DIY Upcycled Pet Door

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
-Anatole France

Welcome Salvage Friends,

Today is a special Salvage Sister & Mister Feature Me project  by Mandi Lee.

As we all know, pets are so ah-mazing and also curious little creatures. They can tend to get into places they shouldn’t always be in. Mandi created this unique Upcycled Pet Door and we are thrilled to share it with you today.

Without further ado, here’s Mandi….

DIY UPCYCLED PET DOOR

I was in need of a doggie gate to keep our puppy from sneaking into the cat’s food, but our cat still needed access to her food

This was an easy afternoon project.

SUPPLIES

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• Chippy century old tongue and groove boards salvaged from a barn (scrubbed with bleach, but left in its original found state)
• 5′ long x 3″ w old board with the original screws (I reused the screws too)
• 2 rusty ornate salvaged hinges
• 36″ of trim salvaged from a broken antique hall table
• Tape Measure
• Wood Glue
• Drill
• Jig Saw
• Nails

HOW TO BUILD A DIY UPCYCLED PET DOOR

1. Measure the width of the opening (ours was 33″w) then subtract 1″ (to allow a 1/2″ gap on either side of the door, so when it’s hung, it swings smoothly) Then measure the desired height (I built ours 30″ high which is pretty standard)
2. I laid out the boards and glued them together to create a 32″w x 30″ rectangle then added two 26″ straps to the back of the door with glue and screws to hold it snug. I even reused the old screws. (Because the rusty screws often break off at the head, I drive a regular wood screw in the hole, counter-sinking it, then glue the old screw head right over top-it fills the hole and nobody is the wiser)
3. The hardest part of this project was measuring our cat. With minimal cooperation from her and some google searches, I cut a an appropriate sized opening of 7″w x 9″h with a jig saw. I used the salvaged hall table trim to frame the cat opening securing with glue and nails. (Even an old picture frame would work great for this part)
4. I curved the top just a bit so it didn’t have sharp corners.
5. I added the hinges and hung in the doorway.

This Upcycled Pet Door serves its purpose puuuurfectly and is totally my style. The total project cost was $2 for the hinges. Everything else was found treasures kicking around my little workshop.

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Isn’t that amazing? We are so thankful that Mandi shared this project with us today.

Here are a few other features and posts we think you will like as well:

• Bathroom Update – Farmhouse Style
• 21 Upcycled Pet Products and Projects
• Pottery Barn Style Mirror

If you are interested in being featured, please check out this page for more information.