Ideas and Tips To Upgrade Your Interior Doors!

As replacing the old interior doors will cost $380 – $1,150, I’ve thought of upgrading them going the DIY route quite a few times.

Till date, I tried around 5 times, each time with something different to add. And that has led me to a pretty decent idea on how any beginner can try with such upgrade without having to spend a fortune.

I’ll start briefly on how to upgrade interior doors. You can easily change the appearance of the interior door by using the given ways–

• Applying wood planks
• Inserting decorative moldings
• Replacing the knobs, hinges, and other parts
• Adding glass inserts
• Using adhesive wallpaper

By implementing these ideas, you can easily change the old and boring look of your interior doors.

To know the procedure in detail, keep on reading!

5 Easy-Quick Ideas To Upgrade your Old Interior Doors!

Not-so-pretty doors can be upgraded by making simple changes to the door. For that, you’ll need to have all the equipment and tools. Here are the five effective techniques that help to upgrade the interior doors:

Preparation

1. Detach the hinges and latches using a screwdriver from the interior doors.
2. Remove the door knobs with the same tool.
3. Place the door in an open area where you can easily try DIY techniques to beautify.
4. Take a measuring tape and measure the door width, height, and depth.
5. Bring out the interior door makeover kits like a screwdriver, wood glue, sanding machine, decorative molding, wood planks, primer, paint, brush, roller, and so on.

Method #1: Adding Wood Planks

• Detach the hinges, knobs, latches, and doors from the frame.
• Sand the surface of each door using a sanding machine. 
• Wipe the doors to remove sand dust.
• Measure the width and height of the door using a measuring tape.
• Based on the width, cut the planks which you’ll add over the doors. Use a circular saw to do it easily.
• Insert the wood glue and use a brush to smear over the planks (one after another).
• Put the planks on the doors. Let them dry for an hour.
• Do the same thing on other doors as well.
• Use primer and paint with the brush over all doors.
• Put on the hinges, knobs, latches, and doors.

Method #2: Using Decorative Molding

• Grab new decorative molding pieces.
• After getting the decorative molding pieces, cut them based on what type of shape you prefer to insert in the door.
• Then, place them on each door using wood glue. Make a square or triangle shape based on your preference.
• After doing that, you can add primer and paint them (optional).
• Keep on doing the above procedure on other doors.

Pro Tip: You can stick on fake door panels that can be found in all stores as an alternative method.

Method #3: Change The Knobs, Latches, & Hinges

• Remove the old handles, latches, and hinges from all interior doors.
• Get door knobs that include a lock system like Ticonn privacy handles.
• Place the deadbolts after aligning them properly. You can expand the deadbolt’s size by clicking on the small tab. Add the 2 screws in the plate using a screw gun.
• Install the outer knob on the rear side of the interior door. Be sure to insert the long square-shaped bolt of the outer knob inside the deadbolt’s square-shaped hole.
• On the front side of the door, place the inner knob’s plate aligned with the center channel and 2 screws. 
• Insert the 2 screws using the screw gun or screwdriver.
• Add the handle piece and install it effectively using a small L-wrench.
• Put on the latch plate on the door jamb with 2 screws. Tighten out the screws with the screwdriver or screw gun.
• Do the same on other doors.

Method #4: Put On Glass Inserts

• Remove the doors and other parts.
• Place the doors on a table.
• Figure out the area where you want to add the glass insert. Then, measure the glass insert size (height, width, and depth).
• Then, mark the surface on each door matching the size of the glass insert.
• Take a circular saw and cut the doors according to the marked size.
• Sand the edges using a sander machine.
• Put on the glass insert like the Generic 9 lite glass insert.
• Place the frame using the wood or FTD sealant on the other side.
• Insert the inside frame that contains holes. Add the screws and tighten them out using a screwdriver or screw gun.
• Cover the holes using the plugs.
• Clean the glass using a cleaner and soft microfiber cloth.
• Reinstall the knobs, hinges, and doors.

Method #5: Apply Wallpaper On The Door

• Take out the knobs from the doors. Do not remove the doors.
• Sand the surface of the doors seems uneven.
• Wipe the doors and unbox the wallpaper which you need to buy from a store.
• Measure the door dimension and cut the wallpapers according to size. Be sure to leave an extra area so that you can make the adjustment later after putting them on the doors.
• Ask your family member or friend to hold the wallpaper from the top.
• Simply peel the back paper from the wallpaper adhesive surface and keep on prying the surface from top to bottom. During this process, you need to carefully use the pry bar and simply press downward so that the wallpapers stick to the doors.
• After that, cut the edge on the bottom and side using a utility knife according to the bottom of the door shape. Do the same thing on the other doors.
• Cut the hole of the knob on each door.
• Put on the knobs on all doors.

Ending Note

And that’s how to upgrade interior doors implanting some easy ideas. It’s true that all these changes will require somewhat spending of money and of course the basic skill of a carpenter. 

As the methods are easy to attempt, you can give it a try. One finishing tip, make sure to match the primer and paint with the wall of your interior space. It really makes a difference in the final outcome.

That’s all for today, I’ll catch you in the next guide!