DIY Dutch Door

I used my cordless circular saw to cut the door in half, following the line drawn exactly.

I separated the door to inspect it for strength and stability. Fortunately, it’s solid wood and is just as strong cut in half as it was whole.

I brought it back inside and hung it on the same hinges that were on it before, and added a fourth hinge because the bottom half of the door only had one hinge. Now the bottom and top both have two hinges.

Next I cut a small shelf for both sides of the bottom half of the door. I used my jig saw to cut curved corners and my circular saw for the straight cut.

I used my Kreg Jig to make pocket holes on the underside of the shelf, to fasten the shelf to the bottom half of the dutch door.

The pocket holes worked like a charm to hold the shelf securely. I wasn’t sure it would be enough to support the shelf alone so bought L brackets, but they were totally unnecessary.

I painted the door and with some leftover charcoal paint from my hallway/foyer reno. I love how it turned out…

I wasn’t sure this project would work from the start since I was unsure of the inside construction of the door and whether or not it would stay stable after being cut in half. And I wasn’t sure it would still swing properly after re-hanging. It all worked out and I’m thrilled with the results.

It was quick and easy. Once again the painting and finish work took longer than the actual cutting and hanging.

Super fun, fast, and easy project. Of course one thing leads to another and now I need to paint the brick walls around the door.