What Can You Build With Old Wooden Fences?

Decorative

• Turn three or four sections of old wooden fence into a decorative folding screen for a room. Connect the fence sections with hinges and paint the fence to match the room's decor. Use the screen to create a visual boundary between a kitchen and breakfast nook, or between the sides of a shared bedroom. Hang a spare blanket over it in the master bedroom. Instead of attaching the hinges so the fence sections fan into a screen, attach them so the fence becomes a U shape. Use the U-shaped fence sections to make a "corral" for firewood in the family room.

Decor

• Using sections of old wooden fence in a room adds a rustic or Western touch. Create wainscoting from the fence by nailing painted or unpainted sections to the lower third of the walls around the room. A white picket fence suggests the countryside, so continue the country theme throughout your decor. Use distressed furniture, pale blues and greens for color schemes and floral accessories. Leave a board fence in its natural state and decorate the room with overstuffed leather furniture, wooden beams and Native American throw rugs.

Furniture

• Old fences and fence sections lend themselves to furniture building. Use the slats or one section of a picket or board fence to make the top of a table and use the fence posts for legs. Secure four sections of low fence in a square and add a hinged top for use as a storage bench. Turn wide board fence slats into floating shelves or use the slats for art projects like primitive paintings, picture frames or signs.

Outdoors

• Repurpose the fencing for outdoor use. Deconstruct smaller sections of fence and turn them into birdhouses or planter boxes. Use sections in the garden to train climbing flower vines and vegetables up off the ground. Create a mini grape vineyard by running sections of fencing parallel to each other. Build a box from old sections, add a lid and line the box with heavy duty plastic for a composting bin.