Making a Wipe Board from an Old Window

In 2001, we moved to Cullman, Alabama and renovated two houses (side by side built in the 1930s) in the historical part of town. We had a contractor renovate one of the houses for our family to live in. Neal (and I as his trusty assistant) renovated the second. Both houses were in rough condition. I was skeptical but Neal saw the potential.

We replaced the siding on our house with Hardie board siding. Through this process, we also removed and replaced all the windows. However, we kept the old windows for future craft/décor needs. We incorporated some of the old windows in the interior of the house (one became a mirror in our children’s bathroom and three were framed in the wall at the top of the staircase. We have used the rest of the windows for various projects over the years. We only have a few left in our attic. This leads me to the subject of this post . . .

Step 1: Painted the Window

I wanted the window to have the feel of an old barn; hence, I decided to paint it red. I used some oil paint that was left behind by my son who is an artist. Some of my best treasures are leftovers from other people. I initially painted one side of the window brown. Once this dried, I then took a clean cotton rag and rubbed the red oil paint on the window. Oil paint takes a long time to dry, so I waited . . . ⏳

Step 2: Made Three Windowpane Inserts

I then cut some leftover cardboard to fit each window. I wrapped each piece of cardboard in burlap and then glued (Elmer’s glue) the burlap onto the cardboard. (I actually removed these panels from the window for this picture, which is why you see remnants of hot glue around the edges.)

Step 3: Glued the Inserts in Each Windowpane

Once each panel dried, I inserted each burlap piece in each window pane and hot glued each in place.

Step 4: Prepared the Window for Hanging

We reattached the latch and added two D-rings to hang the window. Below is a picture of one of the D-rings.

Step 5: Used hangITstrips to Ensure the Window was Hung Level

We used hangITstrips, to pinpoint the exact location of each screw. hangITstrips ensure pictures and artwork are level without all the crazy measuring. (My smart Neal is the inventor of hangITstrips.) Direct message me on Instagram and I will send you a 25% discount code for hangITstrips. We used screws instead of nails so the window would be securely attached to the wall.

The Final Result

We love our wipe board. It hangs in the hallway adjacent to our kitchen. It has a “farmhouse feel” and is handy for reminders, grocery lists, etc. We also made a mirror from another of these old windows. This hangs in our bedroom. My daughter and son-in-law have another old window hanging in her home.

What is something you could make from an old window?