A couple of days later, she posted this – her Front Door Makeover

Simple, yes – but also quick, cheap and really effective.  She’s a renter, and while most renters would just live with an unsightly front entrance, we’re really impressed that she put in a bit of time and effort to freshen it up.  (Um, to be honest, I own my place and haven’t given my front door any love whatsoever.  The irony isn’t lost on me…)

Great job, Jen!  Thanks for sharing.

PS – this is a reproduction door knocker, so if you like it we have one for you too!

We found this panel a couple of years ago on a rooftop in Cairo, as the sun was setting - I’m a sucker for romantic tales of procurement.  Down below was an ‘urban farm’ operation on one side , and a holding pen of old doors and mosque tiles on the other – do any look familiar?  We brought a lot of those doors and tiles home!  This is actually the back of the panel, but I didn’t know it at the time.

There was a bit of a love-at-first-sight situation, and my first thought was to use it as a headboard but it turned out to be slightly narrow for that.  I didn’t have another wall big enough for it at the time, so it just sat burried in our aptly-named ’room of keepage’ in the basement of the store.  Two years later, I have a living room with a big wall and finally an opportunity to use the panel.  We installed it last night and I love it:

In this day and age where so many home furnishings are recognizeable from one big-box store or another, it’s particularly important to balance the mass-market, one-size-fits-all aspect with some truly special pieces to make your space your own.

First lesson: Know your spindles.  There are three common types of spindles, and all three have slightly different instructions.  From left to right, the most common are threaded spindles followed by drilled spindles and three-piece spindles.

Threaded Spindles

If you have threaded spindles, start by loosening the set screws on one knob and twist the knob counter-clockwise until it has come off the spindle.  Pull the other knob, still attached to the spindle, out of the door.  Inspect the threads to make sure nothing looks mangled either on the spindle or inside the knob, and if anything looks rusty you can spray a little WD-40 to smooth things out.  Thread the knob back on and tighten the set screw onto the flat part of the spindle.  This is the most important part…do not tighten the set screw down onto the threads as this will damage the threads and in time your knob will be wiggling and falling off.  Repeat with other knob.  When you come to re-install your doorknobs, attach one knob first with the set screw in the right place, then insert the spindle through the door and screw on the second knob, making sure that the set screw lines up with the one on the other side so that you know it is not on the threads.  You get bonus style points if you have the set screws facing down so that they’re hidden from view.

Note: If by pulling and wiggling you can remove a knob from a threaded spindle without actually twisting it, it means that the threads of either the spindle or the knob or both are ruined, and you will likely need to replace either the spindle or the knob or both.  Bring both knobs and spindle in to us and we’ll see what we can do to help.   

Drilled Spindles

If you have drilled spindles, the set screws can only be screwed into pre-drilled holes on the spindle.  Sometimes, if the set screws have come out and been replaced with new screws that have the wrong thread, the holes in the spindles become worn and won’t hold the screw.  In this case bring us the spindle and the knobs and we can replace your spindle and set screws.  If the set screws tighten nicely but the pre-drilled holes aren’t in quite the right place, we sell little washers that can fill the gap - one or two is usually enough to keep the knobs from wiggling back and forth.

 Three-Piece Spindles

Three piece spindles are exactly that – three long pieces that are held together by a pin through one of the knobs.  This kind of spindle only requires a set screw on one knob, and because the knob can only go on one way the set screw will always be in the right place!  If you are having any troubles with door knobs being loose with this kind of spindle, loosen the set screw, push the door knob towards the door so it’s a little tighter, then re-tighten the set screw.  This set-up usually has the fewest problems, but we do have replacement three-piece spindles as well as set screws and pins if you should need them.

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If you are in need of replacement pieces, set screws cost from $2 – $5, most vintage spindles are $10 and vintage knobs start at $20 (we can match most pre-1940s knobs from the Toronto area).

Contrary to popular belief, andirons (also known as fire dogs) are not purely decorative pieces designed to flank a fire basket, nor are they pretty log holders for beside the mantle.  No, andirons are actually designed to serve a very practical purpose.  They are used instead of a fire basket to allow good air flow around logs, which helps the fire burn and minimizes smoke. 

To use, simply place the two andirons the desired distance apart, depending on the length of the logs you are using.   Lay the logs across and, with a little boy scout know-how, voila!  The decorative vertical uprights are not just pretty, they’re there to hold the logs in place should one decide to take a tumble.

We’ve got lots of vintage andirons, from sweet and dainty to strong and chunky…the kind I’d imagine in a big stone fireplace in the country…with a couple of wingback chairs, a hardcover classic and a glass of wine…but I digress.  Here are some photos:

Quick idea: I recently stumbled upon this chalkboard door idea at Apartment Therapy‘s post New Takes on Old Doors.  All you need is a six-panel door and a little chalkboard paint or even better magnetic paint and you’ve got an easy project to get kids organized and ready for school (I know, it’s only just starting to feel like summer…)  Also featured were table tops, headboards (instructions at Martha Stewart here), and the vanity mirror pictured below, with full instructions at This Old House.