# Crafters, carpenters, artistic and imaginative types-- help turn this door into a table. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481 "2009-07-09T18:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/21 "2009-07-10T14:18:57Z")
> [@Marienee](#): > > I would not use it for the top, because of the fragility of the glass. I would stand it up and use that for the back, then build teh potting table in front of it. > > Sort of like [this](http://buildingblocksintupelo.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/bb-old-door-bench.jpg), only then at table height and not chair height. It would be a low table, but still attractive. This was my thought as well. The window would be upright and easier to see. I think you’d have to bolt it to a wall for extra stabilization. ---
**Author:** ![Marienee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Marienee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marienee)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/22 "2009-07-10T14:51:10Z")
Well, the problem is the placement of the glass, it will indeed tend to be top heavy but how top heavy is hard to tell from a picture. If you used, say, stones for the front legs you might get it stable enough. You could also just plant the door in the garden, near a path so it was as though the door was opening to let you through, then have plants trailing down and climbing up. But you would have to have a fairly whimsical garden already for that kind of thing. Oh, and just n.b., Ikea sells table legs for this kind of project if you are determined to use it for the top. ---
**Author:** ![Jimson\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@Jimson\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimson_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/23 "2009-07-10T14:56:16Z")
Single unbraced 2x4’s at the corners will not be nearly strong enough to support that door especially loaded with potting soil. You could:[ul] [li]Build frame for it to set the door on you could have a shelf underneath for more storage; [/li][li]Attach the door to the back wall of your house with heavy hinges and have it fold down from the wall with chains running between eye bolts in the wall and table for support, maybe fold out legs for safety;[/li][li]Get some saw horses to set it on and just use it as a temporary table store it in your garage when your not using it.[/li][/ul] Since your door is an exterior door I’m not seeing a real need for extra weather protection. Pieces of Plexiglas bevel cut to fit the oval opening to rest on the beveled wood held in place by clear construction adhesive on each side should protect the glass. Just be careful not to rest something really heavy on it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/24 "2009-07-10T15:54:08Z")
Why bother taking the glass out? If it was a front door it ought to be tempered- certainly strong enough to hold a flowerpot or two. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/25 "2009-07-10T16:51:05Z")
I see two possibilities here. 1. Use just the glass and the immediate frame around the glass for a small glass-top table. 2. Keep just the large outside frame and get rid of everything in between. Put a fabric-covered piece of wood on the bottom, put something interesting or beautiful on that and top it with a piece of glass. I’ve seen this done with sand and shells, dried beans, or collectibles. It’s a cool look if the rest of your decor allows for that kind of piece. 3. I have no idea how to add legs to it, but I’ll leave that to the carpenter-types. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/26 "2009-07-10T16:51:33Z")
After taking off all the hardware I can safely say it is a composite door. And it is probably too heavy for the rectangle, L bracket type dealie I was thinking for the legs. Maybe I could get away with it with some cross bracing in between the legs. ---
**Author:** ![miamouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@miamouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miamouse)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/27 "2009-07-11T01:21:22Z")
Put an umbrella in one hardware hole and thread the hose through the other, install a sink where the glass used to be. Nice workspace. Or you take the glass out, you could put a large chinese-style bowl under it and use it as smaller fish pond. then the bottom part of the door could be the work area ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481/28 "2009-07-11T02:03:01Z")
Here’s my take. I’d get some brushed stainless standoffs that mount to each corner of the door and would extend about an inch above. I’d get a piece of 1/2" glass with a 1" beveled edge and have four holes drilled in the corners. That way, the glass protects the door and looks cool. The feet would be a U shaped piece of brushed steel with a bit of a taper to each leg.I would run them the length of the door for stability and looks. Of course, with that much expense I would recommend you get a cool piece of veneered exotic wood instead of that production door. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crafters-carpenters-artistic-and-imaginative-types-help-turn-this-door-into-a-table/502481.md?page=1)