Split Level Hallway's of Darkness

AFTER PHOTO

It was time to tackle both of the hallways of darkness in our split level. This 1970's dark brown and outdated brass hardware was always on my list to paint but I knew the project would be an undertaking. 

BEFORE PHOTO

1.) Update the bottom trim that was touching the floor 

This step includes getting the extra wide painters tape and taping off the the part of the trim that touches the wall as well the part the is buried into the carpet. You could also remove the trim all together and paint it somewhere else. I chose to do it attached to the wall. You need to wedge the painters tape in under the trim the best that you can but it is tricky since the carpet is in the way. Plan that you will get some paint on the carpet and be prepared to either wipe down immediately or trim the spot off with some sharp scissors (I did both!).

2.) Remove all the hardware from the doors

I choose to keep the doors on the hinges and just paint right over the hinges but would replace the knobs. Some doors were in pretty bad shape around the bottom corners so I used some liquid wood filler to fill in the cracks.

3.) Sand down every surface with 250 grade sandpaper

This is messy especially with the number of doors I had to do. I used a plastic tarp to help catch any dust and vacuumed a bunch when I was done. I also used a wet cloth to wipe down every surface to get rid of the dust that had stayed behind.

4.) Prime everything (2-3 coats)

Given how dark this wood color was I knew my best bet would be to apply 2-3 coats of interior wood primer to help act as a base as well as NOT force me to waste my expensive paint on all those layers. 

5.) Paint everything

I used my go-to Sherwin Williams Snowbound white enamel semi-gloss paint. This stuff is sturdy and I hope on these doors it can stand up to my kids destruction. 

6.) Install the knobs

I loved the Copper Creek Black Matte knobs I found on Amazon. They were such a great price I bought them for every door in my house so they would all match.

The white color really brightened up these dark hallways. I am very happy how they turned out. One day I will replace these hollow core doors with solid core doors. All together this project took me 2 long weekends and cost me $116 for the door knobs and $100 for the paint / primer.

Next project for the hallways will be to scrape the popcorn ceilings and update the flooring.