a repurposed old door

Category: gardening among the rocks | Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:37 am

Dad was a heavy-equipment mechanic. I can't recall where, but one worksite had a place called the "bone yard", where odd bits of equipment parts went to rest.
I have a spot hidden in the trees where I have a small pile of wood that can't be burned due to preservative or whatever. My own "bone yard". One of the things that's been sitting there for a few seasons is this old door. It was a freebie, but covered in layers of lead-based paint. A couple of rainy seasons and the paint finally peeled off in big sheets so I could properly dispose of it all. It didn't go far, it's now screening off the backside of my potting shed which is right near the bone yard.

I ran several screws through the wood to keep it from warping apart as it sits outside, then fastened it to the potting shed/blacksmith forge. A cedar post from the bone yard anchors the free edge of the door. The wire mesh in the door opening is reclaimed from a pen built to safely house baby chicks- I won't likely be raising up many new ones so cutting off a length of wire is no loss. It's attached to the back of the door with screws through scraps of cedar.
The little thuja in front may or may not make it- it was not doing well in it's former spot, hadn't grown at all in two years and was turning brown on one side. I figure this is it's best chance, since I'll be tending this bed to monitor the hollyhocks and iris I've planted alongside. Haven't yet decided what to attach to the wire mesh, to add to the screening power of the door, but I'm hoping the hollyhocks will get tall enough to help. I'll probably wire on some interesting bit of garden art.

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Comments

glendann wrote on Sat Jun 02, 2007 2:40 am:

What a neat idea .Leave it to the artist to think of a great way.
I have two doors that I need to do something with I will have to put my thinking cap on and figure something out.

dooley wrote on Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:56 am:

dr has an old solid door that he is going to use to make a gate. Our lot is divided into several sections and he's made gates to go from one section to another.Dooley

CritterPainter wrote on Sat Jun 02, 2007 6:14 am:

Wow, like in the "secret garden" dooley? How cool!
If you hinge your two doors together they would make a freestanding screen that you could move around the yard. Just a thought :)

eileen wrote on Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:59 am:

Now that's a bit of recyclinng that I definately approve of. I used an old fence panel to hide the 'messy' area of our garden.

Chitweed wrote on Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:15 pm:

We hinged some fencing together to make a screen for our air conditioner unit. I think I like the idea of the doors more. The fencing hides it a bit, but I would like to not hear it run as much. The doors might deaden the sound a bit more. Great ideas! Thanks!