Studio Moore

When we bought the house, our internal doors were primed white with marks on them. I’ve always wanted the Victorian style doors in black but with a lot more important things at the forefront of our budget, 13+ new doors wasn’t top of the agenda. But I was determined to try get this style for less!

I did some research and figured out the best way to revamp our current doors. Scuffing them with sandpaper, a lot of sugar soap and a good primer were the 3 main tips I came across.

We went with the Fleetwood Traditional Undercoat Black as our primer and Fleetwood Advanced Quick Dry Satin Black. I had a look at a couple of brands but they both seemed to be best in regards to longevity. I can say one year in, not a single chip in any door and so easy to wipe clean from any marks.

Finally, I hate seeing upcycled projects with brushstrokes in them. I just feel it takes away from the effect of the wood or other surfaces being revamped. A friend recommended we try Two Fuss Blokes rollers for any wood priming and painting we were doing and they were incredible! I have also tried their brush and it is equally as impressive!

I started by prepping all the doors and letting the sugar soap dry. I decided to prime all doors first to allow the primer a decent drying time. Because we used the black primer, we actually got away with just one coat of the Quick Dry Satin paint (4 weeks to our due date and carpets being fitted in 2, so time wasn’t on our side!).

I tried a different brand to paint the saddle boards as I thought it would be more of a stain and therefore longer wearing. But this wasn’t the case, and seemed to be a similar effect to the doors. Unfortunately it hasn’t wore half as well and I am hoping to remove this paint soon and use the Fleetwood stuff.

In fact, we have been so impressed with the wear and tear of the Fleetwood paint we are currently upgrading the kitchen table & chairs with the same stuff. But more on that later!