DIY Organizer from Old Window

posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials | 35

Today I have a fun and versatile craft for you all, we’re going to make an organizer from an old window! I made mine with some cork, chicken wire and chalkboard painted wood. It’s fairly simple to do, and the best part is that it doesn’t take long at all to make, you could craft one in an afternoon.

Here’s What You Need:

* An Old Window

*Cork Squares

*Chalkboard Spray Paint

*Chicken Wire

*1.4″ Wood ( I used plywood, but in hindsight I would recommend MDF for a much better finish)

*Sawtooth Hanger

*Power saw or table saw for cutting wood

*Wire Cutters

*Razor Knife

*Scraper

*Rubber Mallet

*Trim nailer, hammer and tacs, or silicone caulk

Step 1: Remove window glazing- With a sharp razor knife cut along each side of the window glazing popping pieces of it out until all the glazing has been removed. Then scrape the sides with a scraper.

Step 2: Remove the Glass- Lightly tap upwards on the glass from underneath to slowly move glass to the top and out. If you have a stubborn pane and your glass breaks, carefully pull out the glass shards, preferably with gloves. Carefully discard glass. Then, scrape down the sides of the empty window pane with the scraper until it’s relatively smooth.

Step 3: Cut Wood- Measure the inside dimensions of the window panes. Mark the measurements on your wood and cut down to size using a table saw or power saw, or you could use a hand saw if you had to.

Step 4: Prepare Cork and Blackboards- For the blackboard surface boards, clean off the wood and spray the boards with paint according to the directions on the can. Let dry. For the cork; place a generous amount of wood glue on your boards, lay cork on top and secure with a weight, then let it dry. Once your glue is dry, cut down the cork to fit the boards.

Step 5: Attach boards to your window- Place each board you have in the window pane you would like them in. You can hammer tacs into the sides of the panes, use a trim nailer to shoot small nails to secure it, or you can squeeze a bead of silicone caulk around each board to secure it as well.

Step 6: Attach Chicken Wire- Cut your wire down to a manageable size using the wire cutters. Stretch the wire and tac down with your nailer or hammer and tacs on each side, trying to keep it taut as possible. Then clip end of wire to fit window pane.

Step 7: Add hangers- You can add a sawtooth hanger to the back, just measure for the center and nail it in. And that’s it! Now you can hang and enjoy!

I made my organizer to use as a display for my jewelry at craft shows. It works great for jewelry, but it would also be fantastic as an organizer for your kitchen or mud room to make lists, reminders, clip important things to, hang up your favorite comic from the day, really anything you like. I think it would be fun to add some hangers or knobs to the bottom to hang keys or bags from! You can let your imagination run free, there are so many possibilities. So go ahead and make one, and add a little organizational piece of mind to your favorite space!

Happy Crafting!

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35 Responses

  1. Life & Sunshine

    Ugh!!! This is sooo cute! I love ALL of it! Thanks for this idea, my little girl will love one of these for her room makeover we have in the works 🙂

  2. Dee`

    This is so great and I loved all of the products you used to make it. All from a hardware store. I hope you will come on by and link this up starting Wednesday night to The CSI Project. It is the hardware store challenge. We have tutorials daily and then the competition starts. Come on by this week and every week for a new challenge.
    http://www.thecsiproject.com
    PS I would love for you to be a guest judge too! Email me if you are interested.
    dee@thecsiproject.com

  3. NieleA

    I have a nice collection of old windows that I use in projects, but haven’t done any in a long while sad to say…from time to time my husband asks me “do you still need all those windows?” (since they are in HIS storage area–poor man.)
    Thank you!!! for the wonderful idea! I’m sure he’ll be glad to see me moving a few out of his was for this project!
    You are very talented and creative, btw.

    • mysocalledcraftylife

      Aw, thank you so much! You made my day! I take over my hubbies workshop all the time. I think I have an entire cabinet in there just for my spray paint. I would just love to see your window project when you finish, or any other window projects too, they are so cool to work with! 🙂

    • mysocalledcraftylife

      Thanks Maria! If you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area, they always seem to have tons of old windows. I bought mine from our local flea market. If you make one, send me a pic, I’d love to see 🙂

  4. meegan

    love this! if i could put chicken wire on EVERYTHING, i totally would 🙂

    stopping by from CSI, and i’m your latest follower!

    meegan @ craftylittlebitches.blogspot.com

  5. A practical DIY organizer

    […] After you have measured the dimensions of the window, cut the wood. Clean it off and then use chalkboard spray paint. Let it dry and apply wood glue on the boards and then lay cork on top of them. Secure everything with a weight and let it dry. Attach the boards to the window and use the trim nailer to secure it. Attach the chicken wire as well and add the hangers. Now the organizer is ready to be used.{found on mysocalledcraftylife}. […]

  6. A practical DIY organizer | Home and Design

    […] After you have measured the dimensions of the window, cut the wood. Clean it off and then use chalkboard spray paint. Let it dry and apply wood glue on the boards and then lay cork on top of them. Secure everything with a weight and let it dry. Attach the boards to the window and use the trim nailer to secure it. Attach the chicken wire as well and add the hangers. Now the organizer is ready to be used.{found on mysocalledcraftylife}. […]

  7. Zrób praktyczny organizer | Mieszkaniowe inspiracje

    […] Organizer jest użyteczny, jeśli mamy z nim częsty kontakt wzrokowy. Dzięki tej zależności tablice korkowe i kredowe  zyskały wielką popularność w domach i biurach. Dziś wykorzystując ten motyw, pokaże Wam jak stworzyć unikalny organizer na ścianę. Dla ułatwienia zmodyfikowałam autorski projekt mysocalledcraftylife.  […]

  8. A practical DIY organizer - Diy & Crafts

    […] After you have measured the dimensions of the window, cut the wood. Clean it off and then use chalkboard spray paint. Let it dry and apply wood glue on the boards and then lay cork on top of them. Secure everything with a weight and let it dry. Attach the boards to the window and use the trim nailer to secure it. Attach the chicken wire as well and add the hangers. Now the organizer is ready to be used.{found on mysocalledcraftylife}. […]