See how one savvy mum upcycles an old door – in an incredibly imaginative way

 What would you say if we told you an old door could make a fabulous photo frame? We'd probably have said the exact same thing... that is until we saw this incredible upcycling project, by DIY fan Jayne Tapper.

Jayne has taken creativity to a whole new level, after upcycling an old door, which her son had removed during his kitchen remodel.

While you and I would just see it as a door, Jayne saw the potential for so much more. Using inexpensive sample pots of paint, a few decorative touches and printed family photos Jane has created a unique piece of art.

More transformation: Mum refreshes tired-looking kitchen counters and doors for £50 with B&Q self-adhesive film

Can you even hazard a guess at what Jayne has created using an old door? We were not expecting the end result.

The door before Jayne got to work...

Jayne tells us, ‘The door was from my son's house. He replaced his kitchen door, and I just happen to see on FB he had advertised it for £20. I had been thinking of this project for a while so I called him said "I’ll have it please son".’

Door secured, Jayne soon got to work on her upcycling project. ’The first step was to paint the door white, I used an all round inexpensive white emulsion. Then I painted the window frames in the dark grey chalk paint and the outer frame in a silver grey.’

Jayne moves on to the next step. ‘I gently sanded the door, applying more pressure in random places and corners for the white to bleed through,'she explains. This classic DIY trick created the desired distressed finish, for a shabby-chic look.

Explaining how she kept costs low, Jayne says, ‘The paint was £5 a tin, you only need the small sample sizes. I got these from Homebase.'

Adding, 'The love letters and plaque I bought from The Range, they were £7. The crystal knobs were from Home Bargains at £3.99 for four. The photo printing overall cost approx £30 from Asda. The big "family letters", sitting on the top, I found secondhand on market place for £10. So I spent in total approx £55 –  as my son gave me the door for free.'

 'Next I added a piece of 15mm wood, approx 4 inches wide, across the top to create the shelf. I left that white as a contrast. I screwed the from the top and filled the holes before painting.'

Can you guess what it is yet?

Door after Jayne's ingenious makeover

Ta-da! How's that for an impressive family photo montage?

The glass panels measure 12 x 6", Jayne therefore printed her carefully selected family photos in a 8 x 6" format. These were then trimmed to 6 x 6" squares, allowing for two photos to be displayed in each panel. Jayne explains, 'I fixed the pictures into place using duct tape.'

Holes were drilled to affix the crystal knobs – which create the perfect place to hang plagues displaying happy family sentiments. The big family letters, sitting on the top (below), were painted in the same way to match the frames.

Jayne shared her creation on the Facebook group 'Mrs Hinch Made Me Do It'.

She says, 'New to this group and my first post. . Love decorating our home . . cleaning and experimenting with my creative side. Thought I would share my most recent project . .Posting an image along with the One old unwanted glass panel door that I've turned into a beautiful wall gallery of my family ❤ absolutely chuffed with results'.

New to the group, she was welcomed with open arms as the post received 2.2k likes and 310 comments in a week! Of those comments were these, all of encouragement:

'Wow! This is amazing 💕'

'Love this idea 💡might have to take 💕'.

'Wow very creative, absolutely beautiful😍😍' and 'That’s so clever what a fantastic idea Xx'.

Thanks for allowing us to share your ingenious idea Jayne.

Take inspiration: IKEA hacks – simple updates on best-selling basics that anyone can do

If you, too, have a great idea/upcycling project why not send us your pics at ideal.home@ti-media.com.