That chippy old window leaning in the garage isn’t junk. It’s a project waiting for a weekend! These 19 creative ways to make things from old windows cover every skill level, from a ten minute twine photo display to a little window flower house for the garden. Some keep the glass and turn it into a canvas for paint or resin. Others put the frame to work as a towel rack, a memo board or a gallery wall. You’ll find furniture too, like a coffee table, a fence board storage table and a cabinet that holds a whole kitchen’s worth of dishes. Before you start, check old paint for lead, wear gloves around loose glazing and seal any flaking finish so the farmhouse look stays put. Then grab a sanding block and pick your favorite!
1. Upcycled Window Herb Planter
An upcycled window herb planter turns a discarded sash into a garden feature that actually works. Scuff the frame with a heat gun and scraper for a rustic finish, then seal it with dark wax. Print the bee and lettering templates as mirror images and paint them on the back of the glass in black and yellow, so the front stays smooth. A strip of old pallet wood becomes the shelf along the bottom. Spray six tin cans cream, decoupage vintage insect paper on the fronts and plant your herbs inside, so each pot lifts out and goes straight to the kitchen.
Get the full tutorial at Pillar Box Blue.
2. Grapevine Burlap Wreath on an Old Window
A grapevine burlap wreath hung on a chippy old window is an easy pairing that works in every season. The wreath itself costs under $10: a plain grapevine base, a strip of burlap and an old cream knit sweater cut into strips. Twist the fabric into loose rosettes, since a little mess only makes them look more rustic, then hot glue a cluster to one side of the base. Tie on a hanging loop made from another strip of burlap. Hang it over the panes of a salvaged window with chicken wire or glass, and lean the whole thing on a porch or mantel.
Get the full tutorial at A Pretty Life In The Suburbs.
3. Antique Window Headboard
An antique window headboard gives a guest room a big statement without crowding a large bed in a small space. Tape the outline of each window on the wall first so you can test the spacing and arrangement. Tighten any loose parts so the windows stay shabby but sturdy, then add a picture hanger rated for the weight to the back of each one. Hang them level with a tape measure and screws, and set extra nails behind the frames so they cannot swing if someone bumps them. Seal the paint with polyurethane and caulk any loose glass before anyone sleeps underneath.
Get the full tutorial at Liz Marie Blog.
4. Antique Windows Sign
An antique windows sign is a beginner friendly way to try painting on glass, and wavy old glass makes it look even better. Pick a font, print the words large and tape the printout to the outside of the window so it reads correctly. Paint the letters on the inside, tracing through the glass, so the finished surface looks smooth from the front. French blue acrylic outlined in gold leaf gives this Fresh Cupcakes sign a vintage bakery feel. Twist screw eyes into the top of the frame and hang it in front of a window with hemp twine.
Get the full tutorial at Miss Mustard Seed.
5. Butterfly Window Resin Craft
This butterfly window resin craft seals paper art inside an old window under a high gloss coat. Clean and paint a curbside window, then cut out paper letters and punch a pile of paper butterflies. Lay out the design on the panes, then press each piece down with a thin layer of Mod Podge so nothing floats once the resin goes on. Wipe away any extra glue, because the resin will preserve every smear. Mix and pour EnviroTex Lite following the kit directions, and pop surface bubbles with a utility lighter. Eye bolts and rope finish the hanger.
Get the full tutorial at Pretty Handy Girl.
6. Old Window Coffee Table
An old window coffee table puts a whole multi pane sash to work as a glass tabletop. This one starts with an eight pane thrift store window, framed with leftover lumber from earlier projects so the table cost very little. The window becomes the lid, and the shallow box underneath turns into a display case for keepsakes, photos or seasonal decor. Everything stays visible but protected from spills and dust, instead of hiding in a drawer. Keep the wood raw and rustic, or stain it to match the rest of the living room.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
7. Cover Up The Electric Panel With A Window
Covering up the electric panel with a window is a ten second fix for an eyesore on the wall. Rest a long multi pane window over the panel so the box disappears behind the frame and glass, and still lifts away whenever you need the breaker. The same idea works on a mantel, where one long window becomes a backdrop for layered art, ironstone or mirrors. A narrow shelf or mantel ledge holds it upright, so there is nothing to drill into the wall. Pick a window wide enough to cover the whole panel with a little to spare.
Get the full tutorial at sugar and spice.
8. Antique Window Tray
An antique window tray takes a single pane window and a few strips of patterning tape. Tape the edges of the glass, then lay diagonal strips all in one direction and a second set on the opposite diagonal so they overlap. Trim away the pieces that do not belong with a craft knife, leaving the chevron shape as open glass. Paint the stripes in two or three colors with craft paint made for glass, two coats each, and let it dry before peeling. Screw cabinet pulls onto the short ends for handles and the tray is ready for a vase of flowers.
Get the full tutorial at Kelly Elko.
9. Old Window Table
This old window table pairs a hinged window top with a box base built from fence boards, so it doubles as storage. Build the box and legs first, leaving a little room around the sash so the window can open without pinching. Re-glaze any loose panes with latex window glazing from a tube, then scrape the glass clean with a razor blade. Attach the window with its original inside face turned up, which hides the white glazing underneath. The fence boards stay raw for that weathered look, so choose boards whose color and texture already match the window.
Get the full tutorial at Marty's Musings.
10. Kitchen Window Cabinet
A kitchen window cabinet uses a pair of old windows as glass doors on a simple box built to fit them. The windows came from an online classifieds listing and set the size of the whole piece. Build the frame with a basic box construction and shelves inside, then hinge the windows on as doors so whatever is stored inside stays on show. This one also hides an old chimney hole on the wall behind it. Fill it with carvings, pottery, dishes or glassware, and leave the wood dark for an old world cabinet look.
Get the full tutorial at An Anglo in Québec.
11. Old Window Turned Medicine Cabinet
An old window turned medicine cabinet slides sideways instead of swinging into a tight bathroom. Save an original single pane window from a remodel and mount it on standard kitchen drawer slides so it glides across the opening. Keep the old brass window pull, which becomes the handle. A box of birch plywood with adjustable shelves sits in the wall behind it, holding bottles, tubes and jars of every height. Paint the sash to match the rest of the trim and the cabinet looks like it was always part of the house, with a story to tell.
Get the full tutorial at Fine Homebuilding.
12. Old Window Turned Wine Cork Board
An old window turned wine cork board needs a lot of corks, about 54 for each pane in this version. Paint the frame white first, so any slip of the brush disappears under the corks later. Lay out one pane in a pattern and count the corks, then multiply for the rest. Hot glue each cork in place, alternating directions for a woven look. For the pushpins, hot glue dollar store tacks to the backs of old buttons. The finished board holds notes, appointment cards and photos above a desk, and a restaurant may happily save its corks for you.
Get the full tutorial at Mom 4 Real.
13. Altered Window Frame Decoration
An altered window frame decoration backs each glass pane with coordinating patterned paper. Chip off loose paint (old paint can contain lead, so get as much off as you can) and sand the frame smooth, or tape off the glass and paint it if you prefer a cleaner look. Cut paper to fit each pane with a paper trimmer, crease the edges with a bone folder and secure it from the back with double sided tape. Add drawer pulls along the bottom rail with a hand drill and heavy duty glue, and the frame doubles as a hook rack.
Get the full tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets.
14. Frame Holder
This frame holder is a ten minute project that turns an old window into a display for vintage photos. Take the glass out of a barn window, push a pushpin into one corner on the back and start wrapping twine around the frame at random angles. Flip it over so the pins stay hidden. Slip framed pictures into the web of twine wherever they look best, letting the strings hold them in place, and add a bit of masking tape where something needs to stay put. Old cardboard mats and small wood frames look right at home.
Get the full tutorial at Funky Junk Interiors.
15. Gallery Wall With Old Windows
A gallery wall with old windows swaps framed art for salvaged sashes in mixed sizes. Lay every window out on the floor first and play with the arrangement before anything goes on the wall. Pick frame colors that blend rather than match, and start with the largest window in the middle, working outward. Screw long screws straight through the frames into the wall so the heavy pieces stay secure. Finish with a wreath hung inside one window, and maybe a small mirror or metal accent on the console below for shine.
Get the full tutorial at Jennifer Allwood Home.
16. Old Windows Into Lovely Keepsakes
Old windows into lovely keepsakes turns tall narrow windows into photo display frames. Stain the frames without sanding to keep all the chippy character, then hang them on a big wall with removable hooks. To hold each photo behind its pane, stick clear picture corners on backwards, so the sticky side grabs the glass and the photo sits snug against it. Fill every pane with family photos and run wooden letters down the space between two windows to spell a word like family. It reads like one big piece of art for very little money.
Get the full tutorial at cottage instincts.
17. Small Window Flower House
A small window flower house is a tiny greenhouse made from eight old windows. Paint the windows first, then join the four bottom windows into a box with eight metal corner braces from the hardware store. Before final assembly, repair any glazing that has fallen out over time. The four top windows meet at a peak like a roof and are screwed to each other and to the base with 3 inch screws. Leave it as a cold frame for seedlings or decorate it for the seasons, like a hay bale and pumpkins inside for autumn.
Get the full tutorial at Crafts a la mode.
18. Towel Rack
This towel rack turns a free roadside window into bathroom storage with a shabby look. Lay down a drop cloth and clean the window with a wire brush and scraper, removing only the loose paint. Shop vac the dust, then spray with an all purpose cleaner and hose it off outdoors. If the paint might contain lead, seal it with a water based polycrylic that will not yellow, and let it dry about six hours. Screw on three hooks, add sawtooth hangers on the back and hang it on wall anchors, with hanging strips around the edge for extra hold.
Get the full tutorial at House by Hoff.
19. Upcycle An Old Window Frame Into A Memo Board
Upcycling an old window frame into a memo board takes chicken wire, a staple gun and mini clothespins. Test old paint with a lead swab before sanding the frame. Paint it creamy white and distress the edges for a shabby chic look. Turn it face down and staple chicken wire across the back, placing a staple every few inches so it holds plenty of memos. Chicken wire is prickly, so wear gloves and trim the extra with wire cutters. Clip notes and photos to the wire with clothespins, or use it as a jewelry or craft booth display.
Get the full tutorial at Crafting a Green World.
