How to Repurpose Cabinet Doors into Art: 3 easy projects
One of the best ways to add character and personality to a room is by displaying art. If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to create your own art, consider ways to repurpose cabinet doors. Not only do cabinet doors make great canvases, but they also come in many different sizes; easy to customize to fit your specific decor. With a few simple tools and a little bit of creativity, you can create a unique piece of art that will undoubtedly brighten up any room.
3 SIMPLE PROJECTS USING CABINET DOORS TO CREATE UNIQUE ART
There are many ways to create art using cabinet doors. One popular option is to paint the cabinet door and afterwards, use Decor transfers such as those by Iron Orchid Designs. IOD transfers come in a variety of designs and can significantly enhance the decorative element to any project.
If you’re more of a visual person when it comes to DIY, then check out this step-by-step video tutorial to see how it’s done. Subsequently, you may be surprised at just how easy it is to repurpose cabinet doors into beautiful pieces of art!
WHERE TO FIND CABINET DOORS
When it comes to finding old cabinet doors, there are several places you can look.
One option is to check local salvage shops or antique stores. If you have a specific style or type of door in mind, then you can also search social media exchange pages, or garage sales. My favorite place is the Habitat for Humanity Restore. All the cabinet doors are usually out front in bins that you can search through. They usually range in price from $2 – $5.
Basically, take a little time to explore all your options; You should be able to find the perfect cabinet doors for your next DIY project.
SIMPLE STEPS FOR REPURPOSING OLD CABINET DOORS
PROJECT #1 – FARMHOUSE ART
STEP 1 – REMOVE HARDWARE AND FILL HOLES
Start by removing the hardware from the doors and fill any holes with a lightweight spackling. This will give you a clean slate to work with.
STEP 2 – PREP
It’s also a good idea to clean your cabinet door really well. You can use a mixture of vinegar and water, a TSP mixture, or even alcohol. If the doors are glossy, then you may want to sand them down a bit to create tooth. This will help the new paint or stain adhere better. I love DIY paint by Debi’s Design Diary! It’s a clay based paint and adheres to most anything! Furthermore, no sanding or priming is necessary!
STEP 3 – DECIDE ON FINISH
After you’ve prepped the cabinet door, decide what finish you want. You could paint them a solid color, stain them, decoupage them with patterned paper, stamp them, or add Decor Transfers.
STEP 4 – PAINT; EASIEST WAY TO REPURPOSE CABINET DOORS
Next, apply paint evenly to the door using a brush or roller. For this project, I am using DIY paint in the color Bead Board and Farm Fresh.
STEP 5 – REPURPOSE CABINET DOORS WITH DECOR STAMPS AND/OR TRANSFERS
Once the paint is dry, you can further embellish using IOD Stamps or IOD Decor Transfers! The transfer seen here is from the Brocante Transfer and the stamp used is the Crackle from the Vintage Textures Stamp.
NEW TO DECOR TRANSERS?
If you’re new to Decor Transfers, no worries; check out this Blog Post! It tells you all you need to know to successfully use Transfers on Chalk painted surfaces. It’s really easy and adds so much elegance or character to your DIY projects!
STEP 6 – PROTECT YOUR REPURPOSE CABINET DOORS
Lastly, seal your new piece of art! You can seal your finished project with a polycrylic or wax(es). I wanted a little more dimension and depth so I used 4 different waxes: Clear wax, Dark wax, Verdigris wax, and White wax. Before using any colored wax, it’s best to start with Clear wax.
After adding a colored or dark wax, you want to wipe back any excess using a soft t-shirt type material.
STEP 7 – DISTRESS
I love how my repurpose turned out! Doesn’t this cabinet door just scream Farmhouse? For one last step, I distressed it all back to the wood, in several places, giving it a little more of an aged look! I did that using a sheet of 120 grit sandpaper.
STEP 8 – ADD CLAW HOOK TO BACK FOR HANGING
If you want to hang your new Wall Decor, simply hammer in a little claw hook to the back.
PROJECT #2 – VINTAGE INSPIRED WALL ART
Here is another example of how you can repurpose Cabinet Doors: This is one of my favorites! After painting the door using DIY paint in the color Vintage Linen, I added part of the Brocante Transfer and framed it using Iflex Wood products. Air dry Clay along with the IOD Fleur de Lis mould were used to further embellish, as well as, an old finial that was painted. Everything was clear waxed then dark waxed! This video tutorial is on my Facebook page HERE.
PROJECT #3 – CHALKBOARD
Thirdly, what about a Chalk Board? As can be seen, many cabinet doors are perfect for this project! Again, I used DIY paint in the color Old 57 on the cabinet door frame and DIY paint in the color Little Black Dress to create the chalk board! Using a synthetic brush, I painted on three coats of the black paint, alternating the direction. So paint one coat going vertically, allow to dry, then paint second coat horizontally. Third coat would be painted vertically. Once paint is dry, season it with the side of a piece of chalk, again alternating directions.
DIY paint comes in so many great colors! Just think of all the fun chalk boards you could make! Additionally, decorative pieces were made and added along the top using IOD air dry clay and the IOD Swags mould.
I really love how it turned out!
If you enjoyed these projects, join my free creative community and never miss a project!
Finally, I want to know if you have up cycled a cabinet door before? If so, then how did it turn out? I’d love to see pictures of your projects in the comments below – Certainly we can all get some inspiration from each other. If you haven’t tried repurposing something before, don’t be afraid! All in all, it’s a really fun (and cheap) way to add some personality to your home. Just start with something small and work your way up – I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
As always, thanks for reading! Until next time!
Love,
Joanie
