5 clever ways to repurpose baby cribs into functional items for the home

A crib is one of the most expensive items that a family purchases when a baby arrives; unfortunately, it's also often a difficult one to hand down to the next generation -- or even the next sibling -- because of ever-changing safety standards.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to repurpose a baby crib! The projects featured below require a varying range of carpentry skill, but all result in fabulously practical -- and sometimes downright beautiful -- home accessories.
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1. Crib turned dog crate
Gail from My Repurposed Life wanted a larger crate for her quickly growing puppy, but didn't want to spend the money on an expensive dog kennel. She turned to Craiglist instead, and found a listing for a free crib.
Gail transformed the crib into a crate for her large dog, but it can also be used as a TV stand or kitchen cart.
2. From crib to bench
A Craigslist freebie also provided the supplies needed for this bench featured at Longstreth Living. It's the perfect accessory for a patio or entryway, with space for out-of-the-way storage.
3. Drying rack from crib rail
Patty had spent months longing for a fancy -- but expensive -- drying rack she had seen in a catalog, so when she spotted an old, beat-up crib on the side of the road one day, she knew exactly what she wanted to do with it. After a small investment of elbow grease, white paint and small hardware, Patty had a drying rack just as beautiful as the one in the catalog, and a perfect project for her Always Something blog.
4. Crib rail turned magazine rack
No Dime Design used a crib railing to transform an awkward wall space into a magazine rack. "I like that I can see all my current reads," notes Megan Petros, the author.
5. Doggy gate from crib parts
When a child outgrows a crib, it's often the about the same time that the parents start needing a toddler gate to keep the child -- or the dog -- safe and supervised. Whether you repurpose your own crib or, like Before Meets After did, secure one from someone else during a "late night crib capturing," you can make it into a useful safety gate. This one is easily removed, doesn't create holes, and doesn't have hardware sticking out in hazardous ways.
As shown here, some projects make use of the entire crib while others just salvage one or two parts. The barred design of the railings, in particular, make them well-suited for specific tasks -- like magazine or drying racks and baby gates!
With a little imagination and minimal hardware, cribs can serve many purposes around the home for years to come.
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