20 Clever Ways To Upcycle Old Shutters

Old shutters can be recycled or upcycled into all types of home decor. The used shutters with their aged finish have a lot of character and add uniqueness to your DIY projects.

I use old shutters just as they are in my porch decor. Painted chippy shutters are great staging pieces. I also like to use them as backdrops on my mantel because our brick fireplace is so busy, I need a solid color backdrop. The shutters look fantastic with a stenciled welcome sign board attached to them.

20 Ways to Upcycle Shutters

I bought a few of these old shutters at the Nashville Flea Market, which need to be cleaned up. I’m looking for a new upcycle idea for them. I searched Pinterest for ideas and found a few I liked. I’m sharing them below with some of my earlier shutter projects.

Christmas Shutter Display

This shutter was originally red and Jane from Cottage At The Crossroads painted it light blue then distressed the blue paint so you could see a bit of red peeking through the blue.

Shutter Angel

I like angel decor so this project caught my eye. Pam put a lot of work into making this shutter angel. I love the yellow color.

Patriotic Shutter Sign

I put the red, white, and blue shutter together using stuff from my junk stash. I bought the yarn wreath at My Favorite Junk Shop then I spray painted a metal bucket and decorated it with red stars from Dollar Tree.

Cottage Style Shutter Headboard

I didn’t make this large shutter headboard but I took photos of it when we stayed at the little cottage on Tybee Island. The decorator made a headboard using vintage shutters. They were the perfect color for an island cottage.

Hello Shutter Wall Decor

I stenciled the Hello Sunshine shutter decor for our granddaughter Sofi’s bedroom at our house. She is my sunshine.

Shutter Shelf

The small shutter shelf works perfectly for a tiny bathroom. Carlene added the shutter over the top of an existing shelf that was too small.

Welcome Shutter with Flowers

The pretty welcome shutter sign with the faux hydrangeas is one I made many years ago when I lived in Florida. There is no link to a post on this one. I have to say it’s one of my favorite shutter signs. I purchased the Welcome sign and I already had the old shutter. The project developed from there.

Shutters In Bedroom Decor

Doreen at Hymns and Verses used white shutters on the nightstands in this serene bedroom to add height on either side of the bed.

Shutter Wreath

This project is mine. The antique shutters really show their age with the alligatored paint. I hung the shutters on our front storm door as a wreath backdrop.

Magazine Rack

I love how Gail from My Repurposed Life used an old shutter. She removed every other slat so she could fit magazines into the spaces. Then she painted the shutter.

Winter Shutter Display

Another idea using the shutter as a wreath backdrop……but this sign is definitely seasonal decor….for Wintertime.

Shutter Message Board

What a great idea. I like the chalkboard portion at the top of the shutter memo/message board.

Holiday Sign

Making welcome signs out of shutters works well if you use the right size shutter. You can’t use the really large ones…..or I haven’t. Sometimes, it’s as simple as adding already-made pieces to the shutter.

Shutter Jewelry Organizer

This is a great idea. I have a lot of necklaces and adding the shutter organizer to the inside of the closet like this is genius.

Rustic Welcome Shutter

I like to stencil and I like adding old pieces to my DIY projects so this rustic shutter sign was right up my alley. You can see one of my reclaimed angels on the right side in the magazine rack.

Shutter Side Table

Yep, this is one of my favorites. I want to try making a similar shutter side table. I have to find the right shutters. The color, age, and chippiness of the shutters are just perfect.

DIY Slatted Shutter Headboard

The second shutter headboard is totally different from the first one in the post. This headboard is made from the typical louvered shutters, whereas the one I shared from the Tybee Island cottage was made from solid panel shutters.

DIY Broken Shutter Wreath

A totally deconstructed shutter can be turned into a unique wreath in no time flat. Add a bit of color and you have a designer-looking wreath. It’s easy to take a louvered shutter apart especially the older ones where the joints have loosened up through the years.

Shutter Bookcase

This shutter project takes a little work. But if you know even a little about carpentry, you can easily put a shutter bookshelf together. Gail used old shutters for the back and sides and cut shelves to make the bookcase. Then she painted it a beautiful blue.

Variety of Shutter Signs

I was just looking through old photos to share here and found this photo of my booth in Florida, and as you can see I was really into making shutter wall decor. I had forgot about the yellow shutter with the garden sign and the “ride em cowboy” shutter decor.

Shutter Project Roundup

That’s it. I hope you found some inspiration here, Kathy

Kathy Owen

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Author: Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines. Kathy’s newest website is HappyHomeDIY.com