Grab your poison, and let's chat about
wood plank doors and how I have been
straight up s m i t t e n
with them for at least a decade.
2.
I say smitten, not OBSESSED, since
"obsessed" is so oversaturated in blogland
it maybe needs a vacation with all references
to #goals #manbuns #squads and the
thoroughly defeatist phrase #itiswhatitis.
3.
Smitten. Yep. I'm bringin' back smitten,
and it'll plant a sweet subliminal rhyme in your brain.
Because kittens are not at all over-represented on the interwebs, oui?
Anyway, wood plank doors.
They're handsome.
They set a casual tone, add
texture and interest, and are just what I
had in mind for our last home design.
BTW.
This is a lengthy post, but you'll want to
stick with me...because if you make it to
the end, you're about to have killer abs.
Huh? It's a plank workout, yo.
This qualifies as intense core work.
4.
For our prior home,
I picked out a two-panel interior plank door
(v-grooves is the more technical term I think)
with a very cute cottage-y design I
knew would be perfect for that
European styled country house.
5.
Except the builder goofed and installed doors
with no planking or v-grooves, and there was
no time to turn back.
So we lived with the smooth.
My favorite doors from that project were our
wood plank front doors (Andean walnut), and
the speakeasies made every visitor smile.
Remember our doors?
Entry in our prior home
Over time, I dreamed of replacing our interior
doors, and a particular door style was at
the top of my list, but that dream never
materialized.
6.
One of the first things I noticed when we toured
this fixer upper was the interior doors.
Builder special, hollow, 6-panel, Colonist
style, and some of them had been replaced
with doors with faux wood grain style...
as appealing to me as the brown carpets
installed here over 20-year-old pet-stained
padding.
(If you aren't made of wood, a phony imprint
aint foolin anyone, hollowColonist.)
7.
You may remember it was my hope to
replace the doors here eventually with vintage
doors, and that turned out to be unrealistic.
I had no trouble finding beautiful re-claimed
wood doors, but retro-fitting, re-finishing,
and trying to achieve a cohesive look was
a nightmare I was happy to let go.
8.
So I returned to that dream from years ago
of a wood plank interior door (which would
fit nicely in the jamb and not rock a
faux wood grain) and began my search.
9.
All of the beautiful plank doors
(a few are paneled not plank)
you see here captured my imagination,
and one particular style made the final cut...
10.
Think you know which door style
I chose for this cottage makeover
to not only upgrade and add
architectural function and beauty
but to
add market value to the property?
(Plank? Think BANK.)
Hmmmmmm.
11.
You may remember we love barn doors
and built two custom ones (like those below)
which featured wood planked walls as well.
12.
We want to incorporate another
wood plank barn door here,
but frankly we are exhausted with the
DIY whole house reno and
have decided to let another
craftsman build it.
13.
Are you a little surprised at how many
folks choose to paint their wood plank doors
with color instead of stain them?
14.
Not planked but too beautiful to leave out of the mix.
I love the rustic beauty of a stained door,
but there is a softness and a quiet elegance
(not to mention a full spectrum of color options)
you can achieve with paint.
15.
Again, no planks but I'm including this shot because of that grey color.
16.
Front doors, in particular, can make such a grand
statement and deserve significant thought.
I love how a wood front door ages from the elements
and takes on a patina with time.
You may recall my gripes about our front door
which is dented for unknown reasons that
probably involve break-ins when it
was vacant and in foreclosure.
It's fiberglass and functions,
but it makes me a little sad
when I see the abuse and
the broken jambs.
17.
Over the years, another recurrent theme
I have been seeing with wood plank doors
is that stained doors are paired with
painted trim for contrast.
18.
In our fixer upper, we have white jambs
and trim, and I wanted to change the color
of some of the doors to see how I liked
living with such contrast.
So I mixed a custom light grey and painted
three of our interior doors and love
seeing the color and contrast!
19.
I must still decide whether I will
stain the wood plank doors we
selected or finish them with something else.
20.
Do you have any experience in this department?
Are your interior doors painted or stained?
21.
Isn't the door above killer with character?
22.
My three guys would never let this happen here.
23.
I thought the wood door above was planked,
but maybe it's just paneled.
24.
Panels, not planks, but I'm including it
for reference since the height is so
spot on as well as the color.
25.
I would love to have a Dutch door,
but it probably doesn't make sense
for this project.
26.
Masculine, but I'm loving.
27.
Isn't the white gorgeous with the wood flooring?
28.
So.much.character.
29.
Plank doors can take on a clean
contemporary look too.
30.
Keep breathing, friend.
Only a few more planks.
31.
You can do it...feel the burn.
Your abs are gonna thank you.
33.
Heavens
34.
to
35.
Betsy!
36.
You rule.
37.
Indigo glory and three planks to go.
38.
Grape planks?

Charmed.

40.
We did it.
Exhausted and need a drank from all that plank?
How about a massage?
Are you kittens smitten with plank doors too?
'Cause I can't wait to share the door I chose
for the fixer upper...stay tuned
for updates...plus, I may need
your advice for finishing the doors.
Pretty please share the number of your favorite
door above and also which one you think
I chose for the fixer
in the comments section...I LOVE hearing from you,
and it can get lonely here on planet michele.
And pin away if that rox your sox.
Peace to you right where you are.
I'm sharing this post with these
wonderful bloggers.






















































