Updating Sliding Wardrobe Doors

thefirstbettywasnotme

Hi all. Any tips/suggestions for these sliding wardrobe doors in a kids room? Would prefer a DIY option.....I'm not overly handy but is it possible to easily change these out for something more modern? Or cover with some sort of panel? Or paint?

WIAWSNB

How close to eachother do the pass when they slide? Ie, what thickness of 'moulding' could be added?
I fear it's a paint job, or possibly a stick-on vinyl sheet, say of timber planking, or similar.

Northern_Wanderer

Sand with 120grit sandpaper to remove the "shine" of varnish, wash with sugar soap, undercoat and paint, job done. I'm sure you could find some replacement handles of the same size,otherwise fill hole with woodfiller before painting and pick any handle you like.

Alternativley, you could use a stick on vinyl from a roll for the doors. B&M sells it, easy to apply.

gwynlas

It would be very difficult to ensure a good finish with stick on vinyl unless you removed them from the runners and were extremely good at smoothing out bubbles and creases.

It would be a lot easier to paint them as suggested

Murmansk

Yep, paint 'em

thefirstbettywasnotme

Northern_Wanderer said:

Sand with 120grit sandpaper to remove the "shine" of varnish, wash with sugar soap, undercoat and paint, job done. I'm sure you could find some replacement handles of the same size,otherwise fill hole with woodfiller before painting and pick any handle you like.

Alternativley, you could use a stick on vinyl from a roll for the doors. B&M sells it, easy to apply.

Thanks, any recommendations on undercoat and paint for this type of job?

WIAWSNB

thefirstbettywasnotme said:

Northern_Wanderer said:

Sand with 120grit sandpaper to remove the "shine" of varnish, wash with sugar soap, undercoat and paint, job done. I'm sure you could find some replacement handles of the same size,otherwise fill hole with woodfiller before painting and pick any handle you like.

Alternativley, you could use a stick on vinyl from a roll for the doors. B&M sells it, easy to apply.

Thanks, any recommendations on undercoat and paint for this type of job?

Are you practical enough to remove them for painting? 

If so, then use a flat sanding block and 120 grit paper lightly to get the finish flat and 'keyed' - it'll be 'matt', and paint should adhere well to it. 

To paint, I'd use a specialist paint like Zinsser AllCoat, in a satin finish; this is self-priming paint. Apply thin coats using a mini foam roller - easy, and should give a smooth finish with a very fine texture. Three coats will be needed, I suspect.

What colour are you looking for? 

WIAWSNB

Or, much easier - thin self-adhesive flooring planks. This is just an example - it's cheap and won't have a grain texture (I doubt), but is thin and durable, so shouldn't cause any sliding-by issues. LOTS of different finishes out there. You'd just need to make sure the doors are clean. Remove the metal handles, and fit the planks. Then feel where the handle cutouts are, and trim with a craft knife. Refit. Paint the door surrounds - the architrave. 

Obvs make sure you plan how they'll align first - ie, even plank size at each end. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Adhesive-Floor-Planks-91-4x15-2cm/dp/B0DQNB6Y1F?ie=UTF8&th=1