Repurpose Those Stunning Thrifted Plates You Never Use Into An Outdoor Statement Piece

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We all have a few of these gorgeous vintage plates that we couldn't resist at the thrift store, but that we never use. Some of them are chipped, inconvenient, or not in a cohesive set, and they just end up collecting dust at the back of a cabinet. What if there was a way to finally make these beauties shine? With a bit of creativity, you can repurpose old thrifted plates into a beautiful outdoor statement piece to creatively showcase your house number. 

Using a house number DIY is a great way to add to your curb appeal and add personality to your home. The idea is to use these plates along with a plate holder and attach them outside of your home. You can add numbers or letters to these plates using paint or a vinyl decal. When done right, this DIY is an amazing way to creatively display house numbers.

There are plenty of ways to customize this DIY. First, you can choose to use just one plate or several. To attach them, either use individual plate holders for each plate, like one of these invisible plate hangers from Nebuvark, or multi-tear ones. If you can, thrift vintage plate holders for something a bit more visually interesting that matches the aesthetic of the plates. And if you're using several plates, each can display a different digit to make up your entire house number. Otherwise, you'll have to fit the entire house number onto one plate. There's truly no limit to how much you can customize this DIY. 

For this DIY, you'll first need to decide how to write your house number onto plates. One option is to use iSYFIX black vinyl number stickers, like the ones used on mailboxes, lockers, or even cars. These tend to be a bit larger, so you might need to use several plates if your house number is double-digit or more. Another option is to use a cutting machine like the Cricut to print your own vinyl stickers to use. 

Instead of stickers, consider using some acrylic paint, which holds well on ceramic plates. When using paint, you can take a bit more liberty with the design than with stickers. For example, use a pretty cursive handwriting, or use some colors that match your vintage plates. And don't stop at numbers — you can also write your family name or a welcome message on a plate.

Then, attach the plate holders of your choosing to the outside of your home, and place the plates in their spots. You could stop there, but it's not the most secure setup for an outdoor piece. While plate holders are fairly secure when used indoors, they're not designed to withstand wind and rain. To avoid the plates coming crashing down and breaking on the ground, consider adding some glue to the plate holders to hold them better. For this, look for glues that are used on gardening projects, like the Gorilla waterproof caulk and seal. Add the silicone sealant to the points where the plate holder connects with the plate. If there is ever an accident where plates fall, look for creative ways to reuse broken dishes in your home or garden.