Scavenger Chic

Flea Market Flip, Upcycled Silo Doors

• By Joan
• September 11, 2019
• 3 Comments

Today I bring you project number 3 from my flea market finds back in August.  First up, there was the whale weathervane from an old car jack.  Next, we had the stars made from  tobacco sticks.  And today I’m transforming this pair of old silo doors.  It was love at first sight the minute I spied them from across the field.  I had no idea what they were at the time, but I was definitely in love.

Look at that rusty hardware, look at that chunky wood. ♥♥

When I first found the two doors, I was thinking that they would make a great pair of side tables, but I’ve been itching to make another coffee table for a while.  I just needed something really cool to make one out of.  What could be cooler than a pair of silo doors?

So, in my mind I’m thinking that the slanted edge on both doors would fit neatly together.  This wasn’t quite what I had in mind. 

 What I needed was a table saw to make an angled cut on one of the doors to fit neatly into the angle of the other door.

I don’t have a table saw, but I do have a circular saw which does make angled cuts.  Hey, if this didn’t work I’d have to haul this one over to my brother’s house to use his saw.

Clamp the wood down, draw a cut line,  do a sample cut on some scrap wood to see if the angle is correct and cross your fingers.

What do you know?  The cut was perfect the first time around.

Attach the two sections of silo doors with an aged piece of wood using screws on both sides to secure.  Of course that’s a piece of pallet wood!

Sadly, I had to remove much of the hardware on the underside of the coffee table.  Most of it would never be seen and it would get in the way of the shelves I wanted to install.  Don’t worry, I didn’t throw any of it away and hopefully you’ll see it in an upcoming project.

I did  leave the bolt ends on top to give a nice rustic touch.  The bolt ends that stuck out on the bottom I cut off with a grinder.

I’m using the cross pieces on the silo door to attach shelves to the bottom of the coffee table.

To make 3 shelves, cut 6 pieces   6″x 4″.  The length of your shelf  will be the distance from outer cross piece to outer cross piece plus the thickness of the upright pieces on the ends.

Attach the shelves with wood glue and finish nails sanding any rough edges.  They are not attached to the silo doors yet, just making sure they fit.

Paint with black chalk paint.

Lightly sand the edges then finish with antique wax.

When dry, buff with fine steel wool.

I’ve been working on the bottom of the silo doors the entire time so I don’t think you’ve seen all the “character” on the top.  They do need a little work.

Let’s just say I sanded the top a lot!

Finish as desired.  This is Watco Danish Oil Wood Finish.  Wipe on, let dry, repeat as necessary.  

Use more finish nails and wood glue to attach the shelves to the underside of the coffee table.

I found these hairpin legs online at Walmart   or you could also buy them from Amazon here. 

Attaching the hairpin legs is the easiest part of the entire project, they just screw on.

The shelf is a perfect place to stash magazines, books and even the TV remote.

I think this is my new favorite coffee table.  The pictures can’t even begin to capture the richness of the wood.

Stay inspired.

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Antique Clothes Wringer Coffee Table It’s a Chicken Incubator…Seriously! Flea Market Tool Box Coffee Table Upcycled Hand Cart Coffee Table