The Doors!

Order matters, which is the main reason why planning is so important. In the first dollhouse I ever completed (notice I say "completed," not "began") I did each door only after I finished the rooms that it connected and I left the windows until absolute last. Needless to say, nothing ever looked quite right. Installing the doors first allows you to achieve a much tighter fit with all the trim in the room. Ultimately, you're going to end up with a room that looks much more like a room in a real house.

Today I'm going to talk about finishing a pre-made door. In the next couple of posts, I'm going to teach you how to make a variety of different doors from scratch. Trust me, you're a better woodworker than you think--within a few weeks, you're going to be a door making champion.

1. Pick a door, any door. For the purposes of this post, I'm going to assume that you're working with a standard Houseworks 6 light door. The term "light" actually refers to the 6 little inset panels in the door. But, regardless of what door you choose, the procedure is about the same so bear with me.

2. Sand that baby. The trick here is to be (don't I know it) firm but gentle. This should resonate with the parents out there: you want to get rid of the obvious flaws, but not push so hard that you rough off the beautiful, crisp edges. These are, after all, what make the door interesting. Start with a finer grit of sandpaper than you think you need, maybe 240, and go slowly. A little bit of sanding sponge (they tear pretty easily) works great to sand down those beveled edges.

3. If you're staining one side (or both sides) of the door, now's the time to do so. If you're staining (or painting) both sides, order isn't as much of an issue, but the reason you want to tackle the stain before the paint is, wood is porous! Any gesso or paint that gets on the wood now is going to stay there, and that's not really the look you want. Stain the door (remembering the sides of the door), and lay it aside to dry. After it dries, apply your first coat of varnish. I use matte or semi gloss spray varnish, here. Sprays, unlike liquids, don't leave brush strokes. It's very important, however, when working with a spray to apply very, very, very thin coats. Don't try to cut corners on this step. Waiting about 30 minutes between each coat, apply 3 thin coats of varnish. After the door is completely dry (usually about 2 hours), lightly sand the door with either 400 grit sandpaper or an extra fine sanding sponge. If you sand through to the wood, it's OK--you can fix it. Using a small brush, touch up the area with stain. If you're using a water based stain, then mixing a little bit of brown acrylic paint into it helps to thicken it up and increase coverage. And remember, real wood doesn't look completely uniform and that's what makes it so expensive.

4. Remove any dust from the crevices of the door with a clean, dry craft brush and repeat the sanding and spraying procedure. After the door is clean and dry, spray a single, final finish coat on and leave it to dry.

5. If you're painting the other half of the door, then now's the time to break out the masking tape. I use 3M painter's tape. It works well, but nothing's foolproof--this is a tough step. If you're using a pre-made door, you might want to consider staining or painting both sides of the door the same color. Run the tape around the sides of the door, creating as straight an edge as you can. Use your fingernail (or a scrap of wood) to gently press the tape into the door. You want to ensure a tight seal, here. The tape is going to give you a smooth division between the stain and the paint.

6. Break out the gesso and gesso that baby. After the gesso is completely dry, lightly sand the door. It should feel smooth to the touch.

7. Break out the paint. As with the walls, you want to start out with a slightly watery first coat--except around the edges of the door. Here, you want to apply the paint full strength, angling your brush strokes towards the tape. Once you're finished painting the door, set it aside to dry for at least a couple of hours. Once the door is dry, gently remove the tape. If you painted both sides of the door, you can use the same technique with the tape to separate the colors of paint from each other.

8. The frame of the door breaks into two parts: the lintel and the threshold. The lintel is the part that encases the door, and the threshold is the part that sits on the floor. In most houses, the threshold matches the surrounding floor--wander around your house and have a look. If, for example, you're going to be installing hardwood floors, then you might want to paint or stain the threshold to match. If you're going to be installing carpet, or tile, then you might want to paint it a brown or cream, to coordinate. In most houses, the lintel matches the trim on the door. Keep in mind that the lintel will be visible after you install the door.

9. Once you've finished the door, it's time to install hardware. If you're yearning for something other than the basic brass options, then my friends at Earth and Tree, www.earthandtree.com, have an awesome selection. Personally, I like to use something different every time.

10. Now, reassemble the door with the frame. It can be especially tricky to realign the threshold with the lintel, and I usually use a gluing jig for this step. If you don't have one, then small clamps work just as well.

Your door is ready to install. Personally, I don't use the trim that comes with pre-made doors, but that's a matter of personal taste. At this point, if you're using pre-made doors, you want to go through your house and install them all. If you're making doors from scratch, then tune in next time!