This project involved enhancing the interior front door trim in the two-story foyer of my colonial style home. I researched various details with some historical basis for this type of home, both in historical sections of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as Annapolis, Maryland. I found the door trim on a home in Annapolis and took pictures to use as both a detail guide and to design the proper proportions. The design was difficult, since the foyer is relatively narrow, but the trim proportions had to be visually correct. Almost all of the materials were made from scrap pieces of wood, mostly pine and poplar. A single wood column was purchased and split in half and attached to either side of the side lights. A box was made of MDF to form the entire section over the door onto which the trim components were attached. A single piece of stock crown molding was used at the top of the project, but almost all other pieces were individual parts made on a table saw and router table. The dentil molding was made by passing a solid strip of pine across a table saw blade. The triglyphs were formed on a router table with a “V” bit. The gupta (drops) were also formed in a single piece of MDF on a router table and then the individual pieces cross cut on a table saw. Various other pieces were formed from straight stock or other scrap pieces I had available. It is finished with several light coats of latex primer and top coat in a white semi-gloss so as to not obscure any details.
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Interior front door before trim project.
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Interior front door after trim project.
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Exterior front door of historic home in Annapolis, Maryland, upon which the project was based.
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Close-up of finished interior trim project.
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DiamondJim, I love what you have done with your front door! Your front entryway now has visual weight and presence.