Looking for a creative way to use an old door in your home? Or maybe an old window? Here are a few ideas to help spark your creativity!
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Have you been to a flea market or vintage sale and noticed a bunch of old doors leaning against a building? Did you pass them up because you didn’t know what to do with them? Here are a few of my favorite ideas on how to use an old door or window!
Brocante ; What in the World is Brocante?
Use an Old Door as a Pantry Door
When I held my Thyme to Let Go! sale, my friend’s daughter purchased one of the doors we had found in the barn.
She wanted to use it as a pantry door in her home. The door needed to be trimmed down a bit to fit in the doorway. The picture below is after the door was in place but before she stained the door and frosted the glass so that people couldn’t see into the pantry as easily.
To frost the glass, a privacy window cling was used. After staining the door, adding a door handle and frosting the glass, the old door looks brand new!
Stencil an Old Door to Use as Wall Art
Another way to use an old door to add interest to your home is to stencil a saying on the door to create a piece of wall art. I actually purchased this door already stenciled. I will describe the process that I would have used if I had actually made this one myself!
This picture is what the back looks like so you can get an idea of what the front looked like.
If I were doing this project myself, I would first use a gentle cleaner on the door to remove the dirt but not damage the paint. Always test the cleaner in a small area first to be sure the cleaner won’t damage the wood. I shared a few tips on cleaning old wood in this post: How to Safely Clean Old Wood**
Once the door was cleaned, I would lightly sand it so that some of the older layers of paint would peek through.
The next step would be to use painters tape around the stencil to protect the wood while painting the words. The picture below is to give you an idea on how to use the painter’s tape.
After placing the stencils and using the painter’s tape to protect the wood, you would be ready to paint. I would use a black spray paint similar to the one in the picture below.
After allowing the paint to dry, I would carefully remove the painter’s tape and lift off the stencils. To make the words look aged, I would lightly sand them and used a tiny bit of white chalk paint on a rag to help give an aged look. The finished project would look like this!
Now you are ready to display the piece in your home!
Let’s Celebrate Summer ; Quick & Easy Refresh
Use as A Backdrop
Uses for Old Windows
An old window can be hung on the wall to add interest. This window came out of an old parsonage. It looked great over the mantel in my Illinois farmhouse. I am still trying to figure out where to hang it now that we are living in Florida.
My Dad build this conservatory for me out of old windows when I had my flower shop. It was so wide, I couldn’t get out of the doorway by myself!
I must have gotten stronger because I did manage to get it into our house so I could decorate it for the holidays!
I hope these ideas have sparked your creativity!
How will you use your old doors?
Shopping Links:
This is the product my friend used on her pantry door. It does come in different sizes so be sure to check the dimensions!
6 inch stencils
This is the product that I would use on the door to clean it. I also like their hardwood floor cleaner
Some of my favorite Spray paints
Would You Like to See More?
To See A few More Ideas for old doors and windows, please see this post Architectural Salvage Decorating Ideas
The picture above is a beautiful old door and window displayed in a Waco Tx Airbnb
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Love this Kim. We are working on an old door project for our kitchen. It has been a long road in making it, but I think I will love it when it is completed. Thank you for sharing all of your ideas and tips. Old doors can still serve a purpose, and you have so many ideas!