CLOSET DOOR MAKEOVER WITH FABRIC

Update 4/4/20:  This post was written almost 5 years ago and I’m shocked that it’s still such a popular post for me.  Truthfully, I’m slightly horrified at how bad the photos are and how I didn’t photograph more of the process.  So for that, I’m sorry!  

Hi everyone!  Sorry for not posting a One Room Update last week.  I was at a standstill so to speak and my evenings were full of other commitments, so I’m just getting starting on the last couple projects.

In case you’re new to The Striped House, I’ve been participating in Fall 2015  One Room Challenge.  In a nutshell, there are about 200 bloggers in a mad dash to makeover one room in their house – in SIX WEEKS!  In case you missed my first ORC updates, you can check them out here and here.

You can see how my master bedroom turned out here.

If you you’re looking for door makeover ideas, check out what I did to my interior doors in home.  They’re so beautiful!

Here is a preview of what I was working on yesterday…

Affiliate links have been used for your convenience.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

I am so excited about how this turned out.  I covered my outdated (ugly) closet doors in fabric.  I’ve known for some time that I wanted to do something drastic to the doors, but I didn’t know what that would be until I started the ORC.

I went to 4 different fabric stores in town before spotting “the fabric” (similar).  It was meant to be.  Seriously.  The amount of fabric left on the roll at the store was the exact amount I needed to cover the doors.  And it was on sale (like 50%) – then I had my 20% coupon on my iPhone.  I should have paid $75 for the fabric alone.  But I got that and a $14 bottle of spray adhesive for $34.  Like I said, totally meant to be.

HERE IS THE BEFORE…

HOW I COVERED DOORS IN FABRIC:

Note:  Make sure to read through to the end of the post to see what I would have done differently…

• measured the fabric and left 2 inches on either side to wrap around the sides of the door
• cut the fabric
• ironed each panel
• sprayed one door with adhesive, I used Loctate Spray Adhesive (lightweight bonding – 100) – i just noticed it’s a third of the price on Amazon.  You’re welcome.
• Sprayed the top third of the door to focus on getting the fabric straight across the top and have adequate amounts on the sides
• Sprayed the bottom two thirds, lightly soothing the fabric down the middle and then out to the sides (thankfully, the adhesive is ‘repositionable’ so I could peel it up and reposition it if I had waves in the fabric)
• Sprayed the sides without spraying the top of the fabric I just placed.  I had a big piece of foam board that I would move when I sprayed so I didn’t spray my clothes, the fabric or the trim around the doors.
• I trimmed the bottom so it wouldn’t get caught in the track holding the doors in place as they slid from side to side.

 

I had door hooks on the exterior door on each set.  I took the hook part off but left the hardware in place.  I plan to cut small slits of the fabric and put the hooks back on.

As you can tell, I am in between coats of primer on my trim, and trying out samples of black for my walls.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to be painting all of the 80’s honey stained wood in my room.  I have been looking at it for 11.5 years!  I wish I was farther along in the painting, but I’ll be sure to post pics in next week’s update.  I have some spiffy new paint tools that I’m psyched to try out.  I’ll make sure to tell you how I like those, too.

Have a good Sunday night!  I’ll have the Packers game on in my bedroom while I finish putting the second coat of primer on the trim.

Jen

 

UPDATE 4/4/20:

HOW DOES FABRIC HOLD UP ON DOORS?

Five years later…  I wouldn’t suggest it for doors that get used daily.  And I would make sure that the fabric at the bottom of the doors and on the sides that you touch the most is really reinforced.  The problem I ran into was that the fabric would get caught up on the door guides on the floor.

If I would do this again, I would stop just short of the guides.  And I would make sure the fabric goes about 8 inches around the back and I would probably staple or use upholstery tack on the back of the doors to make sure the fabric stays put.

Can you clean spray adhesive off doors if you want to take the fabric off?

Also, about that spray adhesive…  It’s near impossible to clean off the doors when you take the fabric off.  I used so many different stripper/de-greaser/goo-gone type products and then had to sand and use a putty knife to get the adhesive and the varnish off the doors when I painted them last year.  So if you put fabric on doors, it should be a last-ditch effort to save them before getting new doors.