The steps below follow the order of the work for this makeovers project.
Transform a boring flat hollow core door into a strong 5-panel door with this straightforward and affordable step-by-step Handmade guide.
Get more Handmade door update options! Make a Handmade Dutch Door From an Old Door, Build your own Handmade Wooden Barn Door Baby Gate, and give your door some character like this Tuscan Style Front Door.
Next up in Shut The Front Door Handmade week: You’ve seen two different ways of adding molding to transform flat doors — now Jenna is here with two more vivid door updates for those flat interior doors that builders love and homeowners are ready to update!
Read on for wwo ways to make a hollow core door into a 5-panel door style, one of which will only cost about $12. Jenna used her existing hollow core doors, but you could also use new stock from the store (there are great sales!) or an old door to create this same style for your home.
How to Transform a Hollow Core Door into a Paneled Door
by Jenna from Jenna Sue Design
Hello Bekob! My name is Jenna and I can’t wait to share a couple of my go-to projects with you today. I run things over at Jenna Sue Design Co., and when I’m not designing personalized art, most of my free time is spent renovating our dated 1970’s home in the Northern California foothills.
We’ve lived in our home just over a year and have since made some pretty huge progress, but it’s the little projects that excite me the most—those “bang for your buck” transformations that make such a difference in your home.
Today I’m sharing how I gave two plain hollow core doors a vintage style upgrade with basic tools & materials and a small modest-cost!
Hollow Core Doors vs. Solid Core
- Hollow core doors are lightweight doors made with a thin MDF frame over a minimal internal support system.
- Solid core doors are heavier doors made with a solid core – this can be solid wood or a composite material such as MDF (fiberboard) or vinyl.
- Both types of doors are available in different styles – flat door slab styles are generally the least expensive so builders use them often.
Handmade Salvaged Wood Door from a Flat Interior Door
(open this to jump to the $12 painted 5-panel door)
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Need a door that saves space? Reuse your existing door as a pocket door! See how in our Pocket Door Installation walkthrough.
Tools and Materials for Handmade Wood Paneled Door
- Wood veneer: 2×8′ sheets – optional, only needed if your door isn’t real wood
- Plywood: 4×8′ sheet of 1/4″ cabinet grade plywood
- Wood stain: I used Minwax Dark Walnut, Rustoleum Driftwood, Weathered Gray
- Sandpaper (60 grit)
- Contact cement
- Liquid Nails or 1″ finishing nails
- Caulk
- Paint
- Utility knife
- Hole Saw
- Circular saw
- Nail gun or hammer
- Sander
- Sponge
- Caulk gun
The Original Door
First up—the Handmade salvaged door I transformed for our foyer.
Part of our foyer makeover was figuring out what to do with this closet, and I thought an old salvaged wood door would be the well fitted touch. (It would be well fitted for a pantry, too!)
I looked for real vintage doors but couldn’t find anything in the right size or style, or they needed too many mods to fit, or they were just too expensive.
The existing door was one of those low-cost-o hollow core synthetic wood deals… and it was pretty beat up. You can really see the fake wood grain texture here…
If you have one of those old school plain wood doors it would be ideal for this project, assuming you could sand down the stain a bit. Because mine wasn’t real wood, unfortunately I couldn’t strip & sand the paint off. That left only one option… wood veneer.
Step 1: Apply Wood Veneer Sheets
I failed miserably my first wood veneer attempt a few months prior, but I was determined to make it work this time!
I bought these 2×8′ sheets (from Amazon) for a total of $70 (this project isn’t exactly low-cost if you don’t have wood doors to start with, just to warn you!)
Fortunately, I only needed veneer in the centers of the door so there was minimal cutting involved. I just trimmed the length with a sharp utility knife (it didn’t have to be exact at all since the edges would be covered by wood).
I used a LOT of contact cement to get it to stick. Two solid coats.
And I waited 20 minutes before applying the veneer.
And it worked.
I thought I was going to have to veneer the inside edge, but I started sanding and realized this piece was actually real wood (score!) So I just stripped & sanded the paint off.
After veneering both sides, I brought the door inside of the house to adjust to the climate. On my last attempt, my table had sat in the garage for 2 days and after I brought it inside it was ruined, so the temperature shift definitely had something to do with it. I thought if I brought it inside right away, it would have a chance.
That evening around midnight, I checked on it and was horrified to see that it had started bubbling! Not as bad as my console table, but still… I was so bummed. I smoothed it down as best as I could and called it a night, expecting to see the bubbles come back by morning. But surprisingly… I woke up and it was completely smooth (and almost a year later it’s still well fitted!)
Not sure what happened there, but I didn’t want to take any more chances so I decided to finish this project inside…
Step 2: Cut & Apply Plywood Strips for Panels
Back in the garage, I had plywood strips cut to 4″. I bought a 4×8′ sheet of 1/4″ cabinet grade plywood at Lowe’s ($30) and had them cut it for me. I would have done it myself, but the sheet was too big to fit in my car so I let them do it.
Let me tell you… those workers don’t care about your project as much as you do, so they’re just going to run your board through the cutter as fast as they can and you’re going to end up with a lot of crooked pieces.
I only needed about 7-8 boards, so I set aside the straightest ones to use for this project.
I started with one of the vertical pieces that ran along the outside edge where the door handle would be. After cutting the length to size, I traced inside the door hole and used a hole saw arbor around the same size to cut it out:
Then I lined it back up on the door and used 1″ finishing nails every several inches to attach my piece. Since this is a hollow door, be sure to use the nails along the edges where there is material for the nails to hold to.
After doing this to three different doors, I can confirm that you can use liquid nails instead if you prefer.
And the first piece was on!
Up went the next one…
Then I measured and cut my horizontal strips. I went with 6 which appears to be standard for old doors.
Then I flipped it over and repeated the process:
And finally, it was time for stain.
Step 3: Stain The New Paneled Wood Door
I used a blend of Minwax’s Dark Walnut combined with touches of Rustoleum’s Driftwood and Weathered Gray. There was no real method to this… I just dipped my sponge in and spread it around however I thought looked best and let it sit for a couple of minutes. I intended for it to look weathered so I wasn’t aiming for perfection.
Then I took some 60 grit sandpaper and roughed it up until I was happy with the results.
Step 4: Adjust Door Casing and Rehang the Hollow Core Door
Before rehanging it, we had to deal with this door casing. Because I made the door wider by adding the plywood strips to the sides of the door, these inside pieces of trim had to be pushed back so the door would latch properly.
We removed the strips…
It was pretty rough looking under there, so I sanded everything down while my husband (Brad) removed the old nails.
Before putting them back on, the door went back on the hinges…
Then I stepped inside the closet with my air compressor and flashlight, shut the door, lined the casing strips back up and nailed them in.
A bit of caulk & paint later, and this project is done. It really is a a delightful journey!
I love the way it warms up the space.
Here’s the view from the entrance to the kitchen:
And there you have it!
This next door makeover is my go-to—quite possibly the easiest and most inexpensive way to add a ton of character to your home.
Love the look? See how we transformed our basic wood door into a barn door here.
Plain Flat Hollow Core Door to 5-Panel Black Door for Just $12
(open this to jump back to see the Handmade faux salvaged wood door walkthrough)
Materials and Tools Needed for the $12 Painted 5-Panel Door:
- Plywood: 1/4″ 4×8′ sheet of plywood
- Paint
- Spackle
- Caulk
- Sandpaper
- Table saw or circular saw
- Nail gun or Liquid Nails and clamps
- Hole saw
- Sander
- Caulk gun
This is the door to our master bedroom, which used to look like this:
After I painted our walls an almost white/clearly light gray shade, this space turned into the hallway of no color. Black paint was the answer!
Read More: Why and Where You Should Use Black In Your Home
Step 1: Cut & Attach Plywood Strips to Make Door Panels
I headed to Lowe’s and bought a $12 piece of 1/4″ (actual thickness = 0.2″) 4×8′ sheet of plywood. It’s in the molding/paneling section (next to the beadboard) and it is pink toned on one side, which is well fitted for painting. The price has recently increased, but still a great deal!
Since the door surface is smooth (unlike our original foyer door), I didn’t need to cover it with anything (whew!)
You’ll need a table saw to rip the pieces down to your desired width or you can have Lowe’s or Home Depot do it for free—just tell them to cut carefully
On this door I also used a nail gun (with 1/2″ 18 gauge finish nails) to secure the pieces, but again you can use liquid nails with clamps held on overnight since the plywood is so lightweight.
Flip it over and repeat for the other side. Again, you’ll need a hole saw arbor to drill out a hole for the door handle.
Step 2: Sand The New Paneled Door
Once all my pieces were attached, I sanded down the rough edges with my mouse sander.
Then I spackled the nail holes and caulked where the boards met the door for a seamless look.
After drying overnight, I gave everything a nice thorough sanding with finer grit sandpaper (including the actual door panel).
Step 3: Adjust the Door Casing
Just like the foyer door, the casing had to be adjusted so it would close properly, since I added almost 1/2″ of depth onto the door.
First I cut a line with a sharp edge on all sides…
Then pried the pieces off. Luckily these ones came off really easily (you can see the three pieces in the hallway).
Some of the nails will stay in the door casing which you can just hammer back in, and break off the ones stuck in the molding.
Then I cleared the built up caulk from the door casing and the trim pieces so it was nice and clean for reinstallation:
Step 4: Paint the New Paneled Hollow Core Door
I decided to hang the door back up first before painting it because 1) it was 100° in the garage, and 2) I could turn on the TV in our room to make it more enjoyable. It really doesn’t matter either way, you just have to be slightly more careful to not paint the casing.
I used Valspar’s Signature Dark Kettle Black in a satin finish. The coverage is memorable… here’s after just one coat:
Of course the plywood took to it better than the painted white door—it almost covered in just one coat!
All it needed was two coats and a few touch ups. straightforward, fast paint job (excuse the poor lighting).
Black Kitty Approved!
Once the knob was back on, I shut the door and nailed the casing pieces back in place so the new door would close properly.
Then I filled the nail holes and caulked it back in, sanded and painted.
Ahhh… so rich.
It’s a little difficult to see the detail through photos (I have to bump up the exposure a bit, hence the grainy-ish pics) but it’s really lovely in person.
I love the way it ties into the wall paneling.
I’ll be converting all of the doors eventually. This hallway needs some loving, I know. One step at a time.
It’s extra lovely dressed up for the holidays…
What do you think? If you have $14 lying around and a free afternoon, I promise you can tackle this yourself! No professional helper needed. And if you don’t have old flat doors to start with, they are readily available at places like ReStore, thrift stores, Craigslist or your local Facebook buy & sell groups (people often give them away). So worth the effort for something you can enjoy in your home forever.
I hope this walkthrough can help inspire and motivate those of you out there who feel stuck with your existing outdated doors. There is hope, and it’s so much cheaper and easier than you think!
Head over to my blog for lots more Handmade inspiration and projects—and make sure to stop by the Handmade Projects page for all of my tutorials, ranging from straightforward wall paneling to an inexpensive fabric tufted headboard, a rustic sliding barn door and more!
And as always, catch me over on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to see what we’re currently up to!
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Thanks for sharing with us, Jenna! Such memorable style from humble beginnings.
Click over to Jenna Sue Designs to see Jenna’s striking homes (all 3 are lovely!) and her solid Handmade skills on projects big and small, like clever and straightforward bedside shelves and a striking kitchen ceiling.
More Slab Door Handmade Projects
- Turn a Slab Door Into a Wood Barn Door for just $25
- How to Make a Flat Door Look Like a Paneled Door
- Handmade Closet Doors Updated with Molding Trim
And more from our #ShutTheFrontDoorDIY Handmade Door Projects:
- Build a Custom Back of Door Shelf for Storage
- How to Add a Glass Pane to a Hollow Core Door or to a Solid Core Door
- 35 Handmade Barn Doors + Rolling Barn Door Hardware
