What To Do With Old Garage Doors: 10 DIY Ideas To Try

Are you going back and forth between deciding what to do with your old garage door? Skip the trip to your waste or recycling facility and look at these creative options to repurpose your door. From simple wall decor to creating a home furniture piece, there’s plenty of ways to repurpose old garage doors for both beginner and advanced DIYers

Low difficulty Ideas to Repurpose Your Garage Door

Jacket or Key Holder for the Entryway

This simple yet clever idea allows you to use panels from your existing garage door to create a unique jacket or key holder to hang by your front door. Simply cut pieces from your door, sand them, and prime them to paint your panels whatever color you choose! After customizing your panel, add the knobs to hold your jacket or keys, and you’re good to go. Due to the simplicity of this project, this is the perfect birthday or holiday gift for friends and family.

door turned into key holder

Source: architectureartdesigns.com

Contrasting Wall Panel Decor

Looking for a way to cover empty wall space? A larger panel from your garage door might do the trick! You could follow the same process as a jacket or key holder to create a larger panel that holds more items. Maybe you just need a contrasting piece of wall decor. The opportunities are endless. You can get creative with this idea, but it may change the level of difficulty of the project.

To create this piece, cut the desired size of your panel. After sanding and priming your piece, paint it whichever color looks best in the room you’ll be hanging it in. Finally, add any customizations you would like in order to make this decoration your own. Our suggestions include adding:

  • Large knobs for hanging items
  • Mirrors to make your room appear larger
  • Chalkboard paint for added creativity
garage door wall decor

Source: bhg.com

Transform Windows With Shutters

By simply joining wood panels together, you can create eye-catching window accents for your home in a day! After cutting your panels, sand them down, and prime them for painting. You could even use existing decorative hardware that’s on your old garage door to add something extra to your shutters.

window with garage door shutters

Source: dizzyhome.com

Framed or Floating Shelves

You can definitely get creative with this repurposed garage door idea. Depending on how much shelving space is needed, you can create a large bookshelf or a narrow shelf for an entryway. You can even skip the framing of the shelves and attach floating shelves to your walls. Remember to add your own customizations such as knobs, trimmings, and paint to make the shelf stand out in your home.

wooden shelf

Source: paintedhomedesigns.com

Medium Difficulty ideas to Repurpose Your Garage Door

Gorgeous Window Boxes

A window box can help increase the curb appeal of your home by enhancing the exterior look of your windows. Use colors that will pop against your home’s exterior and plant your favorite flowers or herbs.

This step-by-step guide to creating a window box will help you gather your measurements and assemble your piece against your window. After priming and painting your window box, it will be ready for you to add any plants of your choosing!

window box made from wooden door

Source: diynetwork.com

Backyard Garden Bench

Spending time outside is a great way to relax and clear your head. Give yourself somewhere to sit down and admire your garden with this new piece from your repurposed garage door.

Creating a garden bench can also help improve your home’s curb appeal. These garden bench ideas may help you decide what direction you want to go in as you start your DIY project. You can make this as simple or complex as you’d like!

garden bench made from a wooden door

Source: countryliving.com

Custom Headboard

Whether you’re looking for a new headboard for your bedroom or the guest room, look to your old garage door to make this happen. To get started, cut the desired size from your garage door. You’ll also need to make sure you cut out legs for the headboard and extra pieces to frame the garage door.

Once the frame and legs are finished and attached to the door panel, you can take the piece outside to begin painting. If your headboard sits against a wall, you really only need to paint one side to cut down on time. After your paint has dried, just attach the headboard to your bed frame and you’re finished!

garage door turned into a headboard

Source: kingstoncrafts.com

High difficulty ideas to Repurpose Your Garage Door

Rustic Table

Who needs a new table when you have an old garage door? Designing your own table will prove to be a harder task but the end result will have your friends and family wondering where they can get their hands on one like yours. Whether you need a new dining room table or a coffee table for the living room, an old garage door can be customized to just about anything.

coffee table created from garage door

Source: diynetwork.com

Sliding Barn Door

A sliding barn door puts a twist on traditional doors and can add character to a home. You can use these doors for any area of your home. You could sectioning off the kitchen from the living area or add a sliding door between the bathroom and bedroom.

There are numerous ways to create your sliding barn door and they’re all up to your personal preference. Before you get started on this project, make sure you look at these beautiful barn door ideas. They range in skill level and budget, so be sure to choose a plan that is best for you.

garage door turned into sliding barn door

Source: homebunch.com

Luxury Windows

You can never have too much fresh air and natural light. By replacing a window and the space surrounding it with an operating garage door, you can let that much need light in and even open the window during warmer months.

To make this window functional, it would have to open vertically and follow the tracks on the ceiling horizontally into the room. For this reason, you would need to take into consideration the amount of space needed for your installation. If you have the time, budget, and space needed for this project, the end result will be completely worth it.

garage door turned into a large window

Source: simplehomesimplelife.com

Benefits of Upcycling Your Garage Door

Even if you never had to purchase your old garage door, it can still seem like a waste to throw it out. By reusing your old garage door, you can limit both environmental and financial waste that comes from purchasing a new item that could’ve been created using your door.

Now that your creative juices are flowing and you have a DIY project in mind, have you thought about what will replace your old garage door?

Build Your Own Custom Garage Door

Keep the creativity going and customize a beautiful wood, composite, or vinyl garage door for your home. Our garage door specialists are here to answer any questions you might have along the way!

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