How to Recycle Cabinet Doors

Don't throw out those old cabinet doors! There are many ways to recycle them and give them a new purpose. Here are a few different ways to recycle cabinet doors to get your creative juices flowing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Make Shelves. Mount a pair of shelf brackets on the wall and place an old cabinet door on the brackets to make a shelf. Keep in mind that the surface of the shelf needs to be level, so if the cabinet doors have decorative panels, then you will want to use the inside of the cabinet door as the shelf surface. Now you have a sturdy shelf with a flat surface, which can be used to hold books, canned goods, or even cans of paint in the garage.

2. Make a Storage Box. For this project you will need four large cabinet doors and two smaller cabinet doors. Assemble the box using screws. The large cabinet doors will be used for the top and bottom of the box, and also for the front and back. The smaller cabinet doors will be used for the sides of the rectangular box. Use hinges to attach the top of the box, so that the lid can be easily opened and closed. Paint the finished box if desired and use it to store anything from toys to quilts.

3. Make a Child-Sized Table. Use the largest cabinet door you can find to make a child-sized table. Remove any hardware that may be on the door, such a hinges, pulls or handles. Purchase some table legs from a home improvement store or recycle some legs from an old table. Attach one leg to each of the four corners to create a small table. Children can use this table for coloring in coloring books, playing games or having tea parties.

4. Make a Wall Hanging. Get creative and turn an old cabinet door into a unique wall hanging. The ways to decorate the cabinet door are limitless. Paint a picture onto the front of the cabinet door. Cut pictures out of magazines and glue them onto the cabinet door to make a collage. Use a hot glue gun to affix buttons, bows or seashells to the cabinet door. Hang your completed work of art using picture hanging hardware. If you decorate the flat inside of the cabinet door, you could hang it using the existing cabinet door handle.

5. Make a Planter Box. Five cabinet doors that are all the same size can be used to make a rustic planter box. Use screws to fasten four of the doors together to form a square and then attach the fifth door to be the bottom of the planter. You could line the box with heavy plastic, fill it with soil and plant a small tree or shrub directly into the planter box. Another option would be to set a potted plant inside the unlined planter box, to have the same effect with a lot less effort.

Resources

• The Home Depot
• TableLegs.com

[drewshotmom]

on 6/15/2009 Very nice! Love this! 5*

[kittycooks]

on 6/15/2009 Nice ideas! I especially like creating a planter box!