Our DIY front door makeover with a mahogany slab

Transforming our entryway turned into quite the project. It wasn't a quick weekend flip, but a multi-day project that gave our home a genuinely custom feel. By starting with a raw, unfinished mahogany slab, we got to roll up our sleeves for the staining process and hand-pick every piece of hardware. The process took four days (roughly 6 hours of actual hands-on work), a few surprises, and some lessons learned. Here’s the step-by-step breakdown of how we made it happen, what we used, and a few tips for anyone considering their own DIY upgrade.

Before the upgrade, our entry door was two-toned. The exterior-facing side was painted dark navy, while the interior side kept its original medium-brown wood finish. It featured a large frosted privacy glass window with intricate brass caming and a double-oval geometric pattern. Traditional vertical raised panels sat below the window, finished off with a satin nickel handleset and a gold mirror kick plate. To top it off, a black-framed storm door sat on the outside, making it hard to even see the original door.

The supply list

Materials:

Door: 6-Lite Panel True Divided Lite Mahogany Wood Door with Flemish glass (unfinished)
Stain: Cabot Cordovan Leather Semi-Transparent Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer (a quart is plenty!)
Handleset: Kwikset Sora Entry Set with Knob and Deadbolt
Hinges: National Hardware 4-in Satin Brass Door Hinges
Door Sweep: M-D Building Products Concealed Kerf-Fit Under Door Seal

Tools:

Handheld battery-operated planer
Track saw
Router
Adjustable mortise jig kit: Door Hinge Jig, Door Hinge Template Kit for Router, Door Lock, Latch Kit
Impact driver or screwdriver
Self-centering hinge bit
Angled stain brush
Palm sander or sandpaper
Chissle
Sawhorses

Picking out our new door

We chose a wood slab door rather than a pre-hung unit because our existing frame was still in great shape. Opting for a slab saved us a decent chunk of change upfront, though it definitely increased installation time since we had to cut it to size and route the hinges and lockset ourselves.

The style: For the door itself, we fell in love with a rich mahogany wood slab featuring a 6-lite top and a solid bottom panel. It brings such a classic, timeless look to our Cape Cod-style home and ties the whole exterior together.‍
The glass: We went with Flemish glass, and oh my gosh, do I love it! I was a little anxious beforehand, wondering if I’d regret straying from standard clear glass, but it is easily the highlight of the door. It gives us all the privacy we need without sacrificing a single ray of natural light, and the subtle texture adds so much character (plus the prettiest reflections on the walls). 10/10, would make the same choice again!‍
The finish: We bought an unfinished door because pre-finished was an extra $950. That seemed ridiculous to me, so I decided to stain the door myself. I actually really enjoyed the process, and it turned out great for a can of stain at $23.

Thinking about upgrading your own entry door? Check out our complete guide on choosing the right front door to see everything we considered before making our purchase.

Cutting the slab to size

Before staining, Christian cut the slab to size.

Trimming the height: Before applying any stain, Christian measured our existing door opening, cut off the bottom of the new slab to match, and then sanded the freshly cut edge.

Staining: color, prep, and application

We used Cabot's all-in-one, semi-transparent stain in Cordovan Leather, and I’m glad we did. It went on beautifully, and the resulting medium brown shade is spot-on. Beyond the great color, we ultimately chose it for a few key reasons:

Deep-penetrating, linseed oil-based formula that protects exterior wood.
Lightly pigmented to accentuate the natural wood grain.
Water-repellent with built-in UV protection and mildew resistance.
Single-coat application that won't crack, peel, or blister when properly applied.

Application steps:

Test strip: The door arrived sanded and ready for finish, but I always test first. I used the scrap piece we cut off the bottom to test the stain color before applying it to the entire door.
Cabot’s 1-coat rule: I initially thought the color looked a bit light and considered a second coat. However, reading the label explicitly warns against a second coat because it’s a single-application penetrating stain. Sticking to a single coat was definitely the right call. The color ended up a perfect medium brown that contrasts beautifully with our house's beige color.
Brushing on the stain: I worked in the garage with the doors open (essential for good ventilation since oil-based stain has a strong odor). I rested the door on sawhorses and applied the stain with a 2-inch angled brush. I worked one panel at a time, brushing with the grain, and wiped away any excess with a cloth.
Dry time: I let the first side dry for a full 24 hours before flipping the door over to stain the second side.

Installing the hardware

Once the stain had fully cured, Christian installed the satin brass hinges and handleset.

Routing the hinges: To ensure a precise fit, he matched the old door's exact hinge locations and traced them onto the edge of the new slab. With a mortise jig guiding the router, he routed the recesses for our new door hinges, then used a chisel to square off the corners.
Handleset installation: I couldn't resist the Kwikset Sora Entry Set, which has a sleek, one-piece design instead of our old split unit. Changing styles meant extra work, of course. Christian had to cut a new latch pocket in the frame and patch the old gap. Using our previous door as a template, Christian marked where the existing deadbolt was. With the existing deadbolt hole as our anchor point, he measured down from there to cut the new latch pocket. It added a bit of a challenge to the project, but the finished look is gorgeous!‍
Door sweep: We added a door sweep to the bottom of the door to seal the gap between the door and the threshold, blocking drafts and pests.

Installing the door into the existing frame

Because the new hinges had a different screw pattern than the old ones, we used a self-aligning drill bit to create new screw holes. Hanging the new door was a two-person job; one held it steady while the other screwed it into place.

Ditching the storm door

This turned into quite the debate! The new door lets in so much gorgeous light that a storm door felt completely unnecessary. Plus, I refused to let anything cover up our stunning new statement door. Christian initially wanted to keep it, convinced that taking it down would be a massive headache, but removing the storm door was a hill I was prepared to die on.

As soon as we hung the new door, we stepped back and immediately agreed: the storm door had to go. It turned out to be surprisingly easy to remove since it was just screwed directly into the frame. We do have a tiny bit of exterior touch-up to do around the screw holes, but letting that rich mahogany and Flemish glass shine unobstructed was 100% the right move. (As much as I hate to admit it, Christian is usually right, but I'll gladly take the win on this one!)

What went wrong and what we’d do differently

Measure twice, then measure again: We thought the door width was spot-on based on the previous door's measurements until we went to hang it and realized we needed to shave about 3/16" off the side of the door to allow it to swing freely in the frame. This was a huge letdown because we had already installed the hinges. We had to take the door back to the garage, unbolt the hinges, plane the edge, and re-route the hinge mortises.
The lesson learned: Always test-fit the blank slab in the frame before installing any hardware. We just trusted our old door's exact measurements. It wasn't the end of the world, but it cost us a couple of hours of extra labor. To shave down the side, we had to borrow a power planer from a friendly neighbor, definitely a handy tool to have on standby if you go the slab route.

Was it worth it?

Taking the DIY route definitely took extra time, effort, and patience, but the money saved made it completely worth it to us. Tackling a raw mahogany slab certainly pushed us out of our comfort zone, but stepping back to watch that rich Cordovan finish and textured Flemish glass catch the light makes all the hard work rewarding. Our front entry is definitely a moment now.