12 DIY Salvage Makeovers

Transform castoffs from your garage into cool accessories for your home or garden.


A living table runner
A living table runner


Before: shipping pallet, After: outdoor table
Shipping pallets lurk everywhere: abandoned behind grocery stores, stacked in the corners of big-box parking lots. Bay Area bloggers Matti Salomaki and Megan Speckmann decided to remake a piece of this suburban flotsam into something useful--and beautiful. Taking apart a pallet, they constructed a tabletop from its boards, coated it with natural wax stain, and attached legs they'd found at a garage sale. And the genius touch? A living table runner that consists of a sunken, succulent-filled box (complete with drainage holes) secured to the table's underside. Succulents grow slowly, don't mind being packed in like sardines, and need only occasional watering (which is unlikely to cause the wood to rot). We can't think of a better addition to an eat-in garden.

Design: Matti Salomaki and Megan Speckmann, FarOutFlora, San Francisco (faroutflora.com).


Earth-friendly, and it adds personality
Earth-friendly, and it adds personality


Before: salvaged planks, After: fence

Boards salvaged from an old horse corral and railroad station become a warm Los Angeles fence. After sinking posts into concrete footings, both sets of boards were screwed to posts and finished with a sealer. Using old wood is not only Earth-friendly, but it adds personality to a garden of designer Eric Gomez (valledeverde.net).

Cost: Free--salvaged (with permission) from old horse corral and a railroad station.
More on making old things new


A chrome frame from a flea market and two hoses
A chrome frame from a flea market and two hoses


Before: garden hose, After: modern chair
The first time we saw the one-of-a-kind garden chairs that Denver artist Chase DeForest (chasedeforest.com) makes from everyday hoses and custom-welded frames, we fell in love.

Not being skilled in the welding department, though, we decided to fashion our own adaptation. We began with a chrome frame from a flea market and two hoses, one 100 feet and the other 50. We cut off the hoses' metal fittings (those bits at the end) and wrapped the longer one carefully around the seat of the frame, working from one end to the other and leaving a 3-inch piece of hose loose at each end. Those we tucked under the wrapped hose and secured with stainless steel zip ties (available at hardware stores). We repeated the process with the shorter hose to make the chair's back.

As we worked, we kept the hose coiled to make it easier to wrap and used a spring clamp to hold already-wrapped sections.

Keep in mind that garden hoses can be stiff! We found that polyurethane ones worked best.


A cobblestone-esque patio floor
A cobblestone-esque patio floor


Before: broken doorknobs, After: patio flooring
Doorknobs, salvaged steel discs, and a stovetop burner make up this cobblestone-esque patio floor. The knobs' chrome and brass finishes brighten the shady patch of designer Matthew Levesque's (matthewlevesque.com)patio. And, set in soil, the knobs are surprisingly stable.

Cost: Free--salvaged (with permission)


Salvaged from a garden remodel
Salvaged from a garden remodel


Before: salvaged pavement, After: outdoor tabletop

This outdoor dining table was given an industrial upgrade with a tabletop made of solid concrete, salvaged from a garden remodel. The table required two car jacks in order to be built, but recycling the concrete was an inexpensive makeover for Los Angeles designer Steve Siegrist (stevesiegristdesign.com).

Cost: Free--salvaged during a garden remodel


Consider using a colorful hose
Consider using a colorful hose


Before: wooden spools, After: hose wrap

These old spools have a nice patina, and their simple shape lends itself well to plenty of easy projects.

What we did: We bolted three wooden cordage spools, spaced about 1 foot apart, to a backyard fence.

Extra credit: Turn watering into a fashion statement with a colorful hose from Alice Supply Co. ($42, similar to shown).

Time: 20 minutes

Cost: $20


Loose soil falls neatly into a drawer
Loose soil falls neatly into a drawer


Before: ladder, lumber, dresser drawer; After: potting station

This ragtag group of castoffs from the salvage yard may not look too pretty, but the strong wood still holds some potential.

What we did: We took an old-style ladder with rungs on both sides* and created two slatted shelves using eight scrap 2-by-2½s, each screwed into its respective rung. Loose potting soil falls neatly into a dresser drawer below.

Extra credit: For a more finished look, cap the shelf ends with scrap shelving brackets painted white.

Time: 2-3 hours

Cost: $76

*If your rungs aren't at parallel heights, level shelves with shims.

Note: Costs don't include toolbox basics--screwdriver, screws, hand drill, nails, paintbrushes, etc.
More fun ideas for shelves



Place tea lights inside each
Place tea lights inside each


Before: chandelier lampshades, lumber; After: candelabra

Use a little elbow grease to clean up some old chandelier lampshades, then give them a new life lighting up your outdoor dining table.

What we did: We combined a few matching chandelier lampshades (mismatched ones will work too) into a centerpiece and placed tea lights inside each for a little evening glow.

Extra credit: For a sturdier arrangement, drill holes sized to fit the lamp bases in a salvaged piece of lumber. Prime and paint it white, then nestle the lamp bases in the holes.

Time: 45 minutes plus drying time

Cost: $20
More on rejuvenating objects with paint


Turning a discard into pop art
Turning a discard into pop art


Before: auto dealership sign, After: poolside decor
Turning a business's discard into pop art, Los Angeles designer Greg Sanchez mounted the sign (recalling his favorite truck) to steel posts hidden in the shrubbery.

Cost: $100 at a swap meet



Old boat paddles, driftwood, and flotsam
Old boat paddles, driftwood, and flotsam


Before: boat paddles, After: garden gate

Draped with rambling roses, this shapely structure keeps deer from grazing in Gail and Mark Dupar's kitchen garden in Washington's San Juan Islands.

Instead of using costly lumber, the couple nailed together old boat paddles, along with other pieces of driftwood and flotsam.

Cost: Free
More ways to bring seaside style to your home


Elbow grease and white paint
Elbow grease and white paint


Before: office desk, After: bedroom vanity

This diminutive desk needed just a little paint touch-up and a mirror to become glamour girl-worthy.

How we did it: We used sandpaper to lightly rough up the white surfaces, wiped the desk clean with a damp cloth, and applied a light coat of white paint (2-oz. sample jar).

Time: 1 hour, plus dry time

Cost: $4 for paint (framed mirror $149; westelm.com)
Make your own headboard


Soothingly retro color
Soothingly retro color


Before: salvaged sewer pipes, After: plant containers

The inch-thick pipes help insulate plants from desert heat. Their soothingly retro color, faded over time, adds a paradoxically modern vibe to the Las Vegas yard of designer Amy Zeldenrust (702/435-7224).

Cost: Free--salvaged (with permission) from a construction site
Read on for more DIY projects