Craft Ideas With Old Fence Boards

Headboard

• Create a headboard by using old fence boards. Measure the width of your bed, which you will use as the width of your headboard. Trim the fence boards to 4 feet high and connect the pieces together. Clean, sand and apply a coat of stain or paint. A picket fence board would be good for a country-style headboard. Paint it white or apply crackle paint to give it a shabby chic look. Keep it unfinished to give a rustic appearance. Use 6-foot fence boards to add height to your bed. Connect to a tall wall such as those found in bedrooms with cathedral or vaulted ceilings.

Shelves and Shadow Boxes

• Reuse fence boards by building shelves and shadow boxes to hold your photos, collectibles and mementos. Dismantle the fence boards and sand them using medium-grit sandpaper. Paint or stain each piece of wood. Build shelves by cutting several pieces into different lengths. Use an L-shaped bracket to install the shelf on the wall.

  Make shadow boxes by cutting four pieces of wood measuring 12 inches long. Assemble like a box. Cut a piece of 1/2-inch plywood or medium density fiberboard (MDF) large enough to cover the back. Cover the backing with velvet cloth. Place pictures and mementos inside the shadow box. Cover the front by screwing acrylic sheeting on the four corners to help protect the displayed items.

Planter Boxes

• Make planter boxes for your patio or garden. Measure the size of the pot that you will place inside the planter boxes. For a 10-inch cache pot, the opening of the planter box should be at least 12 inches wide. The dimensions of the planter box should be 12 inches wide, 12 inches deep and 12 inches high. Cut enough pieces of wood from the fence board to build the planter boxes. Assemble all the pieces together by attaching the frames, the side panels and bottom panels together. Cut four pieces of 2-by-4-inch lumber in four equal pieces, measuring 2 inches high, 4 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Connect each one at each corner using screws to act as the planter's legs.

  Sand the rough surface of the wood using medium-grit sandpaper. Paint or stain to give the planter box a finished-look. Put the potted plant and place the planter on the patio, deck or front porch.