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June 30, 2017 · 25 Comments

5 Ways To Repurpose Drawers

Crafts· Create· DIY· Home· Reader Favorites

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Whether you have drawers left from other projects, a broken piece of furniture, a drawer which just can’t be fixed, or find them at yard sales, here’s 5 ways to repurpose drawers creatively.  Do you have any sad looking drawers like this?

repurpose drawers for storage
Repurpose drawers to use as extra storage, a shelf, a bulletin board, or a serving tray. Or maybe it’s a damaged drawer, use the drawer front only. Add a few hooks or knobs for jewelry, pet leash, back packs, or as a towel rack.

A few of these drawers came from my front porch desk a couple years ago.  

Contents hide
# 1 – Serving or Decor Tray
# 2 – Wall Shelf
# 3 – Bulletin Board
#4 – Wall Hanger
# 5 – Rolling Storage Bin
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# 1 – Serving or Decor Tray

As an actual serving tray, or to use on an ottoman to contain decor, these are best made with a shallow drawer, maybe from a desk.

Reinforce the bottom if necessary.

Hardware was removed, holes filled, then the normal prep of cleaning and sanding was done.

A couple coats of Black Dog Salvage Roanoke Rain was applied. This is one of my favorite colors as it’s somewhat neutral, but also has that beachy, coastal color great for the summer. 

 

The handles were old ones in my stash painted silver.

It still needed something else, so a rope stencil design was added to the front. This was a DecoArt stencil I had on hand and used metallic acrylic paint.

Mine is for the coffee table, decorated for the summer. But, it could easily be used for drinks or carrying food to the deck.

# 2 – Wall Shelf

There’s always a little space on the wall to add storage. Making a shelf from a drawer can be just the right fit.

Add an extra piece of wood to make another shelf for even more storage. The size of your drawer will determine the width and depth of the added shelf. Secure with screws for added support.

Paint to match the decor.

Most drawer bottoms are rather thin. By adding scrap pieces of wood in the back (bottom) of drawer, this will keep it from splitting when you hang. I used wood glue and screws to attach. Anchors are suggested for most walls.

# 3 – Bulletin Board

This was made pretty much like the above shelf, without the added shelf. This one had old contact paper but luckily it came right off with not sticky mess left.

 

For the “bulletin board” insert, it’s just a piece of foam core, cut to size of the base.  This gives you the thickness to for your push pins or thumb tacks.  Using spray adhesive, burlap was attached. Your favorite fabric could also be used.

To attach, 3M Photo Hangers were used. It can easily be removed if you want to change the burlap.

Again, this was reinforced and hung with anchors.

#4 – Wall Hanger

This is a great way to use just the drawer front. This drawer is from my son’s nursery – 30 years ago. It’s not even real wood (bought what we could afford at the time). It was beyond repair but I couldn’t bear to part with it.

The pull was removed and holes filled. After painting, I added these gorgeous glass knobs I had on hand.

Hangers were added to the back and hung using anchors for drywall.

I’m using it for jewelry, but you could easily add hooks for back packs or dog leashes.

# 5 – Rolling Storage Bin

This is part of a bigger project. Hint – drawers and my old cedar chest = future project.  I don’t want to walk to the garage for some of my gardening tools.

This extra drawer was a practice piece for my $7 Entertainment Center.  

Drawers are a perfect item to add casters to for extra storage, especially under the bed.

The drawer bottom was sturdy, but needed reinforcement for the casters. Scrap wood was added with wood glue and screws. 

Casters come in different sizes but lightweight worked for this.

I’m using these in my foyer for some of the yard items and shoes – always trying to cut down the clutter.

There’s hints in all the idea sections, so make sure you read each for tips and suggestions on finishing your project.

Remember to watch soon for the completed Foyer Project where these are being used.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Connie says

    June 30, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    I LOVE all the vibrant colors you used! ?

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:30 am

      Thanks – I always have tons of paint.

      Reply
  2. Leigh Anne Borders says

    July 1, 2017 at 8:14 am

    I love these ideas for drawers. I would have never thought to do the things that you did with them. Now I want to do some DIY!

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:30 am

      Go for it. Watch along the roads. It’s amazing what people toss.

      Reply
  3. Natasha Kendall says

    July 1, 2017 at 11:11 am

    They look great, now! A new lease of life! I hate DIY, I make my boyfriend do it all or just buy something new and cheap ha.

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:35 am

      These are pretty easy to do so maybe you can “supervise” him. LOL

      Reply
  4. Liz says

    July 1, 2017 at 12:51 pm

    Love the idea of a serving tray! Very cute. These are all great ideas.

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:35 am

      Who can’t use more trays? Always so useful too.

      Reply
  5. Stephanie Gilbert says

    July 1, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    Super cute. I would have never thought of these. Need to do the tray idea.

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:34 am

      It’s funny how easy some of these projects can be pretty easy to do. And useful.

      Reply
  6. Akamatra says

    July 2, 2017 at 4:17 am

    I am a craft lover and I do love a good make over or reuse of older things. My mom has done a great small side table out of one drawer and I love it!

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:29 am

      It’s amazing what can be done with “junk”.

      Reply
  7. Niki McNeill says

    July 2, 2017 at 7:13 pm

    What great DIY ideas!! I think my favorite is the planter boxes.

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:33 am

      Thanks – hope you follow along for more ideas. Loved your blog too.

      Reply
  8. Ola says

    July 2, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    I love what you’ve done with these drawers. I swear I’ll never look at yours the same again! I’d also like to try that Black Do g Salvage paint. I have a couple of projects that could use it.

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:33 am

      I love this paint. It’s a little thicker than some but has great coverage. And I have recipes for mixing colors to make many more. Let me know if you need it.

      Reply
  9. Aija says

    July 3, 2017 at 6:55 am

    You awakening my DIY spirit. Love the serving tray and bulletin board idea

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 3, 2017 at 7:32 am

      I hope you will try some for yourself.

      Reply
  10. David Elliott says

    July 3, 2017 at 11:39 pm

    I have a dresser that is falling apart. These tips will definitely come in handy with what to do with it. Thanks for the great ideas.

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 4, 2017 at 7:12 am

      There you go. I’m on the hunt for a few large ones to make for under my bed. Hope you try it.

      Reply
  11. Priya says

    July 4, 2017 at 8:44 am

    I love such a creative post. Yesterday, I just painted my broken drawer and started using it as a mini shoe rack…:)

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 6, 2017 at 9:04 am

      Yes – shoes are always a problem in storage.

      Reply
  12. Christopher James Mitchell says

    July 8, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    I love the idea of repurposing things that we think we should throw out and turning them into something to cherish. Thanks for the article!

    Reply
    • notjustpaperandpaint@gmail.com says

      July 9, 2017 at 2:29 am

      My husband thinks I’m close to a hoarder, but loves the things I end up making. Thanks for checking it out.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Not My Old Cedar Chest Any More says:
    July 17, 2017 at 11:19 am

    […] See how I turned the drawers into rolling storage HERE. […]

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