You know those friends you have that can do anything…like super talented at most everthing.  That would be my friend John.   I think he may have honed into more of his skills to save money since his wife, Lori, tends to love all things Pottery Barn.  John’s montra ‘build it and they will come’…who are ‘they’, again that question remains but I think it’s more the montra ‘happy wife happy life’.

He recently built a barn door for their bedroom rather than a typical window covering.  Lori, talented in her own right with refinishing skills, painted it to get it the distressed look she loves and works well for décor of their home.

Lori’s vision for furniture and ‘saving’ a piece, getting that distressed look just right amazes me.  Maybe it’s taking the time to research and do it right, maybe it’s therapeutic…either way I can’t say it’s my gift or talent BUT it definitely is Lori’s.

As we were adding onto our home,  my studio space has a walk in closet of sorts.  And although I didn’t want to hide everything in it, we did in fact need some kind of door.   We were researching a set of barn doors…they seemed to be the right answer as they fit our space and work as an alternative backdrop…I mean versatility is key right?

John, being the talented guy he is, said ‘oh ya I can make those for you’….whaaaat?  Are you kidding?  Um yes please!  So we worked it out…and voila…he built 2 amazing doors.   Now I had to stain them.  So for anyone that knows me, I maybe creative when it comes to photography but I am no painter or master decorator! 

Between Lori’s ideas and my other friend Danielle, who in fact is an interior decorator and has her own company called NEST…we came up with a way to stain them that was not too daunting (I say that now that they are done).

Lori suggested a vinegar and steel wool process.  So of course with Google being my friend I looked up the ‘recipe’ and tried to follow it.  I seemed to have soaked my steel wool too long so my solution was rather rusty looking but I proceeded anyway and rubbed the solution all over the doors.   Well needless to say my doors looked ORANGE…yes this is what happens when I take on a DIY project.  Danielle being the expert decorator, stainer, painter etc. etc. etc….she came to the rescue. 

First we took a pail of water and a wet cloth and  wiped the doors off…removing as much of the orange coloring that seemed to turn powder like from the solution.  This left us with a decent base color.

Then we took a few different colors of stain, American walnut, Dark Walnut and Gray, one at a time on our cloth, rubbing it on, then using a wet cloth to wipe it off.  Wiping different colors on and off with a super wet cloth over and over.  This works the stain in without it being too ‘paint like’ and allows you to get it into the grain of the wood and some of the corners.  Once done we put a clear satin coating over both sides of the doors.

I have to say Danielle is a great teacher, encouraging me all the way that I could handle the project, and that I could pull late night hours to get it done!  When I wanted to quit, she would lie and say ‘We are almost done’…Thank you Danielle! (And thank you that there are no photos of us and our late night work projects!!)

We ordered the hanging hardware from Ebay and our contractor Kevin, of Nixon Construction hung them in the studio.  I am so grateful for everyone who helped with these and for Bob carrying them wherever I needed to finish the process!!  

If you are interested in doors like this, please let me know and I can get you in touch with John.   For any interior decorating needs do NOT hesitate to contact Danielle Erickson 425.750.7607.