Ideas for Recycling Old Doors for Brand New Use

So you finally went and bought yourself a brand new door to replace an old one. What are your plans for that old door? Stand it up against a wall in the garage and forget about it? Toss it onto the burn pile? Take it to the dump? Just what will become of that old door? Don’t dispose of it when you have at your, um, front door a whole host of alternative uses. They say recycling begins at home. Or, something like that, anyway. Take a glance over these ideas for recycling old doors for brand new use and you just may change your mind about throwing the thing away.

Executive Desk

Try to find a desk that offers as much surface space as an old door for anywhere near the price of free. When you replace an old door with a new one, part of the expense of the replacement should be shared with the expense of buying a great big desk. Because a great big desk is exactly what an old door can easily become. The flatter the surface of the old door, the better, but even the panels of an old door can be exploited for use. Be creative in finding ways to offer stability beneath the door. A trip through your own garage or a flea market or a junk store can cheaply furnish legs for your new desk in the form of everything from cinderblocks to balustrades to old books glued together.

Bench

A solid door sturdy enough to support the weight of people can be turned into a bench suitable for your garden, the front porch or poolside. Again, you should be prepared to let your imagination soar when it comes to underside support as well as redecorating the door. Give it a splash of new paint to suit its new surroundings and utilization as a place for sitting. If you have two old doors, you can even add a backrest to your bench.

Pool Party

Use some waterproof adhesive to attach enough styrofoam to one side of an old door to give it proper buoyancy and you’ve got a nifty little float to use in your pool. Take out the doorknob and insert a cupholder in the empty space, cover the door in rubbery material to make it more comfortable and add an inflatable headrest and that old can be recycled into a relaxing surface for lounging in the pool.

Dividing Screen

If you are lucky enough to have a few old doors at your disposal, you can put them to excellent use by creating a dividing screen much cheaper than you would be able to buy. Attach hinges to the doors to connect them and make them suitable for folding. The next step is making them decorative enough to be aesthetically pleasing for use. Those with an artistic ability can paint the doors so that they come to life. Those with such artistic ability can decorate using rubber stamps, decals, stencils, wallpaper or stick-on murals.