Creating a new dining table from an old door You have probably at one time walked around an old town, noticed some interesting antique doors, and wanted to have a one at home. But then there is the question of where to put it. A trend in the interior design of dining rooms is reusing old doors to give the room a unique and vintage look. Choosing a dining table is often a challenge, as this is not only the table where you eat, but also the heart of everything that happens in the dining room or kitchen. You can actually make a new dining table from an old door yourself. This is a fairly simple and quick DIY project! To make a dining table out of a door, first choose an old or worn-out wooden door that would suit your dining room. When choosing the door, pay particular attention to its condition. We do not recommend choosing wooden doors that are falling apart or infested by parasites that have caused irreparable damage to the wooden surface. Once you have a suitable wooden door, it’s time to find legs for your table. For the legs of your new dining table, you can use parts of a wooden fence, metal trestles or order custom legs made by a local carpenter. If you decide to make your own legs or trestles, you must ensure that they are the same height. What is needed to create a dining table from an old door? To assemble a dining table from an old door, you will need the following materials: Wooden doors 4 (or more depending on your desired final look) legs or trestles Sandpaper Screws or nails Drill Brush Belinka wood coatings Procedure: Before starting to make your dining table from a wooden door, remove the door handle and lock. Check if the wood is dry, as otherwise it cannot be processed. Sand the wooden door’s surface with sandpaper to keep the wood clean and ready for further processing. The next step depends on the condition of the wooden door’s surface. If it isn’t very worn, use a stain coating, where the structure of the wood will be visible. If you have a more worn wooden surface, first apply Belinka Exterier Primer wood primer and then the Belinka Exterier Enamel topcoat. Use a drill to make holes along the upper sides of the wooden legs or trestles of the dining table; you can drill additional holes for more stability. Use screws or nails to connect the legs of the table with the wooden door. Belinka’s additional tip: If you have chosen a wooden door that is not completely flat or has some incisions which you’d like to avoid, you can place a sheet of glass the size of the door on the upper surface of your new dining table. A dining table made of an antique wooden door can also be part of your garden furniture. Here you will need to adequately protect the wooden surface from external factors such as weathering and pests. You can also paint the antique door’s wooden surface with Belinka wood paints, which will leave a special mark on your new dining table. You can choose a colour to match your rest of your dining room furniture, or if you feel more adventurous, you can also choose vibrant colours that will attract your visitors’ attention and give the space additional character. Protecting an indoor table To protect the door, use the water-based woodstain Belinka Interier, which is specially designed for coating wooden surfaces indoors. Interier does not have an unpleasant odour; it protects the wood and emphasizes its structure. Mix the woodstain well before use. Apply in two coats using a brush (we recommend using quality brushes for water coatings). For the first layer, thin Interier with water (up to 10%), as this will facilitate its application. The surface will look better if it is lightly sanded and dusted after applying the first coat of the woodstain. Only apply the next layer once the first is dry. Coat the wood along the wood grain. While working and drying, the temperature of the surface, paint and environment should be above 10 °C. The relative humidity in the air must be below 80%. Avoid coating in strong sunlight. The coating dries quickly, especially at high temperatures and low air humidity. To achieve a fuller appearance, you can apply a third coat in the same shade or a colourless one (Interier 61 – naturally translucent). If you want the surface to be glossy, use Belinka Interier varnish for the final coat. Belinka Interier is available in 11 basic colour shades and naturally translucent (colourless). Some sales outlets offer the possibility to prepare an additional 76 colour shades based on the Belinka mix colour chart. Individual colour shades can be mixed together, creating even more options. Beautiful pastel shades in particular are created by combining basic shades with Interier 73 – creamy white. Protecting a table outdoors To protect a table outdoors, we recommend first using Belinka Impregnant biocidal impregnation, followed by two coats of Belinka Exterier stain. Follow the same instructions as for the Belinka Interier stain. For very worn surfaces, use topcoats with the corresponding wood primer. When coating oak, chestnut or conifers that have a lot of knots, we recommend using 2 coats of primer. This is followed by 1-2 coats of Belinka Exterier Enamel.
