Installing a new garage door is a great way to improve the curb appeal of your home. Rather than send your old garage door to a landfill or recycling center, consider repurposing it for other household uses. Here are a few do-it-yourself projects that can infuse new life into your old garage door.

Easy Garden or Compost Frame

One easy project is to create a frame for a raised garden or compost bin. First, separate the door panels. If the garage door is painted, you should sand or scrape it all off to prevent the paint from leeching out and contaminating your garden or compost.

Chances are pretty good the garage door panels will be too big for your needs, so use cutting shears (for metal doors) or a circular saw (for wood doors) to reduce the pieces to the size you want. Then partially bury the pieces where you want to place the garden or compost pile. The pieces should meet or slightly overlap at the corners to minimize gaps.

For a raised garden, simply fill the newly created space with soil. For a compost pile, you may want to leave an opening so you can access the compost when needed.

Room Divider

Another easy do-it-yourself project is to create a folding-screen style room divider out of the garage door. Because of how sturdy these doors are, it will probably make a better divider than one you'd purchase at a store.

Since most garage doors are already built to fold at specific sections, you likely won't need to separate the panels. If you have a single-panel garage door, though, you will have to cut it into pieces and then use hinges to reconnect them. Lastly, personalize the door by painting it and adding accessories such as hooks and handles.

Nouveau Artwork

Garage door panels can make a great canvas for a piece of artwork. You can clean and use the panels as is or sand away the old paint and prime the surface with fresh paint to create a workable surface for your project. A few ideas for art pieces include:

• Using stencils to make word art
• Gluing fake flowers or other items onto the panel to create unique 3-D art
• Cutting holes in the panels to use as frames for pictures

With a little imagination and effort, you can find a number of uses for an old garage door. If you're in the market for a new garage door, contact a garage door installation company like Mid-South Door Co in your area.