Interior decorating — dilemma....window treatment on door

[Mmathis]

Our new house has a very pretty arched front door. There are curtains covering the windows.

I wanted to take the curtains down to wash them. I thought that the curtains were attached via standard rods, but when I went to remove them, found out they are actually [I guess] somehow nailed [or glued] onto strips that are nailed into the door.

I am not familiar with this “decorator” technique, and now I’m afraid to even attempt to remove them — I don’t know if it will damage the door and/or I don’t know if I will be able to replace the curtains afterward.

Any advice would be appreciated! It’s a wood door, if that makes a difference. And I don’t necessarily need to replace the exact curtains, in the exact way. If there are curved rods that I could use, I guess I could come up with new curtains — but I’ve never dealt with this window shape before so I’m lost — and I don’t want to cause more harm than good.

 

[sissy]

I would take them off and put that stick on privacy film on the glass .The curtains on doors like that detract from the beauty of them .Use something as padding under the hammer to pull out the nails a towel folded over would work and then place hammer under the nail and then place the towel under the hammer and pull nail out gently so you do not scar the wood

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

Weird. I can't imagine curtains that I couldn't take down and wash from time to time.

If it were me, I'd carefully finish removing them from the door. Carefully remove the brads and fill/touch up the holes - or - drive them in and use a nail set to tap them in flush. Then not put curtains up at all. Along the lines of what Sissy said, is put up a privacy film. I like the film that mimics stained glass.... I put some up in the octagon windows I have at each end of the cabin and love it. I got mine off Amazon, because there was a larger variety, but I've seen some at Lowes.

At one of our old homes in Florida, I removed cheesy curtains from our front door and used the stained glass "paint", from the craft stores, and made a beautiful image of a tarpon over the entire thing.

Good luck with it, and congratulations on your new home!

 

[Mmathis]

@sissy and @Somethin' Fishy Thanks, guys! Now I feel empowered! I think that once I get them off (carefully), I won’t replace them. I was already planning to “paint” the glass with a craft product called Gallery Glass, which is a water based paint made specially for this purpose (and other craft uses, of course). But there’s really no reason I have to replace the curtains!

This is the front door on our current home. I like light, but I also like privacy. Was never able to “curtain” the door or side windows, so I painted them with a clear frost. This has been on the glass at least 20 years and still looks great!

So, no more curtains!

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

Yea, the Gallery Glass stuff is what I used on the window in FL... It was a lot of fun. For yours I envision a stained glass pond mural with turtles, water lilies, koi...…Hmmmmm....

 

[Mmathis]

Yea, the Gallery Glass stuff is what I used on the window in FL... It was a lot of fun. For yours I envision a stained glass pond mural with turtles, water lilies, koi...…Hmmmmm....

I hadn’t even thought about going all out and painting a scene — but I certainly could! I have various birds and Disney characters on a couple of windows in the current house!

 

[BarbO]

I have the stained glass looking film and love it on the front door, up at the top where there is glass. Ordered it online. I cut a tiny hole in one area that is my peep hole so I can see who is on the porch. But they can't see me looking at them through the tiny hole. Works great.
Barb

 

[sissy]

I hate hiding pretty doors or windows and those arched doors need to show off like a fine lady in pretty clothes .no curtains

 

[GBBUDD]

I would take them off and put that stick on privacy film on the glass .The curtains on doors like that detract from the beauty of them .Use something as padding under the hammer to pull out the nails a towel folded over would work and then place hammer under the nail and then place the towel under the hammer and pull nail out gently so you do not scar the wood

I'm with sissy the curtains are 70's i'd purchase window tint but one that is frosted with a subtle pattern one where you can see someone is at the door but not who is it and if they are ;looking in the further from the door you are no one can see u from the other side

 

[Tara]

Love that it's a double door. If it was me doing it, I would put stained glass on the top row or stained film, and frosted glass on the bottom two window pane rows.

 

[JamieB]

I’d love to do the stained glass look here! And yes, place a small peep hole where you can see out. It will be so pretty once you’re done. A trick just in case you do scuff the wood, rub a walnut on the scuff. It works on small shallow scratches and scuff marks.

 

[Mmathis]

@GBBUDD See post #4, which is a picture of our current door. I “painted” the door and side panels about 20 years ago. Lots of light and still good privacy!

Then there’s this shot I took of a pair of lovebugs outside the window, taken a few weeks ago.

 

[Tara]

walnut on the scuff. It works on small shallow scratches and scuff marks.

I love walnut oil, use it on my guitars fret board, works really well. I use it on other wood projects as well.

 

[JamieB]

For a small scuff, just the nut ( meat) will do!

 

[Mmathis]

@Tara and @JamieB I’ve not heard of using walnuts.....or walnut oil. All I know about is lemon oil. How is walnut oil different and where can you find it (product name)? Does it darken the wood or is it just a conditioner? We have a collection of wood inlay pictures that get an occasional rub down with lemon oil — but they specify using lemon oil.

 

[JamieB]

I know walnut oil is pricy, and I believe it darkens it a little, bit much. My roommate uses it in her home made dog food, I think it was like $50 for a gallon. But for a darker natural oil, it does condition wood nice. And any small scratches are easy to fix. I’d probably recommend conditioning raw wood / dry wood with another oil first till it’s fairly well hydrated, then use the walnut oil as a finishing oil.

 

[Tara]

I use it to keep my fret board conditioned and clean, also on a guitar I was fixing up for my son where the frets had dried out. If I have an older piece of furniture I use it if it does not have a layer of paint or Polly I get out scruff marks. You can get walnut oil in the supermarket in the oil section.

 

[JamieB]

I use it to keep my fret board conditioned and clean, also on a guitar I was fixing up for my son where the frets had dried out. If I have an older piece of furniture I use it if it does not have a layer of paint or Polly I get out scruff marks. You can get walnut oil in the supermarket in the oil section.

Ha, in an area is popular or a health store here. Out in podunk areas, I’m lucky to find coconut oil! Otherwise it online or hour and a half drive to the city health food store.

 

[Mmathis]

Managed to pull the curtains off the bottom edge of the doors, but for now am going to leave the tops attached as this is the only window treatment for now. It wasn’t hard at all to remove the strips that the curtains were stapled to. And the condition of the door was better than I expected, though I don’t know what I expected. There are only 3 nails that have to be dealt with.

So, right now I’m experimenting with paint colors/textures. I want light, but not too transparent.

 

[Tara]

That door is great, I have a single door that cannot and expand for a larger one even though our front door is tiny. I like the effect on the lower right window pane it seems the brightest. You could also paste lace to the window panes. I am doing that in my dinning room when finished.