{happy wednesday, crafters!} Hope your week is going wonderfully. Today I am showing off my corner shelf made from an old door. My corner door shelf is one of my all time favorite pieces of furniture!
DIY Corner Door Shelf
Davis and I made this about 5 years ago when we bought our first home. {sweet memories} Originally, I painted the door shelf an off white with a brown wash over it. {you can see my original picture of the corner shelf here. my style has changed a lot since then….as has my photog skills lol} I recently gave my corner door shelf a makeover with a coat of turquoise spray paint…..
Door turned into a Corner Door Shelf
Its right at home in my Sitting Room! I’m doing turquoise and lime green in there and I’m using my shelf made from a door as the focal point/statement piece…..And it kinda rocks at both jobs! I’m still debating whether I should do a dark wash over the turquoise or not. Not sure if it will go with the modern-vintage look I’m going for in the room.
***will post pics of my Sitting Room when its done!***
added later: you can see my entire front room here.
Of course I used milk glass to accessorize it! the lime green flowers in a bud vase totally pop. So lively and fun!
I changed out the door knob with a vintage replica….and its sort of the frosting on the cake.
Corner Door Shelf
Here is the before and after picture. Kinda crazy, huh? One of my all time fave projects!
How to make a Door Shelf
supplies: door, circular saw, screw driver, screws, 13-90 degree metal L brackets, sand paper, door knob.
- First, we cut the door in half using a circular saw. {draw lines and measure twice!}
- Secure the two door pieces to be at a 90 degree angle using clamps and a helper. {i was the helper :)
- Screw in 5-90 degree metal brackets to the back to hold the 2 pieces together.
- Cut 4 shelves out of particle board to fit the measurements of your door. {note: we rounded the outer edge of the shelves, but you could leave them square.}
- Secure the shelves in place using 2-90 degree metal brackets under each one.
- Sand any rough edges with 200 grit sandpaper.
- Change the door knob, if desired. TIP: I recommend only putting one side of the door knob on so that the corner shelf can sit flush with the wall. Otherwise, you would have to leave room between the wall and shelf to allow for the knob.
- Paint and distress the door as desired. {I used 2 cans of turquoise spray paint for mine}
So that’s how we made my corner shelf. I love this piece! Its so cool and I still get loads of compliments on it. I think it would be cool to get different old doors and turn them into shelves like this. think of all the cool door designs! So many possibilities.
If you make a door shelf, I would love to see a picture!
More DIY Projects:
happy crafting, linda
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Love this so much! I am in the process of recreating this at my house. The only problem I’m having is finding a great door knob. Any advice? Everything is very expensive. Thanks!
Thanks, Corrie! Try thrift store, antique stores, or auctions. You can sometimes find killer knobs for great prices! Thanks for stopping by!
happy crafting,
Linda
did you have to secure the shelf to a base so it doesn’t fall over?
Hi Malarie,
No, it stands up by itself just fine. Thanks for stopping by!
happy crafting,
Linda
I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this project on pinterest! I have been looking for a corner cabinet or other project for my newly redone kitchen…And this work perfectly for the entry! I can’t wait to get started on this project….! Thanks SOOOO much for posting this!!!
Awesome!! I’m so glad you like it and are making one of your own! Its one of my fave pieces! I’d love to see a quick pic of yours when you’re done, if you have time :) Thanks for stopping by, Sherry!
happy crafting,
Linda
The color you choose is really nice. It gives a bright, joy, yet charming feeling. The idea itself is also great. I might try this some day since I have a leftover wooden door in my storage.
Your tip to remove one side of the door knob is really important… I can’t imagine how I would feel if the painting is finish but the door cannot cling to the wall because of the knob.
For the shelves, you could also use a round wooden table top and cut it into quarters. I’m pretty sure Home Depot has round cuts.
Great idea, Summer! That would work great! Thanks for stopping by!
happy crafting,
Linda
This is awesome! Did you secure it to the wall with anything? Or is it just standing against it?
Aha! A use for the crappy bifold closet doors I can’t wait to replace! Great idea!
Exactly! Thanks for stopping by, Jamie!!
Adoorable! I’ve got to try this! Does the door stand on the floor? Did you mount it to the wall? Or add “feet”?
Hi Veronica,
Thanks! Yes, it stands on the floor. I did not add any feet :) We did attach it to the wall with some nylon webbing because we have little kids and don’t want it to fall on them i they bumped it. It actually stands up just fine on its own as long as you attach the 2 piece together flush and even.
Thanks for stopping by!
happy crafting,
Linda
Hi Linda, I did make one of these doors for a client and she has contacted me to let me know it is NOT sturdy on the carpet, it is front heavy. Stood fine on my hardwood floors. hhmm how can I help her sturdy this? thank you
How do I post a pic of mine? thanks
Hi Donna! You can email it to me craftaholicsanon@gmail.com! I’d love to see yours :)
Yes, they are a bit front heavy. I use nylon webbing attached to the back of the door and then I attached the other side to the wall to prevent tips.
I’m going to make one of these for my antique booth….wish I could see the backside and get an idea for the bracket or clamps used. Great idea!
I LOVE this door shelf. I have an old door that I can use to make me one. Is this steady enough to use without securing it to the wall?
Just found your blog and will be adding you to my faviorites.
Hi Kelly,
THanks for stopping by! The corner shelf is sturdy enough to stand on its own, which is what we did for years. But when we had kids, we decided to bolt it to the wall like we did all of our other furniture :) So as long as you don’t have pets or kids that could climb or play on it, it will stand just fine. Hope this helps! Stop by again soon!
happy crafting,
Linda
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What did you put on the bottom? Does it stay pretty sturdy and upright in the corner by itself or did you anchor it to the wall? I have a closet door that I’m going to make into this.
Hi Cassandra,
The only thing on the bottom is felt {like the circles you put on the bottom of chair legs} to keep it from scratching our wood floors. The corner shelf is very sturdy and stands well on its own. But after having kids, we did use nylon strapping to secure the shelf to the wall as our kids to like sit and play on the bottom shelf sometimes. Thanks for stopping by!
happy crafting,
Linda
Hi, came to your blog by chance but really love all the craft stuff you’ve mde. It’s good to have enough space and tools to do whatever we like! Keep doing! Greetings from Hochiminh city, Vietnam
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I usually don’t like things like this but this particular project worked really well =)
I like the pop of colour and the actual concept.
Great job <3
Thanks, Kia! I’m so glad you stopped by!
happy crafting,
Linda
This may have been asked in a previous post but does it matter if you use a soild or hollow door?
Great job by the way…Very creative and I can’t wait to do this myself. I’m just starting to get into to crafts that will spruce up my home. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful! Is this a hollow core door, or a solid wood door?
Hi Lauren,
It is a hollow core door. The center has a solid beam and that is where we cut, so you can use either a hollow or solid door.
thanks!
Linda
Hi–I like the proportions of this repurposed door shelf. What was the original width of the door?
Thanks!
Hi B,
Its a standard sized door.
thanks,
Linda
Hi, I plan on making this door shelf! so excited as it will be my mom’s mother’s day project! anyhow i have a question! Did you really cut the door in true half? I just ask this because of the overlap from the ends of the door halves that you have to have to put the L brackets on or did you measure the thickness of the door and move the half way line over the distance of the thickness? or were you not that picky? OR haha am I thinking the wrong direction? did you meet the back edges and have the wings of the L brackets line the cut portion(thickness of door part)? If i’m confusing you I apologize but I could use the clear up
Hi Lanae,
Thanks for the note! My hubby and I originally made the door shelf right after we were married and didn’t know much about wood working. So we did cut the door directly in half and placed the 2 pieces at a 90 degree angle with the cut edges together. Looking back now, it would have been better to off set the cut the width of the door so they overlapped the width of the door and then secured with brackets. But our door shelf has held up nicely and been sturdy. So I’m sure either way is just fine! Hope this helps!
good luck!
Linda
This is just tooo cool. love it, and I never would of thought to do this with a door. Great work.
What a cute idea! I love the bold color.
Thank you, Missy! I’m so glad you stopped by! :)
Linda
This is such a cool idea. We have two old doors in the garage just using space. Oh this is so great, thanks for sharing this idea with us Linda. I have my own craft room, teaching others the ins and outs of crafting and painting. Keep it going, i love your ideas. Judith Paton – South Africa
Thank you, Judith! Glad you enjoyed my door shelf. Its a great way to use those two doors in your garage!
happy crafting!
Linda
I’m totally using this idea in my next appartment!
We’re going to move into our new place in a few months and your blog is really giving me
the inspiration I need to make our house a home, thank you!
greetings from Belgium
Congrats on the new apartment! Thanks for stopping by! :)
What a fun build. How cool it would be if there was a secret doorway behind it?
haha that would be awesome!
I am in so much love with this! I just stumbled across you, and I may never leave :) I think I own the same copper bucket on your bottom shelf. I use it for umbrellas.
I’m so glad you stopped by, Adelina! That is a great use for that copper little bucket! :)
I used shutters
Awesome idea!!
Thank you, Lindsay!
I just just finished reading your blog and tutorials gray information. Thank you. I noticed you talked about milk glass in a few of your dyi’s, are you a collector?
Yes, I collect milk glass. Its special to me because my great grandma collected old dishes and she gave me my first piece of milk glass and I fell in love :) Do you collect milk glass?
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I can’t imagine this for a DIY project, but this is awesome :) I’m sure gonna have one in my house :)
That is a very neat idea!
love this
Thanks!
i need all the cheap easy ways I can to decorate my home
My first time seeing this and that is a wonderful idea….it will look nice
Can you send me or publish a pic of how the back side of the door handle looks. In my mind, having installed many door handles, you have to have a long spindle sticking through the door from one handle side to the other. How do you keep the door handle attached without a corresponding handle or mechanism on the backside?
The handle is from another decor piece and not actually a door handle.
Linda you have done outstanding job! great!
Thank you, Paulette!
love the door to shelf idea! I have seen it before but was so glad that it refreshed my mind. Have one that I have been trying to make up my mind what to do with it.
Can you do this with two doors rather than cutting the door in half to make bigger shelves?
Yes, you could!
If you dont have a door use bi fold closet doors they look the same and its easier half the work done.
Great idea!
I thought this was a very clever idea so I made my own. I have another half door so I’m planning a smaller version, lamp stand, for the landing on our staircase. Thanks for the inspiration :-D
Sell something extremely similar at Kirkland’s .. the only difference is the paint job. Same corner door the shelves fold up when you close it… same door knob . Same everything….HMMMMM
if it was inspiration you saw you did amazing recreating , im only teasing in my last comment ,
it doesnt look like this one folds shut either i dont think i could recreate this but it looks good
Really? That’s crazy! I made this years ago. Back in 2007 when we bought our first house and had extra doors. I think Kirklands was “inspired” by me :/
I am in the process of making one of these and will send you a pic when its done! Can i email it to you?
Thanks for the idea.
Jeff
I would love to see! my email is craftaholicsanon at gmail dot com :)
Love this I’m doing this in my living room so excited let me know how to send you pics.thanks great idea I love it…
I’d love to see! you can email me at craftaholicsanon at gmail dot com :)