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Our front door is the entrance into our home. Its appearance is important as it sets up the look of the house and curb appeal in the neighbourhood. It is not easy to take out a door and buy a brand new one for many. If possible, it is a good idea to upgrade your front door under $500.00
By comparison a new entry door today can cost up to $6000, even more if they are large double doors and need to be custom made. This change is for the standard style of door. This DIY is to upgrade your front door under $500.
This small project was completed several months ago.
This door is going through a complete transformation. As far as the material for the door, it is a standard steel door. I am using what I already have. The first thing to do is to shop around for the best and most cost effective glass insert to install for this upgrade. You can choose whatever style suits you best. I chose the most naturally elegant, simple and best priced one I could find.
This particular piece of glass came to $329 plus tax, which is a great price. Nowadays the average price for a piece of glass for a door is around $500.00. The paint is the same can of latex we used to paint a piece of furniture.
I did not pay any extra money for the paint. The cost of the gallon of paint is about $50 depending on where you buy it. There is still some paint remaining after painting the front door so one gallon of paint can serve several projects.
Setting Up Your Work Space
You will need the following tools:
Hammer, flat head & #2 Phillips screw drivers, measuring tape, two sawhorses, pencil, Sharpie marker, straight edge (i.e., 4ft level), jig saw c/w fine metal blade, drill, 3/8″ metal drill bit, flat metal file, 220 grit sandpaper, lint cloth, 2” paint brush, paint roller, paint tray.
Before removing the door from its hinges, remove the doorknob and deadbolt lockset. Put this hardware to the side along with all the screws. For now, this upgrade is solely focused on how to upgrade your front door under $500.00.
Changing Your Front Door
Take out two sawhorses and set them up wide enough apart for the front door to lay on them. You also need a jigsaw to cut the centre part of the front door out. This is where the new glass insert is going to go in. Measure and mark out the part of the door you will cut based on the instructions that come with the glass insert you purchased.
It should be a perfect match for it to fit inside the door like a puzzle piece. Note that if you have a 6 panel door you are limited by what size of glass insert you can use.
The compatibility of the glass insert will be detailed on the packaging.
Drill a 3/8″ hole at each corner of the rectangle you marked out and then use a jig saw to cut along the line on both sides of the door. After the cut is made, file down the edges and sand down the door so that it is all smooth. Now you can choose the colour you wish to paint the front door. Using a small size paint roller and a 2” paint brush lay down a coat of paint colour.
Two Coats of Paint
When the first coat is done, let it sit and dry for 20 minutes.
Do this in an area where there is minimal dust. Then come back and give it a second coating of paint and let it dry.
Once it is dry you are ready to insert the glass into the door.
The glass has a snap connection and several screws that hold the outside piece to the inside trim piece to keep it secure once it is all in place.
After this is complete, lift the door up, bring it to the front entry and rehang it on the hinges.
You are done. No one will be able to tell that this is an old door you just made brand new. The glass is new but it makes the entire entryway look brand new.
This is an excellent cost effective DIY home upgrade. This home project cost around $425.00 cost of paint included. Depending on the condition of the door and whether it is damaged or not, these factors will affect the pricing.
You just saved up to $3000.00 for one door. If you have two doors the savings increase to $6000.00, leaving you with enough savings to go on a week vacation for two or something else.
Check out more home renovations to see what other budget friendly DIY upgrades you can do.
December 16, 2022
