Learn how to give your old hollow core slab (flat panel) interior doors an easy and affordable makeover!
If you are new around here, we moved into our 1970’s fixer upper home almost a year ago, and have been slowly updating and remodeling it! So far we have completed the Kitchen remodel, replaced the floors, remodeled a bathroom, and painted about 70% of the house! Lots and lotssss of paint!
One thing that often gets overlooked when updating a house, are the doors and trim! We have been replacing the baseboards and door trim as we work through each room, but have saved most of the doors for the end.
Our house was built in 1978, so we have the basic brown hollow core flat panel interior doors everywhere. They have no character and majorly date the house that we have been working so hard to update!
We also had those basic, short oak baseboards and door casings everywhere. We’ve replaced them with 6″H squared edge baseboards with 4″ door casings and they look SO much better!
Updating your base boards and door casings makes such a huge impact and it is a pretty easy and affordable project!
At first, we were planning on replacing all of the doors. However, once looking into the cost, we realized it was going to cost a few thousand dollars to switch them all out.
So many of our doors are on the upper level (bedrooms and bathrooms) and I didn’t want to spend that kind of money right now on areas that most people will not see. We only have 3 doors on the main level, so we figured those will be easier to replace when we decide to.
After looking into it, it was clear that the best option was to update our existing flat panel interior doors for now! We’ve painted these types of doors before, and that always helps, but have never added more to them! So I was excited to step it up and make them look like they belong with the rest of our updates!
I’m so obsessed with how they turned out!! Read on below to see how to update flat panel doors on a budget!
Flat Panel Door Makeover Inspiration
Once we decided to makeover our existing flat panel doors, I started to look into ideas and how to do it! I actually didn’t realize that this was such a popular concept! Here are a few images I came across that I loved the style of –
Almost did a shaker style like this, which would have coordinated with our Kitchen cabinets –
I just love how fun the color of this one is!
And this is the door that sold me! I love the look of the three panels. And we used their Gorilla Hot Glue tip and it worked so well!
How to Update Flat Panel Doors with Moulding
This project took some time for us to complete (mainly because of life and kids), but once you get going it really is a quick and easy project! And way cheaper than replacing the doors! I’d say we spent about $30/door (front and back) on the trim and paint, compared to about $150 a door to replace them. That saved us hundreds of dollars overall, because we had 7 doors to update upstairs, fronts and backs!
Materials:
- Trim / Moulding – we used this from Home Depot
- Miter Saw (you could also use a miter box and hand saw)
- Gorilla Hot Glue (this worked so well!)
- Sandpaper
- Spackling
- Spackling Knife
- Caulk / Caulk Gun
- Paint (get a good quality paint with primer so you don’t have to sand the doors first)
Step 1 – Measure and Plan
Measuring and calculating how much trim we needed was the hardest part! We ended up drawing the lines on the doors to make sure we liked the layout and placement.
Almost every door we have is a different width, but we stuck to some basic rules, shown below, for the design. We purchased three 8′ long moulding pieces for each side of the door.
Step 2 – Cut Moulding to Size
Because we drew the lines out on each door, we were able to measure each line before we cut the pieces of moulding, to make sure we had a perfect fit!
We used a miter saw to make 45 degree cuts. One tip that helped us make nice smooth cuts, was to go slow with the saw. And always make sure to align you saw to make the angle is correct!
Step 3 – Hot Glue Moulding To Door
This Gorilla Hot Glue is amazing! It was SO easy and fast to attach the boards to the door, and we’ve had no issues with any pieces coming loose!
Step 4 – Sand Edges
Lightly sand any rough spots or edges, and then clean up the dust with a vacuum or microfiber rag.
Step 5 – Spackle any Seams and Gaps
We used spackling to fill any gaps in the mitered corners. It works so well and isn’t noticeable at all once everything is painted, so don’t worry if your corners don’t perfectly come together because this will fill any gaps!
Let the spackling dry (wait until it turns white) and then lightly sand it to smooth it out. Again vacuum or wipe off the dust before painting!
Step 6 – Caulk Edges
Use a clear paintable caulk to go around the edges of each piece, inside and outside. Use your finger to smooth and clean up the caulk line so there isn’t too much.
Step 7 – Paint
Once the caulk is dry, paint the door! We actually painted the doors before applying the moulding, and then touched it up once the moulding was done! That way you can use a roller to apply the paint to the door before the moulding is on…it’s a little faster and easier!
The paint we chose for our trim and doors is Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige. I love the contrast of it against our walls, which are Sherwin Williams Alabaster.
We use the SW Emerald paint, which is low VOC, and is a paint/primer in one that provides excellent coverage!
We did not sand the doors before painting them and we’ve really had no issues with it. I’d definitely recommend saving your time and not sanding, unless your doors have a very glossy finish! I sanded all of the doors down at our last house, it took forever, and I don’t think it helped the paint stick any better.
Replace the Door Hardware and Hinges
The last step to updating your flat panel doors, is to replace the door knob and hinges! This is another really easy way to take the doors to the next level!
There’s a wide range of door knobs out there with prices from $20 each to over $100 each. We chose a more affordable door knob option from Amazon and are very happy with them!
I love how the square backplate works with the door moulding! I think the matte black finish is timeless and the contrast looks so pretty with the Accessible Beige paint. It also ties into other black accents throughout our house, like the Kitchen cabinet hardware and the stair railing.
Below are a few more Affordable Door Knob Options from Amazon!
Save Money By Updating Your Old Flat Panel Interior Doors!
Overall I am SO happy that we decided to update our existing flat panel interior doors! We saved hundred of dollars by not purchasing new doors, and I really love the way they turned out!
Our hallway upstairs feels completely transformed! It’s a small space, with 5 doors…so it really needed some sprucing up! This was the perfect way to update the whole feel of the hallway.
I’m actually a little bummed that we got rid of some of the main level doors now, because I would have just done this to those doors as well!
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
Laura says
Love it! I need to change out our door knobs to black too, makes such a big difference
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thank you! Yes new door knobs help so much!
McKenna says
So creative, really love this idea!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thank you!
Tracey says
This looks great and thanks so much for the detailed instructions and inspiration.
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thanks so much Tracey!
Claudia Aldrich says
Thanks for such a great tutorial! I love the door knobs! Can’t wait to change mine!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Oh thanks so much for reading!
Hannah.m.haan@gmail.com says
So impressed with how those doors came out!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thank you so much!
Nalani says
Super cute! Looks easy too!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thanks! It was so easy!
Joane says
Looks great. Love how you put in all the details.
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thank you so much!
Megan says
Very creative. Still can’t get over the floor with the wall paper. Such a cool style!!!
Chelsey says
Love it, looks awesome!
Kelly says
Did you do both sides of the doors?
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Yes, on most of them! The only ones we only did one side on were the two small linen closets.
Danielle Greco says
I can’t believe this transformation!!! Looks amazing, I want to do it to our doors here!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thank you!! You should! It was so easy!
Laura says
Wow, this looks great. We have flat panel doors on the kids bedrooms. I might try this!
Amy Walker says
They look so good!
Sarah says
Hi, What’s the name of the green color you used on the paneling in the bathroom? I love it!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Hi! The green paint color is Urban Nature from Behr
Keeley Shields says
Do you sell kits, or can you send a kit to send for my door? It’s so hard when I don’t have a saw or trust home depot lol!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
I’m sorry, I don’t! BUT I just found this one online and it looks very similar! https://luxe-architectural.com/collections/door-moulding-kits/products/three-piece-door-moulding-kit
Nicole says
I recently discover miter shears, which have helped with my fear of taking on this project! I’ve also read that you can “beef up” your hollow core doors by drilling small holes in the sides of the door and shooting spray foam insulation into the holes, filling in the door. Helps with noise and makes them a little heavier. I’m so excited for this whole project! Thank for the tips!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
I’ve heard the miter shears are really helpful and easy to use! I’m not sure if they work with wood moulding, but should definitely work with pvc moulding! And I haven’t heard the spray insulation tip but that sounds like a great idea! Thank you!
Angela says
Hi !
I have a 1965 mid century home. I Wa a planning to replace all the doors. Your instructions are so greatly appreciated.
Us too are done with kitchen remodel, new railing, new stairs and stained floors, new pocket lights, lots of paint and one bathroom remodel. Only thing we haven’t done yet is of course, the doors, master bath, front entry door. I am following you now to get more updates and great ideas. Thank you for sharing your journey with us
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
I’m so happy to hear this post was helpful! This update made such a big difference and was so much less expensive than replacing them. We still need to replace our front door too though!
Sienna says
Hi there, where did you find the floral, leaf wallpaper in this bathroom? It’s adorable!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Hi, here is the wallpaper link!
Erin says
Hi!
Did you happen to do any sliding hollow core closet doors?
I love your choices – exactly what I’ve been searching for!!
On your narrow door in the hallway – you kept with the 4.5” space around each panel?
Thanks!
Sprucing Up Mamahood says
Thanks! Yes we kept the same spacing on the smaller door so they panels are smaller. And yes we have sliding closet doors but didn’t add the moulding to those.