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Last Updated on February 28, 2018 by Chris Butler
Have a small or non existent entryway? You’re probably pretty tired of coats and bags flung all over the house. I know I was! Time for a solution.
I had a door from an old farmhouse, and I decided to put it to use. If you don’t happen to have an old door laying around, no worries, finding one at a Flea Market or a Barn Sale is half the fun! Or you can always post a wanted ad on your local Facebook groups.
Once you have found the perfect door, it’s time to transform it into a simple storage solution that all your friends will love!
Here’s what you will need:
- Old Door
- TSP Cleaner
- Gloves
- Sand Paper
- Paint and Brushes
- Kreg Jig
- Drill
- Saws
- Screws
- Finishing Nails
- Tape Measure
- Wood Glue
- Hinges
- Coat Hooks
- (2) 10″ x 1″ x 8′ Pine Board
- (1) 2″ x 1″ x 4″ Pine Board
- Scrap 1/4″ Ply Board
Optional
- Key Hooks
- Spray Paint to touch up door handle and hardware
- Antique Glaze
After you have acquired your door, you will want to remove and handles and hardware and set aside. Next we need to sand the whole thing down. This step goes pretty quick with an electric sander. Plus if you are going for a rustic look, it doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact the more imperfect the better.
Perhaps the most important step is to give it a good cleaning after your sanding is complete. I use TSP cleaner which can be found at your local hardware, or purchased on Amazon here. It is superior for removing built up gunk and grime and will ensure your paint will stick. Don’t skip this step, you will regret it in the end.
After it’s a cleaned up measure the width of your door and deduct 2 inches. My door is 36″ wide, so I cut (2) of the 10″x1″ boards at 34 inches for the front and (1) at 35″ for the top. For the top cut 1″ off the width with a table saw so we have a place to attach the hinges. Now you will have two top boards, one 8 1/4 inches wide and the second 1″ wide.
I used my Kreg Jig to make pocket holes and screwed two of the boards together to form the front of the bench. The actual width of your 10″ boards are 9 1/4″, so cut two side boards at 18 1/2 inches long. Using pocket holes attach the two sides at a 90 degree angle to the front.
If you don’t have a Kreg Jig, seriously think about investing in one. It will totally transform how you do projects. I started with a basic one that you can pick up here on Amazon for less than $40. Worth. Every. Penny.
Now we are going to take our three sided bench frame and attach it to the door using the pocket hole system. I attached mine just below the door knob knowing I wanted to paint the knob and put it back on. If you have a square, this would be a good time to use it. I generally eyeball it, but if you end up out of square when it’s attached to the door, the top and bottom are not going to line up.
Measure the bottom opening of the bench and cut a scrap 1/4 ply board to fit. Use wood glue and finish nails to attach it. After I had mine on, I grabbed a scrap 1″x1″ board and nailed in along the back, where the bench meets the door, for extra reinforcement.
We still need to cut the legs for the front. Measure from the bottom of your bench to the bottom of the door to find your cut length. Cut (4) 2″x1″ boards to that length. Pocket hole screw two of them together in a 90 degree angle to form a front and side. Add some more pocket holes to the ends and screw them to the front corners of your bench.
Back to the top. Grab your 1″ board and use glue and finishing nails to attach it to the back bench top. Line your 8 1/4 inch board up with it and attach the hinges. Your storage bench is now complete and you are ready to customize!
Give everything another good sanding and cleaning, especially the bench part we just built. And we are ready for paint! I used Annie Sloan chalk paint. It’s a pretty easy paint to work with, and hides your brush strokes well. But you can use what ever paint you have on hand. After my paint dried I used an antique glaze to give it a little more character.
I decided I wanted to keep the door knob. It was quite a rusty mess. I just cleaned it well with TSP and used Rustoluem spray paint in matte black. After the paint was dry I put it back on the door, and it has held up really well so far!
I also wanted some coat hooks for the sides. I found these at a great price on Amazon here. And I needed key hooks too that I ran all the way across the door. These are great for hanging pet leashes, mittens or scarves. I also found them on Amazon here.
Depending on what you already have on hand, you can make this for a small fraction of the cost to have one built for you. As a matter of fact, once your friends and family see yours, they will ask you to make them one too! It’s a fun way to add a little extra income.
Chris Butler has helped thousands of crafters learn how to use their Cricut machine without feeling overwhelmed. She is a best selling author and an up and coming designer. For fun Chris enjoys designing SVG Files, hanging out with her family (preferably at the lake), traveling, and volunteering at her church. She is a wife and mom of two crazy fun kids.
Monica says
It would be nice if you had a photo of the finished product.
The only one has a big banner over it