|
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
by
Karen Kirk
photography by Roger Yip |
THIS OLD DOOR |
| Giving
new life to a worn-out relic |
On closer inspection this dilapidated garden shed, built from
scrap material, is actually quite sturdy and provides plenty
of storage space for garden tools and outdoor furniture. But,
with its peeling muddy brown paint, broken windows and warped
door— which gave easy access to an untold variety of creepy
guests through a large hole at the bottom—it was quite
an eyesore. Broken windows? Warped doors? Nothing a little paint
and some recycled architectural details couldn’t fix.
Built in Charm
 |
| Before
(above) and after (below) |
 |
|
Transforming
the building—from shabby to charming—took little time
and few steps. I applied a gallon of exterior primer first and
covered this with another gallon of sunny yellow paint. The
shed already looked incredibly revived. I dressed up the windows
by installing recycled shutters and a couple of rosy red plant
shelves. The last detail—a green, tongue-and-groove plank
door I purchased from a salvage sale—was the final addition.
This one-time shabby shed became a useful and charming garden
focal point.
Reclaimed Retailer
Installing a brand new door would have looked grossly out of
place against the shed details. Not only was the style not right—a
new door just wasn’t in the budget.
Finding a suitable door was crucial.
I went to the Balley Canoe Co. salvage barns near Kingston,
Ont., one of thousands of similar salvage stores located across
Canada. Buying antique or reclaimed doors is relatively cheap
and hunting down a special one is usually a lot of fun. The
pine plank door chosen was one of literally hundreds I browsed
through.
Special Sources
“We stock hundreds of styles and sizes of doors and windows
salvaged from rural homes and churches, many of which are more
than a hundred years old,” says salvage owner John Sorensen,
adding that it’s important to measure carefully before
buying one of his doors to ensure the right fit. Expect to pay
anywhere from $50 and up depending on the door size, condition
and style. I didn’t paint the door because it already matched
the look I wanted; however, it had to be ripped to width and
trimmed slightly at the top and bottom before installation.
I painted the freshly cut edges. One more thing: most retailers
that sell reclaimed doors also carry used door hardware that
you can match to suit the style and era of your door.
|
| READ
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE |
|
|
|
|
| FREE
NEWSLETTER |
Subscribe to our newsletter. Every few weeks, you'll get a behind-the-scenes
peek at the magazine, the web site and the folks who put it all together.
CLICK HERE |
|
|
PROJECTS
