#Vintage & Antique Doors

[vintagehomecollection]

The Los Angeles House: Decoration and Design in America's 20th-Century City, 1995

[coffee-n-cacti]

Absolutely obsessed with this vintage kissing door knocker we found!

[glancingeye]

Your jungle in a house

[scoutingthetrooper]

[pearl-kite]

So I came to the realization today that I am not going to get anymore work on this trunk done this year. I still need to finish stripping the paper inside and redoing that, but it's just. Not happening until spring. With that realization, I decided it's time to finally bring it back inside, put all the junk on my floor that used to be in it back in it, and guys

It looks good.

This is going to be a summary post of the project, so let's go back and remember what I started with. Back in, like, 2015 or something, I bought this dome-top steamer trunk at a missionary shop for $65

Yeah. Rough. But underneath that paint it was sturdy, and the only thing missing was the lock and the right-side hasp. While I lived overseas this sat in my parents' house, and when I got back I kept meaning to do something while storing all of my yarn and cat food in it. When I finally got my own space (almost a year ago now!) with my own garage, I finally decided: it was time.

Heads up, this is a long post under the cut.

Did a lot of research online, grew to hate how generative AI has even permeated niche topics like how to refinish a vintage steamer trunk, WHY is there generative AI for that, PLEASE stop, went to Lowe's and bought some supplies (I used Citristrip for the paint stripping, it worked VERY easily), and started stripping that hideous brown* away.

Almost instantly I could tell how good it could be. The tin looked amazing, and for most of the stripping process I wondered why on earth someone would cover it with any color. It took multiple layers of stripping, and I got better at it over time.

I did also start to see some oxidation issues with the tin that made the purpose behind the paint job a little more understandable.

One side was particularly bad, but I will never forgive the decision to paint the entire thing one single color.

At first, the flat metal seemed okay, but the longer I worked on stripping, the longer it was exposed to air, the rustier it started to get. I had already planned on coating it, and I ended up getting some Rust-Oleum Rust Reformer spray paint. Instead of removing the rust, it bonds to the oxide and stops the process from continuing. It also happens to leave it a nice matte black that didn't need additional painting. I taped everything off, then sprayed.

Then it was time for the tin. I looked for ideas, and the best one I found was Rub'n'Buff. It's not so much a paint as a pigmented wax, with the idea that you can buff it to a higher shine. As I was stripping paint, I found a spot under one of the slats that the painter missed, and the original tin had been painted a gold color, so I used that to decide on color. I decided on Grecian gold, though I used the antique gold as a kind of base to make sure the Grecian stretched far enough.

I originally started applying it with some craft foam brushes, but they didn't really want to work for me, so I ended up buying a pack of makeup sponges, the little disposable wedge ones, and the finer texture worked much better. I had to trim them down pretty frequently, because the wax would build up and stop applying as nicely, but there were more than enough in the pack to finish the job.

The coverage is amazing for this stuff. This side was the worst of them, and one layer of the stuff was almost perfect. The Grecian gold was almost a bit runnier, though, and ended up needing a second layer to cover some patches that were almost too thin, thus the other underneath.

This tin is so pretty though. I still kind of regret that it needed it; the places that weren't oxidized were so bright in a way that the Rub'n'Buff had no hope of emulating. There are some places you can still buy the embossed tin for rehabing trunks like this, but I haven't found one with a pattern quite like this, and this one is so much nicer than the ones I've seen. I'm very glad that it was all intact except for where the lock goes.

After the tin came the slats. I knew from sites like Brettun's Village that I wanted to use tung oil, so I had bought what I thought was tung oil. Turns out Minwax gets to call their tung oil finish that even though there's. No... tung oil. in it. ? So uh, if you want actual tung oil, do NOT listen to Minwax, they're lying, I don't understand why it's allowed. It still looks nice enough, but quite annoying.

Speaking of Brettun's Village, they not only do their own restorations AND provide a guide, they have a very extensive supply of recently furbished and original parts. They happened to have a nearly identical hasp to the one that was missing (so nearly identical I only noticed after my dad pointed it out) and an old lock also similar to my original, made in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

The next step was to tackle the inside. Instead of just adding more paper on top (like the last people did, so now there are two layers, one of which hides some original stickers ;3;), I decided to try to scrape that out, and I've found some structural issues that the metal and slats outside have held together and kept hidden.

The top split in the wood is an actual crack on the front that needs fixing. The middle split is just the gap between the planks. The bottom is also a crack, but not as extensive as the top one.

So the final steps, when I get the motivation again come spring, is to finish getting as much of the paper off as I can. Then my dad is going to help me use some bondo to hold the cracks, and I'll find a removable wallpaper I like. Then I can sort out what I'm going to do with the lock. That top split runs right through where the lock should go - you can see some of the wood filler we already put in from where the original was ripped out - so we can't try to put anything there or it'll crack worse.

But I brought it in today!

It looks so good, I glance over and get to feel so satisfied; I did that.

*I don't like to call any color hideous, because a lot of the time it really depends on the context, and it's an okay brown. But for THIS? It was probably the worst brown they could have picked. Mixed with the orange of the paint stripper it looked like I was scraping diarrhea.

[angelkarafilli]

Antique fuchsia wooden entrance door with a vintage pewter handle in Bergheim, Alsace France.

[life-spire]

[moonandtrees]

[veeveetheheretic]

angel door.

[vintagehomecollection]

Southern Interiors, 1988

[sh-photogallery]

This black and white picture of an old wooden door was taken in the former mining town Humberstone in the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile

[glancingeye]

City in a bungalow

[goldenstorm0]

Went antiqueing today!

My sister was looking for Christmas decorations, I was looking for a new cup for matcha

I also looked for fountain pens. There was a sheaffer school pen, but in a color I already have, so I passed on it today. I think the was a sheaffer pencil, but the tip looked busted up. There was also a pen made from a bullet or made to look like a bullet, kind wished I looked closer at that but maybe next time.

There was this lovely lantern, and it looked to be in really good condition, but it was waaay out of budget ($45, I only really had $15 to spare). I'm pretty sure you can find similar quality for cheaper? but I'm not very versed in lantern lore so it could be a steal

There was also this cute end table. I knew a family who's toilet paper golder was a statue of a gnome holding his nose, I think these would go cute together

There was a couple of mimeographs! I could get one to turn, but the other one wouldn't, I didn't push too it too far though. It smelled weirdly wonderful though, like old ink (obviously). I think it would be fun to get one and fix it up, use it to make fun flyers or something, sadly that is also out of budget but maybe one day...

there were embalming funnels...

MOOSE

There were 3 different singer sewing machines, and a universal sewing machine. They were absolutely lovely, plus I think the universe is trying to convince me to take up sewing. It's on my magically list of things I want try, but right now getting a rigid heddle loom is a bit higher

But I did get my cup! It came with a matching saucer. I still need to test it for lead just incase, so sending good vibes to the universe, please, I want to feel cute while I drink tea. I tried to get a picture where it looked like my cat was drinking out of it, but she wanted to play instead

I also got this nice leather book cover, it should fit standard a5 notebooks. I need to replace the trimming on the edges, but I think it's rafia so it'll be an easy fix. Please ignore all the random stuff on my bed, I may have spilt coffee in my bag and had to get everything out lmao

[sagradofemenin0]

“Church Door”, by Key West.

[lakeville-lolita]

beautiful old glass doorknob in abandoned morgue

[indiatrendzs]

Stories of Antique Indian Doors, Rustic Carved Teak Doors

Antique Indian doors and rustic carved teak doors are truly captivating pieces that carry with them the rich tapestry of Indian craftsmanship and history. Each Antique door serves as a timeless portal to a bygone era, showcasing intricate carvings, vibrant hues, and a deep-rooted cultural significance. Facebook @mogulinteriorr Follow us on Instagram @mogulinterior  These majestic doors have…