Fine Art on a Salvaged Door

A friend of mine is remodeling her home and changing out her flat luan style doors for the modern traditional look.  She gave me a couple, and I got creative!

First I removed all hardware, like hinges and doorknobs.  Using my tablesaw, I cut the door into two pieces at the doorknob.  I was looking to remove the hole and salvage the rest of the door so I could use the door as a canvas for fine art.

The larger piece was perfect for the project I had in mind.  I decided to use the door with the cut end up, thinking it would be less visible there due to how I was hanging it.  I used 'Great Stuff', the foam gap filler in the hollow and cut off the excess after it had cured.  It is not noticeable, but I think I will finish it nicely.

The smaller gaps where the hinges had been created a smaller problem.  I used sheetrock mud to fill the gaps, but next time I'll use wood filler.  I made a sanding block to sand the dried result, so that it would be flat and blend with the rest of the wood on the side.  Wood filler is preferable because it is closer to the density of the wood door and will blend better.  

Now that the door was ready, I primed it using 'Kilz Oil-Based Primer.'  I just rolled it on.  Then I laid out the design.  I used an old soap ad I found on the internet.  Here's an example of it I found on ebay.  I don't know what I did with the one I printed out.

I reproduced the ad on the door, adding color.  Pears ads were usually bright and striking, so I didn't hold back on color.

After finishing, I covered with a couple of coats of urethane and added some hooks to the upper corners.  It's beautiful in my main floor bathroom!

Forgive the flash in the photo.  I'm going to do this again!  It looks great three-dimensionally displayed without any frame.