12 Smart DIY Ways To Repurpose Leftover Decking Materials At Home

If you have a large backyard, a deck is a fantastic way to take full advantage of the space you have available. The elevated material creates a balanced mix of indoor comforts and outdoor space, leaving you with a spot that's perfect for enjoying your morning coffee, hosting parties and events, or hanging out with your family during the weekends. After considering how much it costs to build a deck from scratch, however, you might find yourself with a bit of sticker shock.

While reducing the cost of installing a new deck can be accomplished by taking on some of the work yourself, investing in lower-cost materials, or altering the design to better fit with the natural landscape, one of the best ways to make the most of your money is by repurposing excess material that you have leftover from the build. Most decks are made of wood or composite boards, so there are a ton of opportunities to incorporate these pieces into new projects. Whether you decide to use the small leftover pieces to DIY some décor for your home or you choose to transform larger remnants into functional furniture, utilizing your materials in a new and creative way is good for both your wallet and the environment.

One of the easiest projects you can attempt with leftover decking material is creating your own custom signs. This is great if you have small remnants of planks that have been trimmed down. Give the plank a coat of paint or stain if you're looking to change up the color, then add on decorations and letters that match your personal style. These can be painted on, but you can also cut letters out of other pieces of decking material and secure them to the board if you have the materials on hand for precision cutting.

No deck is complete without some outdoor furniture, so why not use the leftover material to create a table? Deck boards are sturdy and already well-equipped to last when exposed to the elements, so they're a great choice for building material. A simple table isn't a very complex build, but you can, of course, add on additional accessories like shelves if you're looking for more of a challenge. Stain it the same color as your deck for a perfectly matching look, or break things up in your outdoor space with a coat of paint in a contrasting color.

During the chillier months, a crackling fire can completely transform your space into a cozy refuge from the cold. Storing all those logs, whether you plan to burn them in the fireplace or an outdoor pit, however, can get annoying. Thankfully, you can make your own fashionable firewood storage from an old table and some decking material in just a few simple steps. Flip the table upside down, attach the repurposed planks to the legs to help close in the sides, and lay your firewood in the middle to keep it from toppling.

Growing your own victory garden can be a money-saving activity, but after a while the initial investment can get surprisingly expensive. To keep costs low, try making a raised bed out of decking material. If you have a saw, drill, and some screws, you can easily pull off this build in minutes. Because most decking boards are already treated for use outdoors, you can trust that this bed will hold up with time. However, it can still be beneficial to add some lining to prevent weeds and help insulate the soil. Although treated wood is generally considered safe even for vegetable garden beds, the chances of ingredient leaching are not zero — so you may want to use leftover decking only in flower beds.

Having creative outdoor structures can help encourage your kids to go out and play, so if you have a large amount of leftover decking material, try your hand at creating a custom playhouse. This design can be as simple or complex as needed depending on your skill level, what materials you have on hand, and what your needs are. At its most basic, the design can essentially just be a small shed, but feel free to play around with and add details like ladders, raised platforms, shelves, and spots to hang swings.

Maximizing small spaces, whether you're working with a tiny apartment or only have a few available square feet in your entryway, can be a struggle, especially when you're shopping around for furniture. If you're looking for something that will fit perfectly, however, there's no better way to guarantee success than building it yourself. If you have some spare decking material lying around, this is the perfect opportunity to craft a small table that makes use of all the room you have available, that's custom-fit for your needs, and that aligns with your style.

Are you all too familiar with the heaping pile of shoes that always seems to grow by the front door? Try making a shoe rack out of excess deck boards to contain the mess. The design for this is pretty simple — just build a box with a shelf in the middle to help maximize the space. If you feel that the material is sturdy enough, or if you're willing to add some additional supports in the middle, this shoe rack can also be used as a convenient spot to sit and put on or take off your shoes.

If you're looking for a way to increase your home's curb appeal without shelling out a ton of money on renovations, try opting for a simple switch, like replacing your old mailbox with a DIY wooden mailbox made out of repurposed deck boards. If you have smaller pieces of leftover board that are too short for larger-scale projects, this is a great way to make use of scraps. The build itself is simple — it's just a box on a post, after all — but it can bring a ton of charm and personality to your yard.

Garden benches are a classic addition to any outdoor space, but if yours is looking a bit worse for wear, have you considered swapping the old boards for pieces of decking material? The metal ends on garden benches are what give them their classic shape, but the structure between them is essentially just a few planks. Remove the old boards, restore the metal legs with light sanding and a coat of paint, if needed, then install the new boards in their place to completely revamp your old garden bench without much work.

One of the easiest ways to level up your space is by adding some greenery, but even the most beautiful plants can be overshadowed by a plain planter. For an easy way to revamp a boring planter without going through the stress of repotting, build your own planter covers out of leftover deck materials. All you need to do is build an open-topped box slightly larger than the existing planter. From there, you can play around with different paint colors, stains, and decorations until you're left with a final product you love.

When you imagine a wall mount, the first thing that comes to mind is likely a pair of prize-winning antlers in a hunter's cabin. There are much more possibilities with this DIY, however. Take an old frame, then fill it with pieces of deck board to create a solid backing. From there, you can use this base to mount just about anything you want to highlight as décor. Taxidermy is the traditional choice, but you could use it to display plants, show off sentimental items, or even create a decorative and functional wall sconce.

Holiday décor can get surprisingly expensive, especially if you buy it during peak season, but this doesn't always have to be the case. If you're feeling crafty, try making your own wooden Christmas tree decorations. You'll need a few short pieces of decking for a base, one long piece for the trunk, and some additional pieces for the branches. After cutting down all the pieces, assemble them into a tree shape with some screws. From there, give everything a coat of paint and add any desired decorations to finish your super simple Christmas tree.