DIY Fluted Closet Door
Our home hadn’t been updated since the ’90s when it was built, and it was filled with brown faux wood doors. Over time I’ve updated them in different ways, but I have to say this is one of my favorite. I had painted our primary bedroom and the room was feeling cozy and updated, except for this closet door. It was an eyesore, and I knew I needed to find a way to make it fit with the space.
This was the closet before – the very ’90s, very brown, very faux wood did not fit the vibe!
I decided I wanted to add a custom fluted look using wood dowels. Once I had the idea, I got right to work. I even got up out of bed late one night to work on it, unable to sleep because of how excited I was! I mean, how beautiful is this?!
It was an easy DIY and will elevate any interior door in your house in just a few steps!
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Tools Needed:
Miter saw
Circular saw (you could also use a table saw depending on what you have/your comfort level with power tools)
Nail Gun
Materials needed:
1/2″ plywood
3/8″ dowels
Edge banding
Brad nails
Wood glue
Sponge brush
Wood filler
Caulk
Primer
Paint (I like to use Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim paint on doors)
And here’s how to do it!
Take down the closet door. Take all the hardware off. (I recommend keeping it in a sealable bag so it stays together and you don’t lose anything!) I found it easiest to work on the door when it was laid out on the floor or flat surface.
Determine your measurements. Measure the width and length of each door. Subtract 1/2″ from your width measurement. You will need to place your vertical trim 1/4″ in on each side to make sure the door can still open and close. I also brought the trim in 1/4″ on the top and bottom so that it was consistent around each door, but it’s up to you whether you want to do that or not. This won’t impact the door being able to open or close.
Cut your trim pieces. I decided I wanted the trim pieces to be 1″ wide. Using your measurements, cut the plywood into strips then use a miter saw to cut them to length.
Apply edge banding with an iron to the sides of the plywood that will be exposed. This will give them a smooth surface to apply paint.
Use wood glue to attach the plywood trim strips to the doors. My dowels were 24″ long which allowed me to divide each door into three sections. Depending on the size of your door and dowels, you may have to adjust how many panels you create. Add weights or heavy books to the top to help “clamp” the two surfaces together.
Allow 24 hours for the glue to dry. If you wanted to, you could also use a nail gun to attach the trim. I used just wood glue and it’s held up just fine over the last few years.
Time to add the dowels! I found it easiest to pour some wood glue into a disposable bowl and then use a sponge brush to spread the glue on the surface of the door.
Work in sections to spread some glue then lay down your wood dowels. In my case, I had a few dowels that were a little warped. I used a nail gun to secure them to the door and level them out.
Use wood filler where the plywood trim pieces join together and caulk around the edge of where the plywood meets the door.
Prime the door! ( I did not prime or paint the inside of the door. I figured in order to see that you’d have to be hiding in the closet!)
Paint the door the color of your choice. Ours is painted Sherwin Williams Rosemary, a beautiful green that I also painted our thrifted nightstands. It works so well with the Tricorn Black and white paint in our bedroom.
Hang the door back up and add hardware. Since this DIY increases the depth of the door, you may need to get longer screws to attach the knob or handle you want to add to your door.
I seriously love how this door turned out! A custom door like this makes our bedroom design feel more elevated and the space feel more personal to us. And just for fun, here’s what this side of our primary bedroom looked like when we moved into our home and how it’s changed!
