Recast a thick, old door as a sturdy outdoor bench. Find doors at bargain prices at re-use centers. Ki first sawed this three-panel door into equal sections. (Two become sides, the third is the seat.) Create your bottom shelf, which adds sturdiness and is a good place to stash shoes, by gluing and nailing four pieces of scrap wood together to make a frame; drill three to four 1-inch holes into the short sides to slip in conduit piping (found at hardware stores). Then, screw the two door-panel sides into the door-panel seat and the bottom shelf; reinforce all with wood glue and clamp for 24 hours. Sue and Ki nailed on scrap molding around the seat for a finishing detail. The final secret: Unify wood stains with Minwax Wood Finish ($6).

Materials Needed:
1. three-panel wood door
2. saw
3. scrap wood
4. drill
5. 1-inch conduit piping
6. wood glue
7. nails and screws
8. clamps
9. wood finish, if desired