make sure to comment to let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions!
Lastly, don’t forget to check out my entertainment suggestions if you get bored!
If you want to explore more ideas before you update your door, check out my Door Makeover Pinterest board for more inspiration!
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