Create a Lighting Fixture with Salvage Doors

Last Updated on July 13, 2020 by Maria Brittis

 

A few years ago I found these two old wooden doors at a flea market in Beaufort South Carolina. They were antique interior doors from some old house in Beaufort according to the owner of the flea market. So here it is in more detail on how you can create a lighting fixture with salvage doors.

 

Supplies Needed:

• Old doors (you can use a new door if you can’t find an old one)
• Ryobi sander
• Good brushes
• Semi-gloss paint
• Lighting Fixture

 

1. Take off old hardware.
2. With my Ryobi sander, I sanded as much of the old paint as possible until the doors feel pretty smooth.
3.  With a good brush, I painted the door with a semi-gloss paint.
4.  Sand and paint again.
5.  Distressed with the sander until all the edges and parts of the panels have exposed natural wood showing. This will create a shabby look which is what my goal is.

Adding the lighting fixture!

I hired an electrician. He drilled a hole and added a long cord which he attached to the lighting fixture that I pick. The cord is long enough to plug into an outlet. Because there are two doors, each one will go alongside of a bed in the guest bedroom. I have moved from this home a few months ago so I will be adding these doors in my new home.

What to pick for a lighting fixture!

This was a tough job. The lighting fixture can’t be too small or to0 big. I measured the width of the door and calculated that on each side there must have enough door showing. I calculated 8 inches on each side. The backplate needs to be on a flat service, big enough to cover the hole that was drilled.

Where to put these doors?

You can put these doors anywhere there is an outlet. I choose to put these on each side of the bed. There is no need to add any lamps since these are going to be lighting fixtures. You can also add these to a wall near a chair for a nice reading space. These doors can make a great conversation piece.

Lamps that can be used for this post!

Astoria Grand/Paladino Light

There are affiliate links where I do receive some commission in this post