Salvaged Shutter Shelves #1

Dimensions: Length 46.75 inches, Depth 15 inches, Height: 32 inches, Weight 28 pounds. Gray antique/crackle finish with white underlayer. Thin plexiglass inset over louvered slats (removable) in top shelf. Great for living room, dining room, bedroom, entryway, office, den. Ideal for storing and displaying books, collectibles, dishes, special items, whatever. Because of the limited strength of the horizontal shutter spanning almost 4 feet, the top shelf is not ideal for heavy items such as a large flat-screen TV. The two other shelves, however, are quite strong. $150. Click here to purchase.

The Story 

I found a pair of two-panel bifold shutter doors in an alley of my Glover Park neighborhood of D.C. One corner was damaged beyond repair, and the paint job was poor, with different colors showing, but clearly the doors still had upcycle potential. I removed the hardware, cut each door across the mid rail, sanded the edges, and filled the screw holes. I created two additional shelves out of 3/8-inch plywood, supported with rails cut from 1 x 2 inch pine, all leftover from other projects. Upcycling often means taking something old and making it look new, but in this case, I took something fairly new and made it look older. I applied a consistent layer of flat white paint to all the surfaces, then a clear layer of Folk Art Plaid medium crackle substance, and finally a layer of Behr eggshell “Barista” paint for an aged, antique look. I assembled the 5 pieces with screws and glue. I hand-cut and sanded the edges of piece of clear plexiglass for a flat surface over the louvers. This was the first set of shelves like this I’d ever built like this, and they were not modeled after anything I’d ever seen before.

Related Items: Salvaged Shutter Shelves #2, Salvaged Shutter Cabinet with Doors, Mirror, Shelf and Hooks on Reclaimed Shutters, Free-Standing Reclaimed Shutter Headboard, Salvaged Shutter Corner Shelves.