Turn Pocket Door into a Work of Art: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

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The standard 1960s varnished, solid wooden doors in my building were uninspiring. So, I decided to take it up a notch. My idea was to highlight the beauty of the wood in a more artistic way. I also wanted to make sure that my new architectural feature was unique to my home, and not something that was mass produced and found in everyone else's home.

Target: The pocked door between my dining room and kitchen.

Requirements:

1. Be economically feasible.

2. Be suitable for a pocket door.

3. Lend itself to the industrial style.

Tools and Materials Needed

Cleaning Solution	Tape Measure or Yard Stick	2 Door Pulls	Good Ventilation or Oscillating Fan
Sponge	Pencil	4-inch High-Density foam paint roller for painting doors and cabinets	Disposable Mask
Clean Dry Rag	Sand Paper	Oil or Water Based Polyurethane	Foam Dinner Plate or Small Paint Tray
Blue Painter's Tape	2 in. Chiseled Foam Paint Brush	Screw Driver
Level	Qt Behr Interior Satin Scuff Defense Paint	Dremel or Drill
A-Xacto Knife	Drop Cloth	Painter's Coveralls

Steps:

1. Sand down the door. (Optional)

2. Wipe down and clean both sides of the door. (I simply cleaned it with some Ajax Liquid detergent and water to remove any grease.

3. Dry surface with a clean fuzz-free cloth.

4. Mask door frame and hardware with painter's tape.

5. Laydown a large painter's tarp on the floor and cover any nearby surfaces.

6. Layout the design with painter's tape.

Note: I didn't sand down the door, because I wanted the varnish area to glisten against the dark paint.

Tip: I don't throw away old towels or old cotton t-shirts. I cut them up and keep them in a plastic bag in the garage, on my metal tool shelf for home improvement tasks.

7. Paint the area to be covered with your color of choice. (Make sure your area is well insulated.)

8. Let paint dry to the touch. (Read manufacturers recommended for drying time.)

9. Use the tip of an X-Acto knife to lift the edges of the painter's tape, and score tape where it overlaps. (I also used a straight edge when scoring to make straight perforations.)

10. Gently pull tape away in strips.

11. Touch-up and areas where paint has been pulled away. (I used the chiseled edge of a small sponge paint brush.)

12. Let dry overnight.

13. Apply polyurethane over the entire door and let dry. Apply at lease 2 coats for good measure.

14. Repeat the steps above for the other side of the door if desired.

Tip: I used a spray on polyurethane. Use caution if used in confined spaces. It does tend to lite on nearby surfaces and the floor. You can control the application much better if you roll on the kind sold in quart size cans.

Lastly, the nonfunctional round finger pulls on the pocket doors needed attention.

Steps

1. Place a wide strip of painter's tape over the finger pull.

2. Center a pull handle over the hole

3. Mark the holes for the screws with a pencil or marker.

4. Drill a pilot hole marked by the pencil.

5. Line up the pull handle holes over the pilot holes, and screw into place.

Note: I could have patched up the finger holes, sanded them down, and painted over them, but it wasn't a priority for me.

Voilà! Another much-needed update. Completed and loved!