Upcycling

How to Repurpose a Screen Door into a Garden Trellis

Wooden Trellis

A garden trellis is required to complete any garden. Many vegetables including peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, luffas and many others, require a trellis to grow to their fullest ability. Sometimes buying a trellis can be expensive, but the garden is a great place to use repurposed items to keep inline with a natural look. With that thinking in mind, we knew when we found this screen door, it would make a perfect trellis and complete our garden.

Before and After of a Screen Door turned into a trellis

 


When you have a lifestyle centered around repurposing items, some times it requires a bit of hunting to find that perfect item. However, occasionally, the perfect item finds you. It requires a different mindset and appreciation, but it brings in such a feeling of blessing. So often we’re obsessed with everything being new and shiny, but the biggest blessings in life are often free and it’s up to us see it’s worth.

 

Materials:

Staple puller
Drill
Kreg Jig and Clamp
Impact driver with Phillips bit
Rags for cleaning
Miter saw and scrap wood to make stand
Safety goggles
Hearing protection
Electric Cable Clamp
Galvanized Farm Fence Panel
Bolt Cutters

Step One: Remove Staples

As you can tell from the picture, there was a screen attached to the door. What we didn’t show, was how unsightly it was tacked on. The first step was obviously to remove the screen. Your screen might be different, so do what you need to clean it up and take it down the bones you need for the trellis.
Step One: Remove the Staples Picture of a screen door with a screen attached

Step Two: Reinforce Structure

The door, future garden trellis, wasn’t in the best condition, so we used a Kreg Jig and Clamp to make pocket holes (holes drilled at an angle) at all the intersections of the piece.
Step Two: Drill Pocket Holes Picture of a Krig Jig being set up on the screen door to drill pocket holes
You can learn how to make pocket holes without additional tools.
Example of a Pocket Hole

Step Three: Add Details

Someone gave us an old changing table and though the structure couldn’t be used as is, the rail was still usable and fit perfectly in the middle space. At this step, feel free to add your own details to make the garden trellis personal to you and fit your needs.
Step 5: Added details

Step Four: Paint with One-Step Paint

Pick a color, any color of Amy Howard’s One-Step paint, paint your garden trellis and scrap wood for the stand.

Step Four: Paint with One-Step Paint Picture of someone painting with lime green chalk-based paint

 

The chalk in chalk-based paint is heavy and it tends to settle to the bottom of the container. It is important mix it well before you start.

Turn the paint can upside down for at least 30 minutes or overnight if you can. This will get the chalk to start settling again. When you are ready to start, open the can and stir well. Stir until there are no more lumps and all of the wonderful chalky bits are pulled up from the bottom of the can. You can even use one of the paint stirrers on a drill.

One-Step Paint dries quickly, so stir the top of the paint with your brush from time to time to keep a film from forming while you paint, especially in the warmer months. Try to always work in long clean strokes with your brush for a more consistent finish.

Step Five: Cut Fence

More than likely, unless you have the perfect piece of scrap, you’ll have to cut a fence panel to fit your project. Measure your garden trellis frame and mark it on the fence panel. Cut the fence panel with bolt cutters or… If you use bolt cutters and you find it too hard to cut, use your body as leverage, as shown in the picture and that fence will snap like a twig.
Step Five: Cut Fence Picture of someone using bolt cutters to cut fence panels

Step Six: Attach Fence Panel

Lay down the garden trellis frame front down and place the fence panel on top. Place the electrical clips at the four corners then place them evening along the sides of the fence panel.
Step Six: Attach Fence Panel Picture of screw driver screwing in clips to hold fence panel
Pre-drill wholes in the wood to make it easier to screw the electrical clips.

Step Seven: Stabilize the Garden Trellis

With windy Oklahoma weather, we knew sturdy was a keyword. There is many ways to create a base for the garden trellis, so we got a couple of two-foot board to screw to the bottom. We found scrap table legs that we used to add an extra layer of sturdiness and reinforce the boards to the trellis structure.Step Four: Reinforced Garden Trellis

 

And there you have a completed garden trellis! Leave a comment below with your ideas to repurpose items into a trellis! You can also take a look at these other garden trellis ideas that you can make yourself!

Completed garden trellis made with a screen door

Don’t forget to pin this project for later!

A garden trellis is required to complete a garden, but a new trellis can be expensive. Check out this tutorial to turn a screen door into a garden trellis!

 

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