Foyer - An Ugly Duckling Turned Into a Swan

In previous posts I mentioned I was mad at the bi-fold doors.  Not any more.  Here is a bit of background on the mistakes I made with the doors, starting with cutting them down to fit.

When you cut down hollow core doors, you end up with a space to fill.  The cut worked out just fine.

I used a scrap piece of plywood that was not strong enough or long enough to cover the hole.  The result was a cracked piece of wood after I tried to install the door.

I ripped down a sturdier piece of wood the exact measurement of the opening and patiently waited for the glue used to affix the wood to the door to dry.






Now for the transformation process: I used a painting technique I successfully used in the past on my kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets

Basic steps:

1. Sand and prime the wood with paint (Dover White - Sherwin Williams)
2. Stipple on Copper Mountain paint (also Sherwin Williams)
3. Apply Gel Stain (Color: Walnut) letting gel set in the crevices.
4. Apply 3 coats of clear polyurethane.

For my bi-fold doors, I used the same white paint I used on the bench (see prior post - A Tale of True Love) as a primer.  I then stippled on the same paint used on the closet walls - Spicy Hue (see prior post - Paint, Architecture and Organization).  Stippling is a technique where you use an almost dry brush and pounce it on the surface you are working with.

Stippling

Partially done

Stippling result

The next step was to apply the Gel Stain.  I did and the UGLY DUCKING emerged.  If you want my reaction - turn your sound on and click on this link:  http://www.keithferrario.com/Media/scream.aif

 
Here's a tip - Use plastic or rubber gloves when staining.  It took a while to get my nails as 'clean' as they look here!

I was very mad at the doors - okay, I was mad at myself and not sure why they didn't turn out as nice as my kitchen cabinets.  I didn't give up, but I did wait a day or so before working on them.  I gave the doors a light sanding, then brushed on the 'Spicy Hue' color with my fluffy stippling brush.  After that dried, I applied the gel stain.  This time the result was really nice.  I was excited because the end was in sight regarding these doors.  The only problem was that I felt I needed to go through all the bad and the good steps in order to ensure that the second set of bi-fold doors turned out exactly the same!  I did it all again.

Left-Bad/Right-Nice!

Loving it!

A new knob

 The end result - a Swan!
http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/voices/sigh-1.wav

The main architecture and furniture in my Foyer is now complete.  In upcoming post(s), I'll be showing you the accessories, the finished product, and my budget to date as this first portion of the challenge comes to a close.