...and we have a few drafts. We were able to fix the back door draft last Winter. Apparently at some point in the house's history, it has been broken into. After that happened, the door jamb didn't get repaired properly, so it didn't latch properly, and it didn't keep the cold out in the Winter. We have a similar problem with the front door.
This is where I would post a "before" pic of my door. Unfortunately, all my pics got wiped off my computer when Handyman updated my OS. He didn't back-up because he assumed I had (because he had reminded me a FEW times). I didn't. Oops! I lost a lot more than I like to think about. :( I also have a tendency to just tear into a project instead of taking pictures first. lol So you'll just have to use your imagination on this one.
We took all the hardware off, took the door off the hinges, etc. The project was only supposed to take a couple of days, but it's been 15 and it's still not done. For a few days, we didn't have a door on the hinges at all, so thank goodness I had somewhere to hang plastic outside the door. lol Once we got everything taken down, it was time to prep. There ended up being 3 layers of weather-stripping, stapled, tacked, and painted to each other, so it all came out. The windows in the door and side lites had caulk and paint on them, so we used a razor knife to clean up the edges and get the paint splatters off. The hardware all had a layer of paint over-spray on them (or 2 layers, who knows), and the door had been closed before the paint cured, so the outside edges of the door were all yucky from the paint getting stuck to the weather-stripping after paint-jobs past. At one point, I was scraping off painted over scotch-tape. Okay, more than one point.
I googled and found a GREAT way to remove paint from hardware. Of course, I didn't keep track of the link, but I'll share with you what I found. Boil some water, add some baking soda, and throw in your hardware. The site I found had much more detailed info on HOW MUCH water and soda, and HOW LONG to boil them all, but I didn't measure and I don't think it really matters. I did probably 4-6 cups of water and 1/3-1/2 cup of baking soda and boiled for about 10 minutes. I just boiled them until I started seeing the water turn nasty gray and the paint peeling off. Yep. The paint just peeled off. For the pieces that couldn't be submerged, I put a hot soda/water soaked rag over the parts and let them sit for about 5 minutes and then the paint just rubbed right off.
Here they are, all shiny and clean!
Once all the hardware was clean, I spray painted it. :) I love paint! Bye-bye ugly, tarnished brass hardware, hello brushed nickel!
I still have some touch-up to do around the windows because there are no plugs for the screw holes. I thought of just caulking them in, but really, when they're the same color as the door, they blend right in. Plus, if I ever have to remove and replace a window (I DO have 6 boys, remember), I don't want to have to dig out a bunch of caulk globs.
Above the door, handyman hung my easy-peasy pallet shelf above the door, and I also just got a killer deal on a wool rug for the entry. 5' x 8' wool rug for $45 at NPS. I actually got a few rugs, so I'll show those to you later, too. ;) Now, to build my entry table and put a few things on that wall, and my entry will actually look INVITING, when people come to my house. lol
This is where I would post a "before" pic of my door. Unfortunately, all my pics got wiped off my computer when Handyman updated my OS. He didn't back-up because he assumed I had (because he had reminded me a FEW times). I didn't. Oops! I lost a lot more than I like to think about. :( I also have a tendency to just tear into a project instead of taking pictures first. lol So you'll just have to use your imagination on this one.
We took all the hardware off, took the door off the hinges, etc. The project was only supposed to take a couple of days, but it's been 15 and it's still not done. For a few days, we didn't have a door on the hinges at all, so thank goodness I had somewhere to hang plastic outside the door. lol Once we got everything taken down, it was time to prep. There ended up being 3 layers of weather-stripping, stapled, tacked, and painted to each other, so it all came out. The windows in the door and side lites had caulk and paint on them, so we used a razor knife to clean up the edges and get the paint splatters off. The hardware all had a layer of paint over-spray on them (or 2 layers, who knows), and the door had been closed before the paint cured, so the outside edges of the door were all yucky from the paint getting stuck to the weather-stripping after paint-jobs past. At one point, I was scraping off painted over scotch-tape. Okay, more than one point.
I googled and found a GREAT way to remove paint from hardware. Of course, I didn't keep track of the link, but I'll share with you what I found. Boil some water, add some baking soda, and throw in your hardware. The site I found had much more detailed info on HOW MUCH water and soda, and HOW LONG to boil them all, but I didn't measure and I don't think it really matters. I did probably 4-6 cups of water and 1/3-1/2 cup of baking soda and boiled for about 10 minutes. I just boiled them until I started seeing the water turn nasty gray and the paint peeling off. Yep. The paint just peeled off. For the pieces that couldn't be submerged, I put a hot soda/water soaked rag over the parts and let them sit for about 5 minutes and then the paint just rubbed right off.
Once all the hardware was clean, I spray painted it. :) I love paint! Bye-bye ugly, tarnished brass hardware, hello brushed nickel!
I even spray painted the screen door hardware. The screen door ended up being its own job entirely, so I'll update that one in another post when it's done. So for now, I get to live with this awkward white border around my brown/black door.
Above the door, handyman hung my easy-peasy pallet shelf above the door, and I also just got a killer deal on a wool rug for the entry. 5' x 8' wool rug for $45 at NPS. I actually got a few rugs, so I'll show those to you later, too. ;) Now, to build my entry table and put a few things on that wall, and my entry will actually look INVITING, when people come to my house. lol
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