Making Your Own Door, Part II

The next door we're going to make is a variation on the simple door. Here, we're going to use an applique to create raised trim. We're going to start with the same two panels as the plain door. Here, before you start to cut any trim, you need to do a little advanced planning--what trim are you planning on using in the room? You want the door to match, or at least coordinate. When I'm working on a house, once I reach this stage I do a "walk through" where I place the trims and other components I'm planning on using in the appropriate rooms. That way, as I'm going through making the different doors, I have a constant visual reminder of what goes where. Especially with bigger dollhouses, it's surprisingly easy to confuse yourself.

Once you sort yourself out trim-wise, the next step is to mark out the door itself. Sometimes this is more important than other times. Below, is an example of one of those times when it's vitally important.

This is the dining room in the Hampton. I wanted the door to blend in with the panelling, so I measured the panelling at the same time I measured the door. Generally, this involves having some sense of how high you want the panelling to be. Don't be afraid to tape the door into the door hole and draw on it, right along with the wall. This isn't rocket science, but it does require patience.

Generally, I like to start my applique about 1" from the bottom of the door, 1/2" from the top of the door and 1/2" from each side. Mark the distances (whatever distances you choose) with a ruler, and draw them in. You're going to use the door as your template to create your appliques.

Select a length of trim and cut it on an angle using your mitre saw.

Place the trim against the door and, using your template, mark off the trim.

Now, you're ready to cut the trim. Below, I've made my own 45' angle jig. You can also buy an angle jig from the friendly folks at Smaller Than Life. They also sell PREAC saws, as well as many other tools. I place my trim against the stop and move the jig along the arm until the cutting mark is level with the blade. Then, I tighten the stop on the arm in place. I can move my jig up and down, and cut as many identical lengths of trim as I need. This is a very handy skill to practice, because it has all sorts of applications.

As you cut the lengths of trim, lay them out on the door.

Now, you're ready to assemble the trim. I use a gluing jig, from Smaller Than Life. It's worth its weight in gold--I absolutely love it and use it all the time.

Once the trim is assembled, it's time to stain or paint. Finish the door itself, before you glue the appliques to it--this makes it much easier to smoothly sand the door. Once the door and the appliques are dry, you can glue the appliques to it. You don't have any guidelines anymore, but you can mark guidelines out with tape or make very light pencil marks and lightly touch them up with paint after the glue dries. If you're staining, then you should wait to spray or paint on your finish coat of varnish until after you glue the appliques to the door.

At this point, you should have two finished door halves. Now, it's time to glue them together. I use quick grip for this procedure, although any tacky glue would work. Spread your glue along one door panel, and massage it around with your finger until you have an even coating. Remember, time is of the essence, here--you don't want the glue to dry! Work as quickly as you can, while still being precise. Very carefully place the two door panels against each other, and press. Hold the panels together for a few minutes, or until the glue begins to set. Now, lay the door down on a flat surface and, very carefully, weight it down. Unless you weight the door, it's going to warp, and you don't want that. Heavy books, in my experience, make the best weights. I use my old law school casebooks. Be very, very, very careful when you place your weights--you don't want the door panels to shift against each other.

Below, is an example of a door with raised trim. This is the master bedroom in the Hampton. Here, the height of the panels isn't important.