Five Ways to Recycle Your Old Wooden Shutters
If you have any old wooden shutters taking up space in your garage, or if you come across these finds at a thrift store or rummage sale, there are some great do-it-yourself projects that will transform these into cool, inventive accents. If you want to paint or stain the wood, do it before beginning the project to make coverage much easier and allow to dry fully.
Five easy and fun projects with shutters include:
1. Cool Fencing Accent
Old wooden shutters make the perfect accents for a wood fence, and the best part is that you don't even need to paint or repair them if they are damaged. This makes it easy to transform the shutter quickly, with little labor, effort, or expense. Mount these on the fence to replicate a window, pairing them with a glass-less window frame or other wooden frame to replicate a window.
2. Useful Side Table
The surface area of a shutter is the perfect size for a clever conversation table. All that you need to do is attach legs, which can be easily found at home improvement retail venues. If you really want to add some function to your old shutter, add casters to the legs to create a mobile table that is perfect for a laptop!
3. Creative Dressing Screen
If you are fortunate enough to have several shutters that are approximately the same size, these can be secured to one another with inexpensive brass hinges to create a truly unique dressing screen. These are great in a bedroom, bathroom, or in a family space to create an intimate nook that is ideal for relaxing or reading. You may even secure one side of the shutter screen to a wall for added support and pull-out convenience when needed.
4. Unique Garden Border
These shutters are just as useful outside as they are inside the home, and there are some innovative ideas that you may try, such as a garden border. Use these to frame your garden bed, lay them on their side, or stand upright to replicate a trellis. Plant climbing vines and plants to complete the garden look.
5. Kitschy Doors for Kitchen Cabinetry
Consider augmenting the shutters to fit the same size as your cabinet doors in the kitchen. These make a stunning country-themed accent when used to replace basic cabinet doors, and they will provide excellent air circulation for items stored behind the shutter "doors".
Try one or more of these ideas with any old shutters that you might have laying around. These clever suggestions give new life to recycled shutters, and convey a trendy, shabby-chic design that is perfect in many homes, complementing many styles of décor. Start looking for intriguing old shutters and begin planning your own creative recycling projects!
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