The Common Item You Can Repurpose As Wall Art With A Creative DIY
Changing the look of a room is as simple as swapping out the art on your walls. A vintage poster, wood sign, or canvas painting makes a huge difference to a plain space — but buying new decor is pricey. Fortunately, with a little crafty intuition and an eye for repurposing items around the house, you can make fresh and creative artwork on the cheap. In this case, you can create DIY wall art that looks high-end (but costs almost nothing) with an old porch leaner.
The key is to transform this large, standing sign into something unrecognizable. By rotating it horizontally and giving it a fresh coat of paint, you can transform something you no longer use into a colorful mural or accent piece. Play with textures and finishes to give the border a faux wood look, or add new trim with leftover crown molding from that kitchen remodel you did last year. However you customize it, you can take otherwise mundane signs and create unusual pieces of wall art that will add a unique touch to your home. A whole new look at an affordable price, and it's eco-friendly.
Transforming your porch leaner into DIY art
Collect a few items to start, including a porch leaner you no longer want, paint, brushes, and something to protect the sections you've already painted, like Duck brand painter's tape. If you don't have a sign to repurpose, you can still create affordable art by looking for one at your local thrift store or Dollar Tree. When it comes to color, a coat of black, like Folkart chalkboard paint, is impactful as a background, but you can use any shade you like. Stencils simplify the job of attempting anything freehand. Make your own using a vinyl cutting machine, or buy one from the craft store. With materials compiled, it's time to get crafting.
@lavenderlabelsbyemz DIY wall art. This Christmas Nativity finished the look on my board and Batton wall #dollartreechristmas #christmas2025 #diydollartreechristmas
Begin by painting the main area of the sign a solid color of your preference. Once thoroughly dry, line the interior edges with painter's tape and go over the border in a different shade. You can create a faux wood trim by using a light color and dry brushing over it with a slightly deeper brown. Finally, add your mural or focal point with the stencil and more paint, glitter, fabric, or any other medium you want to use. The neat thing about this project is that there are no rules. It doesn't even have to be a porch leaner sign. You can repurpose old canvas wall art into a stunning new DIY home decor piece with the same process. The result will be a gorgeous, show-stopping piece of wall art that costs nearly nothing.