Ugly door makeover: how to cover a doggie door

Welcome to our house we have a doggy door on our door that leads to the garage. It is the first thing when you come into our totally renovated condominium. But we don't have a dog that size and nor will we ever. The previous owners left this gem for us. Also when you come over listen for the sound of faint yipping.  Well thats the dog who used to use this doggie door. It moved next door and it never stops barking. Until recently we had an awkward neighbor situation. You see, the people who moved next door used to rent our place - until we bought it from their former landlord - then they moved next door. We share the same wall. Now I do not know if it was our peppy spirit, or because we pretty much gutted the place they used to live in, but we never quite clicked with them or their yippie yorkie.

For the longest time the doggie door remained. Reminding of us daily of our small friend. We meant to replace the door but time and cash were not on our side. But one glorious day the beast moved away, and that is when I thought it was time to put that monster totally behind us and hide that doggy door for good. So I took matters into my own hands - without husband - and fixed the gaping eyesore. In a few short hours I turned it into a cottagey entrace that leads to craft world (the garage). I did it totally and completely without man support. There were no tears just a brief moment of panic resulting in the google search Help woman using power tools and How to use a drill for dummies. It all turned out fine and I got plenty of kudos and job well dones from said man. He especially noticed that I made everything level. So now that you know that any woman with a power drill can do it, I hope you become inspired.

Supplies: Used Cabinet doors, wood putty, wood screws, power drill, paint, paint brush, razor blade/sand paper, (optional - caulk)

Directions:
Step 1: pinterest solutions - I finally found a woman who used craft board and framed them with trim pieces by doing her own mitered cuts (that is angled cuts for those who don't speak ryobi) and attached them to the door. How to fix a hole in a hollow door Now I am not so good with a miter saw or glue (it ends up everywhere) so I decided to go a similar route with less power tools and decided to just buy cabinet doors from our trusty habitat store and attach them with pretty hefty wood screws.

Step 2: Buy cabinet doors.  I took a quick trip to the habitat store and hunted through their stock of cabinet doors. A smaller door cost $2. So I picked out 4 matching ones. Paid my $8 and headed home.

Step 3: Remove hardware and fill in holes with wood putty...EASAYYY

Step 4: Remove doggy door! Plan out the configuration. Measure and then measure again.


Step 5: Attach lowest cabinet door using wood screws and umph. Before you are ready to attach drill in your screws just enough so they can stay upright on their own. This made it easier for me to balance the cabinet in one hand (keeping it level) while I drilled with the other. Only once did I drop a cabinet. Then make careful measurements so you know exactly where you would like to place the cabinet. I made sure there were 6.5 inches between each cabinet and the center point lined up exactly 18 inches from the edge of the door. Once you are sure about placement you are ready to start drilling.  I attached each cabinet door by starting with the top right corner. I would then use a level to make sure I was going straight across then drill a wood screw in the top right corner. Once the cabinet door was stable I could easily drill in the bottom corners. *girl tip* you need to use alot of pressure otherwise you will have a gap between your cabinet door and the door behind. Lots and lots of pressure!

Step 6: Attach remaining cabinet doors.  Carefully measure, and measure again, as you go. Make sure you are equal distance apart, as well as center, as well as in line with previous cabinet doors. It really stinks if you are off. Cause then you have to do it all over again.

Step 7: Repeat until you have completely attached 4 cabinet doors.

Step 8: Remove excess wood putty so surface is flush. You can use sand paper or I used a razor blade and cut off any excess putty

Step 9: Enjoy your handy work, have a snack, then get painting. It is best to paint outside in, while using a generous amount of paint. Let layer one dry (15-20 min) then start on your second coat. I used a semi-gloss latex paint I had left over from another project. I ended up using 1/3 of a quart of paint. I let the second coat dry completely before I spot checked to cover up a those few missed spots.

Step 10: Dance around and take pictures and wait for your husband to get home to unveil your handy work!

Now I did have a bit of trouble with the drill. I had to apply a lot of pressure in order to make the cabinets flush with the door. When hub got home he helped me go that extra 2% more to make them extra flat. He also was able to drill in the screws a bit further to counter sink them. It is best to do this before you paint but since my dainty self did not have the patience or the strength it happened after. Once your screws are counter sunk you can fill them and paint over them so that your drill holes are completely hidden from sight. Another option is to caulk your cabinet doors once they have been installed. This will make them look apart of the door but I decided to skip that step and just use a lot of paint.

Now that I am done we have custom - doggie door free - cute as can be - door. La La La