6 Novel Ways to Use Your Old Door

The biggest pain with buying new doors is usually what to do with the ones you’re replacing…should you stick them in garage ‘just in case’, yet never touch them again, chop them into firewood or hire a van big enough to transport it to the dump? If you’re thinking the latter… hold your horses!

We urge you not to overlook the potential in the humble door, there is still life in there somewhere, perhaps it just needs a new direction!

Repurposed doors can add loads of character to a home and the good news is the shabbier…the better. There are just so many uses for old doors and it’s really a great opportunity to get creative and bring something unique and interesting (and perhaps even practical) to your home or garden….and even better, with very little effort!

Reinvigorate your home and garden space with one of these novel upcycle door ideas.

Dressing it Up

Who would have thought your old door could be transformed into a novel vanity unit! This is a DIY project that can be as elaborate as your personality allows.

Using the door as a backing frame, secure a table or even just a shelf to the front. Then simply mount a suitable mirror to the door above the table or shelf, decorate to your taste and you’re dressing table is ready for use.

Divide and Conquer

There is far more to this apparently ordinary piece of furniture than meets the eye. It is not merely just a room divider and can have many other uses, such as a privacy screen or even as sneaky storage to hide your clutter!

All you need is some old doors, which you can paint to suit your décor or just keep them natural and simply hinge them together. It’s that simple!

Creative Corner

This is the perfect piece to add to a small office room as it doesn’t need a big space to accommodate it. Tucked cosily into a corner, this upcycled door corner bookcase is both fetching and functional.

For this project you’ll just need a single door and few tools. Cut your old door in half, decorate in desired colours and style, hinge each half back together and add corner brackets for the shelves. Add your books and other ornaments and your masterpiece is complete.

Pretty Planters 

Yes your garden is also the perfect place to feature your old doors. There are many ways in which you can transform it into a masterpiece – cut out panels and suspend pots with colourful flowers, cut it in half to create matching planters, use it as backing to add shelves to display a range of herbs – the possibilities are endless!

Add your own personal touches to make it unique and attractive and be sure to use appropriate outdoor paint and sealant to keep it protected from the elements.

Posh Porch

For this inspiring addition to your garden, you’ll need a few doors (at least five) depending on the design you’d like to create. Any extra doors required can be easily sourced on sites like Gumtree or Freecycle. It can be a great idea to choose doors with glass for a truly rustic look and feel.

Sand or paint as required to your own taste and screw them together to form your porch. Add any embellishments such as brackets to hang planters etc.

Photo Feature

Displaying your family photos in this unique way will bring warmth and character to any room in your home. You’ll need a door with suitable panels or if not, you can add beading to create these which will take a little extra time.

Choose how you’d like it to look – hung upright, laterally or perhaps even cut it in half to make it smaller. Decorate the frame as you wish to and purchase suitably sized prints to fill the panels. You can hang your new work of art or just lean it against a wall.

If you’ve decided to hang it laterally, you may also wish to use it for another function such as adding coat hooks.