Old Refrigerator Shelf To Dry Erase Board

by Angie @ Ambient Wares

22 Materials

Medium

I found this old refrigerator shelf at my dad's shop and knew almost immediately what I wanted to do with it. A dry erase board organizer. Best part about it...it has at least 31 lines meaning it has the potential of being a monthly organizer.

old refrigerator shelf turned dry erase board, appliances, shelving ideas

From the start I envisioned it framed but, allowing us to see through the glass meaning the frame wouldn’t have a back. Or at least not a permanent one.

Our garage is so full I always know we have something if not everything we need to complete an entire project. We found some tongue and groove wainscoting leftovers and I knew these would work so long as we had enough.

It sure looks like plenty, doesn’t it? Getting up close and personal with it showed otherwise.

Each piece was in pretty bad shape. I was afraid we wouldn't have enough. We had to be very careful in looking over the pieces and precise with the measurements we’d need for each side of the frame.

Other things we’d need to take into account before cutting:

- 45° angles

- The glass will sit within the groove 1/2″ on all sides meaning we'd need to subtract 1" width & length wise

Here's the math and I also have a sketch of the frame along with measurements on the blog for those who are more visual, like me.

We first cut the pieces of each frame piece slightly longer than what we needed making sure we didn’t waste any of the most pristine pieces. Then we cut off the tongue side with the band saw (table saw would be easier, but we don’t have one yet).

Everything above the red line will be removed and everything below will be for the frame. This piece, for example, was not able to be used due to the damaged groove.

After we shaved off the tongue side, we measured and marked the 45° angle and cut with the miter saw. The only bad thing is that our miter saw didn’t cut the entire length and we had to finish it off with the band saw. If we had a compound miter saw, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

After cutting angles on one top piece and one side piece, we did a test fit.

When we tried to match up the outer corner, the inner corner (where the glass is) did not match up and vice versa. It’s very minimal in difference but, we wanted the inner corner to be what matched and we could always sand down the outer corners later to even it all up.

To find a good starting point for the rest of the angles we decided to measure with the glass still in place. We used a scrap piece of the same wood, slid it onto the glass, butted it up against the long piece and marked the uncut piece with a pencil in the corner. We’d then make the line of a 45° angle using a square and cut.

Once all the angles were cut, we used a Kreg Jig Mini to drill holes and to temporarily place the screws.

We took the boards apart, sanded them down then did a second test fit just to make sure.

We needed something to hold the dry erase markers and I found some old hardware I had on hand. We flipped them "upside down", measured everything out and drilled the holes needed.

We wanted all holes drilled prior to staining and sealing the frame. The pulls would eventually be painted a hammered bronze.

After the staining and sealing were complete and dry (we did not stain the back), we used a clear caulk to hold the glass in place. It was slightly more narrow than the groove so it would wobble back and forth within. The caulk prevents it from bouncing around.

Once the caulk dried, we installed a couple of heavy duty hangers we had on hand and installed the marker holders.

I did end up cutting a thin piece of wood I painted white, and secured it to the back of the frame. It sits about 1/4" away from the glass. It wasn't what I'd originally thought but, with our brown-ish walls, it made reading the markers difficult. Will you be keeping an eye out for an old refrigerator shelf now?

Again, for more detailed information and images, please visit my blog. Thanks! Materials listed may not be complete.

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Glass Refrigerator Shelf
Wanscoting
Band Saw
Miter Saw
Square
Kreg Jig Mini
Pocket Hole Screws
Square
Clear Caulk
Old Drawer Pulls
Masking Tape
Pencil
Drill
Wood Conditioner
Red Oak Stain
Polycrilic
Sandpaper
Old Rags
Wood Glue
Heavy Duty Hangers
RUST-OLEUM Hammered Bronze Spray Paint
Wood Filler

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2 of 31 comments

Susan on Nov 29, 2016
we have done this in school, but i just drew the lines with permanent marker, then the erasable ones on top this worked great on those little side windows beside the main doors to your classroom middle school teacher

1 Reply
Mys5527736 on Dec 08, 2016
I worked in a factory that produced this glass shelf.

1 Reply