How To Update Old Interior Doors DIY

How to update old interior doors with this super quick, easy DIY guide. Bring new life to those old interior doors!

If your home is anything like mine, it came with plain, flat hollow core doors. The people who lived here before me also LOVED the color brown. Everything, and I mean everything, was brown. The walls. The floors. The tile. The backsplash. So clearly our first order of business after we moved in was to repaint the entire house in a beautiful light cool gray color.

It then became very noticeable that the doors, door frames, and baseboards needed updating as well. They had a dirty, off-white appearance so I knew I wanted to freshen them up with a crisp white. I also refinished all my baseboards to match the beautiful new interior doors.

The Color

Since I chose to do a pop of color on my DIY interior front door makeover, I decided to keep the rest of the doors simple and classic.

After much research and debating, I decided on Behr Ultra Pure White for this project. It was perfect to update the old interior doors, door frames, and baseboards.

The color is a true white that really brightens up the space and would go beautifully with any wall color. Also, it can be found in the Home Depot paint aisle ready-to-go so you don’t have to wait for them to mix it up for you!

Painting the Trim

With the door removed, I first painted all the surrounding baseboards and door frame. I used this wood filler to repair any imperfections and then wiped them clean before applying two coats of paint.

I have to admit, painting the baseboards seemed like a daunting task to me. But once I got started, I was able to paint a lot more than I thought in such a short amount of time. To read the full step by step instructions for refinishing baseboards, check out this post.

The picture below shows the old door compared to the new, crisp white trim. I can’t believe all of my trim and doors used to be that ugly off-white color! It is amazing how such a simple old interior door upgrade makes such a HUGE difference.

Painting the Doors

I started by taking the door off the frame and removing all of the hardware. This is because I also updated the old door hardware to give it a clean, modern look.. all for less than $10! If you are leaving the hardware as-is, you can leave the door on its hinges.

Then you will want to make sure the door is nice and clean before you start. Use a damp cloth with a bit of cleaner or soap to remove all dirt and buildup. I also recommend doing a light sanding once that dries, especially if the door has a glossy finish on it already. Sanding really helps make sure your new paint will adhere nicely without peeling.

For each interior door, I gave it two coats of paint before re-attaching the hardware. I tried to get away with one coat, but after holding it up to the frame again I could tell that it needed another one to get to the same bright white color. I also recommend using a nice foam roller to apply the paint in a nice even coat.

If you want to add even more detail to your interior door makeover, then see my DIY updated front door. In this project, I added decorative trim and a pop of color to really elevate the look and make it stand out.

And just like that, the door is complete! It went from an old, flat hollow core door to a bright, modern updated look in less than $20.

Let me know if you liked this how to update old interior doors DIY makeover!