Guest DIY post submitted
by Jeanne Winters
My husband brought this find home from the dump — a solid hardwood-core door with all the glass intact. We originally planned to use it to replace the pocket or office door in our 1930s house, but that project never came together.
Still, I had plenty of ideas for repurposing it. At first I imagined it hanging in the living room to display black-and-white photos. After our next move, I decided it would be perfect for the office. It just took some time to find the right look and place for it.
At first I hesitated to paint the wood. The grain was beautiful, but it didn’t feel aged enough to be the “cool” antique look I wanted. In the end I painted it black to create a crisp, modern contrast with the glass and whatever I would display on it.
The next step was adding cork to the glass panes so the piece could function as a pin board. Cork comes in sheets of different thicknesses — 1/8″ and 1/4″ are common. Since I was attaching the cork directly to glass, I had to be careful about how deep the final surface was, because standard 3/8″ push pins should not press against the glass itself. If you are attaching cork to a wood or MDF backing you can get away with a thinner sheet, but glass requires extra caution.
Because the door’s wooden frames are routed and create some depth variation, I worried that using two 1/4″ sheets (which would total 1/2″) would make the cork sit too proud of the frame. Instead I chose a single roll and glued three layers of 1/8″ cork on each pane to achieve the right thickness. The adhesive recommended was linoleum paste — effective but messy, so be prepared for clean-up and protect your work surface.
For visual balance, I left four panes without cork. After the door sat leaning against the wall for a few months, we finally hung it over the holiday break. I was thrilled with the result — it both recycles a sturdy old door and creates a functional, attractive cork board for the office.
I photographed the board before filling it with inspiration and notes so you can see the finished piece clearly. It’s a simple project that reimagines a salvaged door into a stylish, practical display.