A Table from a Door

Thrifting WonderlandPhotography, Room makeover, Tutorial29 Comments on A Table from a Door

Welcome to the blog today, Friends, I’m so happy you stopped by. Hope you had a wonderful New Year and are looking forward to 2024 and all the wonderful times ahead. Today I want to share with you a project that came together over the holidays. We all have lots of projects in the works but some of the most important happen between Fathers and Daughters. Today’s Blog is about a recent project that centers around an antique Egyptian door.

Our daughter was getting ready to move into a new apartment and was looking for a table that would fit the new space. The Loft apartment was a bit like a New Orleans “Shotgun” plan where you walk from one room to the other in a straight line. She wanted a table that would seat 4 – 6 people, double as a work area or buffet table and not take up too much width. She thought a tall but narrow door might meet the requirements. So we headed to a vintage market/salvage store to see what they might have and…she found an antique Egyptian door that she loved.

The door was a weathered stone pine with some rusted hardware and hinges that gave it additional character. You can see the door in the picture above. It measured 7′ 8″ by about 15″, long and narrow just as she envisioned. The door had never been painted and was in its natural honey pine tones with some weathering that had taken place over the years.

Her Dad said that, of course, he could turn this door into a table for her that would be exactly what she wanted for her space and would fit in with the antique industrial “vibe” she wanted.

He had a few challenges to overcome: the actual door couldn’t be compromised; the door had a variety of levels including the rusted latch that had to be turned into a level surface for dining; 4-6 people had to be able to sit at the table; legs had to be attached to the table to raise it to the correct height.

So, Dad made a frame that he could set the door in that allowed for the height of the latch. the legs could be screwed into the frame and not compromise the door. In the picture above you can see the frame with a routed edge. The door fits nicely into the frame and is protected. The frame was made from poplar that would take a light stain.

The edge shows how the pieces were screwed together. Wooden plugs were placed over the screws which added a nice wooden finish but also some old world interest. An additional piece was added to the base to give added support when the legs were added. The legs give an industrial look to the table but keep it nice and sleek.

There are cutouts on either side of the table to make it easy to take the door out of the frame without compromising the door or the frame.

Here you can see how the door fits snugly into the frame and allows for the raised height of the door latch.

A 1/4 inch piece of glass was ordered for the top of the table and rested on the groove created in the frame to support the glass. When the glass arrived it wasn’t perfectly rectangular as specified so the routed edge had to be adjusted to fit the glass. In the picture above you can also see the wooden plugs that fit in over the screws.

When all the fitting was completed the frame was stained to match the door and other antique stone pine pieces that are in the apartment. It took a couple of coats and then some drying time.

The frame was antiqued to better match the age of the door without compromising the support needed for the door and glass. The chairs were added and fit nicely under the table without creating a wider presence. The table fits beautifully in the space and…most importantly…our daughter loved it.

The project took awhile to complete as we had a few interruptions but it looks really good in the space. Our daughter hosted Thanksgiving dinner in her new apartment and the table worked great. She also uses it for a buffet space and an additional prep space, if she needs it.

Everyone was happy with the results…including the dog. Emily has a unique piece of furniture, made by her Dad, that she can use for a long time to come. Thanks for stopping by and sharing this project with me. It was a great way to start the new year.