The easiest flat panel door update ever!

Throughout the life of this blog you've witnessed many DIY door transformations, like my salvaged wood look…

My frosted and decaled laundry room door…

Or perhaps my favorite, the budget-friendly plain to paneled door:

But when it came time to update the garage door, I wanted to try something different. Something even faster and easier. So I took to Pinterest for inspiration and found this tutorial right away:

If you watched my very first vlog a couple days ago, you saw snippets of this process in action, but I also wanted to provide a step by step breakdown. I can't seem to find a proper Before photo of the inside of the door, but here's a sliver of it from the beginning of time, to jog your memory:

Just your average plain Jane flat paneled door. The garage side had been painted brown and was even more of an eye sore:

Step 1: Find your molding. This can really be whatever your heart desires. I needed five 8′ long pieces wanted to keep costs down, so my best bet was this "drip cap" trim—the cheap lightweight polystyrene stuff at Lowe's.

The underside wasn't flat which was not ideal, but it was the best compromise I could find so I made it work. I also picked up a tube of liquid nails to attach it (I decided this made more sense than nailing it).

Once my pieces were unloaded, it was time to measure and cut. Again, you can do whatever you want here. After some research I concluded that most doors in this style have a taller rectangle on top and a smaller one below, so I followed suit, making my measurements and miter cuts.

This part can be tricky for you novice miter-ers, particularly because you have to be mindful of the direction the molding is facing since it's not a simple flat piece of wood. The grooves all have to line up, which means 45° left cuts on one end and a 45° right cut on the other. If I had made one incorrectly facing or improperly measured cut I would have been in the car headed back to Lowe's, but fortunately this isn't my first miter rodeo so I took my time and double checked each piece. It worked like a charm.

Here's some advice which I've learned (the hard way) over the years for perfect miters:

1. Measure to the outside of the cut, triple check your mark and use a saw with a laser


2. Cut on the outside of the laser line, not directly on it to account for blade width


3. Make sure the saw base is locked into the angle you set it to so it doesn't shift


4. Make sure the trim is lying flat and flush up against the gate


5. Pay attention to the direction the molding is facing!

Here's my final pieces—four at 33″, four at 26″, eight at 20″.

I measured where the molding would  align on the center of the door and used a big level with a straight edge to mark my lines. You could also just use a yardstick/ruler and a level separately but this saves a step.

Apparently I was too busy snapchatting/instagramming/filming my progress to take photos of this part but it's pretty self explanatory. One piece at a time—the order doesn't matter.

I applied beads of liquid nails along the backside…

I had to go back in later and fill in a few gaps where it was loose so I'd suggest using a bit more than I did. Any excess was wiped away with a damp sponge before it dried.

To keep the molding secure against the door and prevent shifting, I used painters tape to hold it in place.

And here's the front side….

Finally, I caulked the miter joints (crucial step!). Caulking the edges alongside the door isn't necessary.

The next day everything was dry and ready for paint, so I applied a few coats of the same black I use on all my doors—Valspar's Dark Kettle Black (in exterior grade gloss, just for the extra durability)

Boom. Easiest door makeover yet, under $20 too.

Then as you can see, I wasted no time painting the walls using Gray Silt from Valspar's Reserve line—the same paint used on the guest bathroom walls. The lighting in here is cooler so the paint looks much grayer than the warm taupe undertones from the guest bath, but it's a beautiful color either way.

Also… this happened less than 24 hours ago (which you saw in real time if you follow me @ jennasuedesign on snapchat!)

These glass doors were actually my third choice—they ran out of my first and second at Ikea but now that they're in, I couldn't be happier. The glass makes it look more high end and also opens the room up, and  can't wait to fill it up with bins and baskets and pretties.

This room is just about halfway done, so hopefully in the next two weeks I can check it off the list and begin the big master bath transformation. Exciting things ahead! Don't forget to check back mid next week for Vlog Episode 2

The next chapter: An announcement

Five years ago I started this blog to document a house renovation. It began as a medium to share ideas and tutorials through words and images, and eventually to help and inspire others on their mission to create a home they love.

Then everything changed, and it became a place where deeper thoughts and experiences were captured—where memories were recorded with the goal of not only connecting with others on a human level, but to archive a personal journey so it wouldn’t be forgotten. So that I’d never forget the moments that changed my reality, and my life forever.

I embraced vulnerability—exposing my weaknesses while finding my strengths and being honest about both the good and the bad. I became a storyteller. Through this I realized the importance of immortalizing these moments of inspiration and clarity and significance so they could continue to live within me—so they wouldn’t become fleeting memories which faded into oblivion.

Once on this path of memory preservation and documentation, there’s no turning back. Not only do we crave proof of our existence that succeeds our mortality, but we’re wired to communicate with each other—to enter into a shared mutuality by bringing others into our own reality and letting them experience life through our eyes. We all crave to understand and be understood.

Intention and meaning are often invisible within words on a page. A simplified, two dimensional narrative is merely one layer of the story, leaving room for misinterpretation. Given this incomplete puzzle, we have a tendency to fill in the blanks with our own biases and assumptions. Messages become lost.

There’s a better way to communicate. A more powerful medium to connect to others, to resonate deeply within us by physically altering our biochemistry, and a path I’ve decided to pursue: Cinema. Visual storytelling and art in motion. Within the fusion of images and sound lies our greatest portal of communication—a catalyst for empathy, awareness and change.

It took turning my life upside down and traveling across the world to see life through a new lens, gain an unfiltered sense of clarity and realize my true passion. Just like anything in life, starting from ground zero requires time, patience and dedication. I’m in it for the long haul though, and just last week I made a decision to take the first step with a weekly vlog.

It’s not meant to be perfect, rather a reflection of reality as I see and feel it. The format may evolve over time but for now it’s a string of brief moments throughout my week—from morning rituals to DIY projects to blogging and road trips and everything in between. I want to be able to reflect back on this season of my life and vividly remember the every day details… the way Biscuit curls up in my bed, how the sun rises over the fog in my backyard, how hard I worked to sand and stain and varnish a piece of furniture to perfection. It’s the small pieces that compose the big picture, and I’m inviting you into my world to experience it with me, one week at a time. Watch Episode 1 here:

Part of this new path means I've decided not to continue traveling indefinitely. It was not an easy decision at all and one that part of me still struggles with (a topic on its own), but I have to trust my intuition that it's what's best for me right now. Travel will still always be an important part of my life and I'll find opportunities to explore this world, but my attention and focus have been shifted to new goals with the future in mind.

There are some major life changes on the way, and those will all play out through these weekly vlogs. After the home renovations are complete, I plan to focus more on filming, and also updating this blog with a link to each new video—perhaps supplementing the story with additional commentary. If you’d like to stay up to date, make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel for new episodes along with future film projects that I’m especially looking forward to.

It’s the next chapter of life, friends. I hope you’re out there striving to push your own limits of creativity and personal growth. Amazing things are born from passionate risks.

Master Bath Vanity Refinish & House Progress

Hello blogland, checking in with a Friday progress report!

I've been working behind the scenes (talking to contractors, ordering products, planning and scheduling, etc) so that everything runs smoothly *fingers crossed* when it all kicks into high gear. But there hasn't been much visible change in the home renovation lately, which explains the lack of posting.

On that note, you may notice things start to shift here. With all of the changes I've experienced in every facet of my life in recent months, a lot of evaluating and re-evaluating has taken place. While I've committed to being more open to new paths and exploring many options, I'm finally headed in a direction that feels very right. Decisions have been made and plans put into action… and I can't wait to take you along on this new journey with me as it unfolds.

One of these decisions has been aiming to connect with you more through social media channels to fill the void between posts. There's something exciting and more personable about real-time content sharing, and I'm always active there, for those of you who have been wondering where I've been!

Instagram has always been my favorite platform..

I recently joined Snapchat as well, and it's been fun to share the day-to-day moments in my life. Bonus: the videos make it so easy to share live DIY projects in action—much quicker than hours spent photographing, editing & writing a tutorial post! Make sure to follow me if you're active:

While we're on the subject of sharing, I spotted my guest bathroom in Country Living Mag's Jan/Feb issue a few days ago!

I can still remember the numbness and pain in my legs after 2 straight days of tiling that floor. It was truly a labor of love and it's such a great feeling to know that the efforts paid off.

And now I'm back in the trenches again with another bathroom remodel. Last week my demo guy came over to take care of a few quick fixes around the house. The door to the bathroom and the old laundry room are no longer needed, so he removed and reframed the openings with fresh trim.

Let's talk about this old laundry room for a second. When we first moved in it looked like this:

We kept our washer/dryer in there until creating a new laundry room downstairs, then removed the cabinets and left it as a storage area for a while. The master bathroom is on the other side of the back wall, so the original plan was to move that wall in to gain space in the bathroom. Financially it didn't make sense though, so Plan B is to create a purposeful, built in storage/desk/command center area from it. The door leads to the garage so it's the perfect place for a drop-zone, and you can never have too much storage in a house, right?

Here's what it looks like at the moment:

On Monday the plumber is coming by to remove the fixtures so we have a blank slate to work with. And tomorrow, the goal is to head to Ikea to pick up two of these upper cabinets…

Along with one lower cabinet…

And a countertop:

I may change my mind on the exact style once I'm there in person, but I want to keep it simple and bright. I'll have a neutral, affordable tile floor installed, paint the walls and door, add a few organizational accessories and hopefully end up with a big bang for my buck.

Now, back to the bathroom. In my last post, I presented the plan along with a design board which still has the green light. I found a dresser at a local thrift store and have spent the last couple weeks slowly transforming it.

Here's how it looked when I spotted it in the store:

Then after I began sanding the old paint and varnish away:

Of course if you're on instagram and/or snapchat, you may have seen the videos in real time!

And after sanding…

I loved the way my guest bathroom vanity turned out, and this dresser was built very close to the same way so I knew I could achieve similar results with my Maison Blanche products.

After sanding down to the bare wood, I grabbed my lime paint in ‘White Pepper', a good quality brush and a bowl with water.

Depending on the specific look you want to achieve, your approach will vary.

I first tested on an area that will be hidden under the sink:

Without using any water, I brushed paint onto the surface and then immediately rubbed it into the wood to let the grain show through. It was more concentrated (gray) than I'd like, which is when I began to mix the paint with water.

Use more water for a subtle/overall even look, or less for more of an aged look. After a couple seconds, I then buffed the mixture into the wood which let the lime paint settle into the grain and work its magic.

Once dry, it left a really pretty whitewashed effect.

Here's a before & after:

The drawer fronts, vanity top and sides all have a layer of veneer which will take stain differently than the solid wood frame of the piece. You can see how the real wood turned out a bit lighter:

This isn't necessarily an issue, it's just more of a personal preference. I dabbed a bit of medium wood stain onto a cloth and gently buffed it in to add some color back.

I know from experience that once any sort of sealant is added to exposed wood (poly, wax, varnish) the color deepens, so I went a bit lighter than what I had intended for the final product.

I've never been a fan of shiny wood, so to maintain the natural/aged look, I used Maison Blanche's matte furniture varnish again, which is undetectable once dry yet retains the protective properties of a standard varnish.

Here's a quick video to demonstrate this process, originally shared on Snapchat:

You can see how drastically the color changes! Fortunately, it does lighten as it dries but there is still a difference.

Maison Blanche recommends two coats of varnish, but because this vanity will be in a high traffic area with lots of water around, I gave it three coats. I'll do a water test and may even go back in and add a matte poly to be safe.

There's a lot of layers and tone to this finish so it's tough to capture it accurately, but here's how it all came together:

You can see the original finish at the very bottom—I left that alone because the dresser will have to be cut a few inches so it's the proper height after the sink is installed.

Just as I was finishing my last coat of poly, the mailman pulled up and delivered my new knobs! I wanted to dress it up a bit with some bling, so I found all five of these crystal knobs on Ebay for $4.92 shipped. I'm not even sure how that's possible, but I'm not complaining.

And now my portion of this dresser turned vanity is complete!

My plumber will finish the modifications when the time comes, and I can't wait to see it in the space. It feels great to cross this one off the list!

Over the weekend I'll be in renovation mode, with the goal of a successful Ikea shopping trip and a door makeover. Amidst all of this, I have some very exciting news next week—the first of some big changes in the works…

More to come soon,

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