We found an old 5-panel door at our local salvage yard that likely came from a broom closet in an old home. I had no idea what I was going to do with it but you don't come across these narrow solid core wood doors often so it came home with me.

It was leaning against the house while enjoying my morning java on the deck when inspiration struck. Today I'm sharing how to repurpose a wood door into a flower planter with an adorable gable roof. But I'm also sharing how to make faux oxidized copper decorative panels to inset in each door panel.

Repurposed Door Le Jardin Flower Planter

The old 5-panel door had just come off the truck at our local architectural salvage yard and they were removing the hardware when I walked in the door. Excited that I was the first customer to set eyes on it, I made them an offer and did a happy dance all the way to my car.

The inspiration came from a rectangular wooden flower planter that we had on our deck. It looked lost where it was situated and I was considering purchasing a wrought iron trellis to hang on the house siding behind it. Well instead of a metal trellis, why not an old door!

The motivation for adding faux oxidized tin inside each door panel came from a Copper Metal Effects Kit from Modern Masters that I was itching to try. It is such fun to watch tin magically turn into oxidized copper and it's so easy to do.

What You'll Need To Turn A Door Into A Flower Planter

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Supply List

Narrow Old Panel Door (salvage yard)
Rectangular Wooden Flower Box (alternative)
Sheet Of Tin
Modern Masters Copper Metal Effects Kit
Decorative Cast Iron Handle or Knob (alternatives)
Tin Snips
Masking Tape
Chip Brush
Small Foam Roller
1 x 3 Wood (salvaged)
Fence Boards (salvaged)
White Paint
150-Grit Sandpaper
Brown Glaze
Outdoor Clearcoat
Awl and Hammer
Small Upholstery Nails
Construction Adhesive
3 Flat Steel Brackets
Compound Miter Saw, Jigsaw, or Miter Box And Saw

Here's How I Made The Outdoor Flower Planter

We'll start the tutorial with prepping and painting the old door and then we'll get to the fun stuff in the following steps.

Painting The Old Door

1. First, clean the old door with 1 part vinegar to 2 parts warm water with a drop of Dawn dish soap.
2. Paint the door with two coats of white chalk-style or latex paint.
3. Once dry, distress the paint around the edges with 150-grit sandpaper to retain the timeworn charm of an old door.
4. Protect the paint with two coats of outdoor-rated clear coat.
5. This next step is optional. Brush brown glaze over the white-painted door to give it an aged patina. Before it dries (mere minutes), remove the excess glaze with a lint-free rag.

Adding Typography

To add the Le Jardin typography onto the front of the door, go into Microsoft Word or your favorite graphic software. Choose a font and size the typography to fit the width of your door. Print it onto bond paper and use this image transfer technique to add it to the front of the door.

Adding A Gable Roof

To add an adorable gable roof to the top of the door we used a salvaged 1" x 3" board and ripped fence boards leftover from a previous project. I should mention that our narrow door is 19-inches wide by 6-feet tall.

1. Cut a piece of 1" x 3" lumber into two 18-inch long pieces. This will provide a 2 1/2-inch overhang on each side of the door.
2. Butt the boards together to form a peak and attach them with brad nails.
3. Rip fence boards so they are 3-inches wide.
4. Butt three ripped fence boards together and set the gable roof on top.
5. Draw a pencil line from the outside measurement of the roofline onto the fence boards.
6. Cut the boards either with a miter saw, jigsaw, or miter box with a hand saw.
7. Attach the fence boards onto the back of the roofline with brad nails.
8. Paint the gable roof the same color as the door.
9. Attach the gable to the back of the door with three flat steel brackets.

Before the roof was attached to the door I decided to oxidize the top of the roof with the metal effects kit. More about how to do that in the next step.

The door panels were just begging for a decorative element. That's when I got the idea of inserting sheets of tin inside each panel that looked like oxidized copper from being exposed to the outdoor elements.

What I'd Do Differently

Before oxidizing the tin panels, I got the idea to add a decorative element to each tin panel with a punched tin design. Unfortunately, after the tin was oxidized, the punched designs were hardly noticeable.

Unless the sun is shining at just the right angle, you can't even tell they are there. So I recommend doing one or the other but not both. I've included instructions below for each option.

Option 1 - Tin Punched Door Panels

These are the instructions for how to punch designs into the tin panels should you choose to do this option.

1. Wear protective gloves and goggles for this step.
2. Measure the door panels.
3. Cut a sheet of tin into five pieces for each door panel with tin snips.
4. Carefully wrap masking tape around the edges of the tin because they are quite sharp.
5. Find simple graphics online to print onto regular bond paper.
6. Tape the printed designs onto each tin panel on the top (like a hinge).
7. With an awl and hammer punch the design through the paper trying to space each punch evenly on the tin.
8. Lift the paper every now and then to check your punched design.
9. Attach the tin panels onto the recessed door panels with construction adhesive.
10. This is optional, tack small upholstery nails on each corner.
11. Set something heavy in the middle of each panel for good contact with the glue until it cures.

Option 2 - Oxidized Tin Panels

I have to admit that this option is the most fun. The Modern Masters Copper Metal Effects Kit comes with a copper primer, reactive metallic copper paint, and a green patina aging spray solution. The hardest part of this process is waiting for the paint to dry. The fun part is watching the magic happen!

Roll three coats of copper primer onto each tin sheet, allowing them to dry for thirty minutes between each coat. Let the last coat dry overnight before moving onto the next step. Already it looks like real copper!

Once the primer is completely dry roll one coat of copper reactive metallic paint and allow it to dry for thirty minutes. You would have a hard time believing those sheets were not real copper unless you flipped them over.

Roll the second coat of copper reactive metallic paint but instead of waiting for it to dry, spritz it with the green patina aging solution in the areas you want to be oxidized. Stand back and watch the magic happen!

This step is optional. Scrunch up a slightly damp lint-free rag and randomly dab the tin. It adds texture but also reveals more of the copper color from underneath. I love the patina!

Once the oxidized tin panels are completely dry, attach them to the recessed door panels with construction adhesive. Optionally, you could tack small upholstery nails in the corners like I did.

I had a cute cast iron garden spade handle in my stash to use as a door handle. So cute! Unfortunately, I couldn't find a link to one so I've included alternatives in the supply list.

Attaching Rectangular Wooden Flower Box

Last but not least, attach a rectangular wooden flower box onto the bottom of the door with wood screws from inside the flower box. I also painted the outside of my wooden flower box the same white color as the door.

You may want to add a hook to the back of the gable roof and attach the door to your siding or fence for added stability. Where we placed ours is a wind tunnel so this keeps the door securely attached to the house.

Now fill your flower box with soil and plant some pretty flowers. Enjoy your unique and one-of-a-kind flower planter for your deck, patio, porch, or apartment balcony!

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this outdoor flower planter idea. For more backyard ideas visit my DIY Outdoor Decor Ideas page.

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