When the time has come to replace your old doors, don’t just scrap them, salvage them! Give it some thought to what you could make, perhaps transforming old doors into a table, wall art or our favourite, a garden swing! We’ll elaborate upon these ideas a little later in the post but if you can’t improve your doors by re-finishing them with paints, varnishes and a pair of new door handles then just give it some thought as to what they could be transformed into. If none of our ideas are of interest, and if you’re struggling to think up your own then you could try Google for inspiration.

So first of all how do you decide if your door or doors need replacing? Well, every component of a home needs to be replaced at some point in time and if your doors are starting to show cracks, warping, rotting or have holes in the panels then these are all red flags indicating it may be time to replace them. Then again if it’s just the door furniture you’re having issues with, sticking latches, jammed locks or broken door handles then you can of course replace these items at very little cost and all of which can be purchased from us.

While we’d expect you can probably think up some furnishing ideas that will top ours, this article wouldn’t be complete without a few ideas for inspiration. So here goes, our first suggestion is for old panel doors that can be turned into message boards. Using blackboard card or matt paint within the panel sections and hanging it on a wall horizontally you’ll find it fun and easy to keep track of what’s happening each day of the week.

Another idea would be a coffee table, a little more complicated than the message board although still easy enough for most DIY enthusiasts. Cutting the door horizontally into three pieces, two rectangular sections for the edges and one larger square piece for the table top surface. The type of door you’re salvaging will determine the cut lines, and of course the final height and size of the coffee table. As long as you end up with the three pieces as mentioned above then attaching them together using wood screws and strengthening under frame, should you choose, then you can create a coffee table with character and style at little or no cost what so ever.

Our third and final idea for this post is the garden swing we mentioned earlier, slightly more complicated again yet still within the realms of the DIY enthusiast, this can be made with virtually no cost although you will need a porch or large tree to hang it from before you can enjoy it. Start by cutting a small strip (20-30cm) off the top and bottom of the door, leaving a ¾ length door, don’t discard these sections as they will be used for the edges of the swing. Next you’ll need to make the backrest which is perhaps the most difficult part, this can be done using wooden slates as shown in the photo above, or similar to that of a wooden bench. Once the backrest is prepared this can be attached to the seat area (the old door). Once the back has been fixed in place you will need to attach the sides and skirting edge. Eight hooks and approximately ten metres of chain will be needed for hanging the swing, whilst you may also want to finish the door with colourful paints and cushioning to give it some character and comfort.

We’re hopeful this post has provided some inspiration to those of you wondering what to do with your old doors, while know that if you’ve read this, whether you end up fitting new door handles or transforming your old doors into something new, you’ll never just throw them away.