I am revisiting this older project, a repurposed door bookshelf. I’m updating all the photos, and sharing what I would do differently 10 years later. Look for those thoughts in bold text below.
This project was featured on:
Cut Door in Half to make Repurposed Door Bookshelf
I ripped this old door on my table saw with the help of a neighbor. This was a solid and very heavy door, impossible to handle by myself. Always trust your gut and ask for help if you feel the project is too much for you to handle.
When ripping a large project on a table saw, it’s a good idea to have those extra hands to receive the project.
Make Necessary Repairs
After I ripped it I needed to do a little repair on it. Some of the dowels were cut in half by the table saw.
So, I replaced the dowels, glued and taped them in place.
This door had many layers of paint. I decided to let mother nature help me “weather” the paint off. I actually cut the door months ago. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend this technique.
When it got to this point I used a paint stripper to remove the remnants of paint. Always use caution when dealing with old chippy paint.
Because it had been out in the weather for so long, I had to make repairs.
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I glued the loose joints with Gorilla Wood Glue.
Prepare Door Bookshelf for Painting
I was lucky enough to find some pink Kilz in the oops bin at Home Depot. ($5.00) Getting a really good red is hard without primer.
In recent years, I’ve learned to make my own diy chalky paint primer out of red paint, then use the red paint out of the can as the topcoat.
This is after one coat of primer, I ended up putting on two coats of primer.
I also found a really pretty red “oops” paint at Home Depot.
Add Shelves to Bookshelf
Laying the two pieces on the driveway, I began designing the configuration of the shelves.
The first step was to attach a top and a bottom. I used wood glue and drywall screws for this project.
However, these days I would definitely use wood screws.
The plywood I used for the top, bottom and shelves all came from the cull bin at Home Depot. The cull bin no longer exists at our Home Depot.
Now, I have options for smaller pieces of nice plywood at my Peddler’s Mall.
To attach the shelves I used a Kreg Jig, you can see how easy it is to use in my post titled, How To Use a Kreg Jig.
When you are building something like this you need to make sure your shelves are level. But more important you need to make sure the ground/floor you’re working on is level first!
What would I do different today? I would apply edge banding to hide the raw edge of the plywood like I did on my Tall Window Cabinet project.
The repurposed door bookshelf is coming together, but it’s getting very heavy!
Embellish Repurposed Door Bookshelf with Wood Trim
I used two scrap pieces of cull bin luan (.51 each) for the back. One piece runs from the top all the way to the last shelf. I joined the other piece of luan in the center of the bottom shelf. From the back you can see that it is pieced, but from the front it is not noticeable. I told you I DIY on the cheap, that means I’m a “use what you have” kind of girl.
Would I do that differently? Nope! I’m still that girl that uses what she has!
For the bottom trim I used some scrap molding I bought at one of our local Peddler’s Malls. You can see that the trim is definitely reclaimed wood.
For the top molding I used crown molding.
Paint Shelves
I found that it was easiest to paint this huge repurposed door bookshelf on its side while up on saw horses. I used primer on the new wood. (2 coats)
If you’re a regular around here, you know that I would definitely paint this project with my favorite Super Finish Max if I were to build this today.
This is the top. You can see where I attached the top to the door on either side.
The bookshelf is looking pretty good after 1 coat of red. You know those drop cloths everyone uses for curtains and upholstery? They make great drop cloths too!
I chose not to fill in the hinge mortises. After all, this is a repurposed door bookshelf!
I didn’t measure the height of this piece, but it looks like it is taller than a standard door.
Even back in the day, I painted the top, bottom and the back of this piece. I put the last coat of paint on it while it was upright.
Clean and Install Door Plates
Rummaging through my stash, I located two door knob plates. I’m pretty sure they were the original pieces off of this door. I stripped the paint off of them.
This is how they looked after I cleaned them up from the paint stripper. Before attaching them to the door I sanded them with a sanding sponge which makes it easier to get into the crevices.
Red Repurposed Door Bookshelf
I never really put much thought into how TALL this piece was going to be. It really is big.
Don’t you love how the door knob plates turned out? Chippy is good, but sometimes I don’t want chippy.
The door is old and has a few flaws, but I think it’s age adds character. I think about how many times it was slammed by young’ns running in and out. It makes me think about how it may have been adorned for Christmas, and Autumn. The stories this old door could tell!!
This was the first piece of furniture I ever painted RED, but it was not the last. Have you seen the Red Toddler Bed Made from a Door?
Gail Wilson is the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. She is obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believes that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again, including herself!
Gail reinvented herself during a midlife crisis and has found purpose again. She hopes you will find new ideas for old things and pick up a few tools along the way.
This is such a beautiful use of old junk that might have otherwise been taking up space in a landfill somewhere. I always love the post where someone has reused something rather than just buying new. Beautiful and good for the environment. Love it. April @ HomeHinges.com
Oh Gail ~ that turned out awesome!! There is an old door in the dumpster next door & I’ve been begging my husband to go get it. I wish we had to the tools to do what you did. So cool! Great job & love the color, too. And yes, the doorknob plates really put the icing on the piece. :o)
You’re amazing ~ what a fun piece you created! I love the color, too. You continue to inspire me to “see” the new piece that every old piece can become 🙂
Golly Gee Gail–that is gorgeous. I would have had a tough time getting rid of that fun peeling paint, put since you had to use new wood for shelves get you had to do it. The results are beautiful!
This door had many layers of paint. I decided to let mother nature help me “weather” the paint off. I actually cut the door months ago. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend this technique.
GAH! I love this. I want one now 😉
great work!!! I love old doors!
It’s absolutely terrific! Amazing job! Thanks for stopping by and linking to Anything Related!
{Rebekah}
This is such a beautiful use of old junk that might have otherwise been taking up space in a landfill somewhere. I always love the post where someone has reused something rather than just buying new. Beautiful and good for the environment. Love it.
April @ HomeHinges.com
Oh Gail ~ that turned out awesome!! There is an old door in the dumpster next door & I’ve been begging my husband to go get it. I wish we had to the tools to do what you did. So cool! Great job & love the color, too. And yes, the doorknob plates really put the icing on the piece. :o)
Wow, great job! I wish I had that much initiative today.
You never cease to amaze me! I’m so impressed with this and the toddler bed! How great! Keep up the good work!:)
I love this! So unique. I just painted a headboard & bookshelf red this week & it really is a great color.
Beautiful!! I LOVE tall shelves ~ it’s always hard to find super tall ones. And I just love the hardware too!
You’re amazing ~ what a fun piece you created! I love the color, too. You continue to inspire me to “see” the new piece that every old piece can become 🙂
this piece is fabulous on so many different levels! I love it!
Golly Gee Gail–that is gorgeous. I would have had a tough time getting rid of that fun peeling paint, put since you had to use new wood for shelves get you had to do it. The results are beautiful!