When you buy a new garage door, hopefully one that is green, the old one is typically taken away and disposed of in a land fill. While some companies will take the old door and try to refurbish and sell it or will recycle the material, others simply toss it. But there are many creative ways you can re-purpose your garage door. Just let your imagination run wild and you can quickly come up with a number of inventive ways to reuse that old beat up door, just like these homeowners did.
Frame a Compost Pile or Garden
Garage doors can provide the perfect frame for a raised garden or a compost pile. Separate the door into the individual panels to form the walls, and cut one in half to form the back. Use metal cutting shears if your door is made of aluminum or steel, or a circular saw if the door is wood. Next, dig a small trench to partially bury the panels, then place them standing up to create your frame.
Leave one side open if you are making a compost pile so you can easily roll a wheel barrow in. If you are making a raise garden close off all sides then fill with dirt.
Some garage doors are painted, so be sure to scrape down and sand to remove the paint to keep your garden or compost pile clean.
Create a Green House
If you have a garage door in Cleveland or another area that gets cold, this is a great idea. Turn your old garage door into a mini green house. There are some limitations to this idea, as a steel or vinyl garage door just is not going to help protect against the cold. But if you have a wood or wood composite garage door this really works great.
If you are somewhat handy you can easily do this with a table and jigsaw, some Plexiglas, and screws. On particularly cold nights you may want to consider adding some hay or straw around your plants for extra protection.
Garage Door Headboard
You might want to check with your significant other or roommate before doing this, and it probably won’t work if it’s a newer garage door that looks mass produced, but consider making a headboard out of your garage door.
Back in the day, before they started using vinyl and steel, garage doors were made of fine quality woods like cherry, chestnut, and mahogany. If you have one of these, sanding it down and placing it as your headboard can be a nice room accent. Not necessarily for everyone, but it just goes to show how a little creativity can go a long way when it comes to reusing our old stuff.
Not everyone has the time or inclination to try and reuse an old garage door themselves. In that case, before you purchase a new door, open your yellow pages or go to Google. Search for Garage Doors San Jose or whatever town you live in and start calling the companies up and asking them flat out “How do you recycle the doors you replace?” This way you can rest assured that it will be recycled and not end up in a land fill somewhere.
Photo Sources: Fun In The Making, Curbly DIY Maven
