chalk paint Archives

Old Shutters Make Easy DIY Shelves

How To Make Shelves With Old Shutters

I love old shutters but sometimes they come in less-than-perfect shape. I bought four at Three Speckled Hens in Paso Robles over a year ago. None of the shutters functioned so they sat in the garage for a year before I finally decided it was time to put them to use. I’ve been decorating my she-shed so I have a lot of space to fill. Turning the shutter sideways while paint dried gave me the idea to turn my old shutter into a shelf!

Here’s what I used to turn my shutters into shelves :

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old shutter
chalk paint
chip brush
shelf brackets
shelf boards (I used scraps from the yard)
Dewalt drill (of course you can use any but I like Dewalt)
Gorilla brand wood glue
Shelf hanging hardware

You’ll also need a saw to cut the shelf boards unless you have the hardware store do it for you. You’ll also need a drill bit for pre-drilling holes.

If your shutters are broken, you can use the Gorilla wood glue to glue them in place so they don’t fall out when you hang the shelf. If they aren’t broken, lucky you! I started by painting the shutter using chalk paint. I wanted some of the natural color of the shelf to show through, so I used a little bit of water in a shallow plate to dip my brush in from time to time to slightly water down the paint. If you want your shelf solid white, just lay that paint on heavier. This part takes the most patience because painting every part of the shutter is a bit of work. You don’t have to paint the back if you don’t want, but I recommend painting all of the edges around the outside because you’ll see that portion when it’s hanging on the wall. I used a cheap chip brush to paint the shelf. I like to reuse things, so I actually rinse my chip brushes and use them as many times as possible. If you like chalk painting, I recommend stocking up. You’ll use them a lot in all different sizes! Anyway, here’s a before and after of the shutters. The screws that are sticking out of the top in the picture were there when I started. I removed those for the shelf.

Now that you have the shutters painted, you’ll need to cut the piece of wood that you’re using for the shelf. I cut mine to the exact width of the shutter. Lowe’s or Home Depot can do it for you but I used old wood from my wood pile for this project. When you pick your shelf, make sure it’s deep enough to cover your shutter and the brackets. The wood in my pile wasn’t deep enough, so I pieced two together. I love rustic, but that may not be your thing. Here’s a picture of my two pieces from the side.

I feel like the above picture says a thousand words. You’ll reference it for your bracket installation and your shelf installation. Make sure to attach your shelf brackets to the thickest part of your shutter. You can see that I attached mine to the frame using shallow screws that won’t poke out the back, but will keep the shelf secure. My shutters were old so I pre-drilled the holes so the shutter wouldn’t split. If you’re not sure what pre-drilling a hole is, it just means that you drill a hole that is smaller than the circumference of the screw into the wood to create a path for the screw to follow. Align the bracket, mark the spots that you should pre-drill, remove brackets, pre-drill holes, align brackets again, then screw them to the shutter. Easy-peasy, just a little time consuming. After both brackets were attached to the shutter (aligned with the top of the shutter), I attached the shelf pieces using the same method. I pre-drilled the holes and then attached the shelves to the to part of the bracket. The last things you have to do is attach the hardware to the back. Again, pick the meatiest part of the wood so the screws will support the weight of the shelf. And, yes, you have to pre-drill one more time. If you’re lucky enough to have two drills, one should hold the drill bit and the other the driver. This is so much faster!

You can see in the photo that I also added some cool rustic drawer pulls to the bottom of one of mine. You don’t have to do this but it’s a fun option. I made one that is for sale in my booth at Reminisce in downtown Paso Robles and one for my she-shed. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you want to learn how to paint mason jars, you can read my 3 Simple Mason Jar DIY Projects to learn how I paint them and other ways I love to use mason jars.

Thanks again for joining me at Hootshack. Be sure to link back to my post if you decide to share my content. Sharing is caring!

xoxo,

Denise

5:59 am by Hootshack

3 Simple Mason Jar DIY Projects

I love working with mason jars. Regardless of our age, these timeless treasures seem to have a memorable story for all of us. Whether they were the peaches preserved by grandma or the button collection of your moms, mason jars have stood the test of time. One of my childhood memories was visiting my aunt and uncle’s farm in Oakdale, California. My uncle had an old room with a dirt floor that was attached to the garage. We called it “The Pop Shop” because there was always a supply of “pop” (aka soda) in there. Along the top shelves of The Pop Shop were jars of preserved fruits, jams, and vegetables that my aunt had made. I honestly thought the veggies looked pretty gross and my eyes were always on the prize, the soda! All that soda…. I can still smell the musty room when I close my eyes. I can also remember the sharp pinch from the geese that bit us when we were strolling through the gardens! Man those geese were mean!

Crafts are one of my favorite past-times and I’m always needing little trinkets, screws, nails, paint brushes and many other things. Most of these items live in mason jars in my craft room. This month I participated in a #DIYBlogChallenge where the theme is mason jars, and I had no shortage of ideas! Other than using them for storage, here are three of my favorite mason jar DIY projects:

Painted Vases or Containers

Things you need t0 paint mason jars

Acrylic paint or chalk paint
Paintbrush
Rubbing alcohol
Cloth or cotton ball
Sealer

Not every craft needs a full DIY with pictures and tutorials, but there are a few things that are important to note when painting mason jars

wear gloves and clean the surface of the glass with a lint-free cloth and rubbing alcohol prior to painting in order to remove oil from your hands and other debris (cotton ball will work but watch for fuzzies)
allow paint to dry completely between coats – two coats are recommended
to get the distressed look, sand the raised edges with a small piece of sandpaper
if you’re using a chalk paint, be sure to also use a sealer

Burlap Flower Vases

Burlap flowers vases are easy to make. You can read my Rustic Burlap Flower Wreath post to learn how to make the burlap flowers. I attach my burlap flowers with a hot glue gun using glue that dries more clear. I think these would make beautiful wedding centerpieces with your favorite floral arrangements inside.

Hanging Mason Jar Lights

These hanging lights are one my favorites and are really quite easy to make. I bought these light cords for this project and they worked great. Because this one might need a little more explaining, I created a quick DIY tutorial for you!

On your light cord towards the socket, there is a larger ring that unscrews from the socket. Remove that ring and set it aside (see next photo)
Remove the center of the lid from the mason jar and set the ring and jar aside
Using the end of the socket, trace around the end that holds the light bulb onto the back of the mason jar lid like in the next photo – you can see the socket end I traced with the ring that we removed laying to the left and the circle. I traced the socket end, not the outer ring.

Place the mason jar lid on a block of wood and use a small drill bit to drill holes close together. You can keep going all the way around or just get started with the drill bit and then use tin snips or old scissors to cut out the rest of the hole. Please wear gloves. The edges are sharp!

Fit the socket into the hole and then attach the outer ring from the socket onto the inside of the lid – I should still have my gloves on! Please keep them on. 😉

Now screw in your light bulb then feed the plug end through the mason jar ring and screw the mason jar lid onto the jar. The plug will be facing towards the sky out the top of the mason jar ring and the rest of the lighting attachments will be hanging out the bottom. This is not a pretty light bulb but I plan on using it in a painted jar. If you’re using a clear jar, buy a pretty light bulb.

I’m going to hang three of these mason jar hanging lights from my outdoor gazebo. I love the way they turned out. This photo does not do it justice but have you ever tried to take a picture of a light hanging at night with an iPhone?

I would love to hear what your favorite use is for mason jars. If you have extra ones, be sure to check out my Mason Jar Bird Feeder. Also, be sure to comment below and let me know what your favorite use is for mason jars or what your favorite memory of them is. I would love to hear.

Please take a minute and visit some other creative ladies from this month’s DIY Blog Challenge! Makes, Bakes and Decor and Cassie Smallwood.

xoxo,

Denise