10 Creative Uses for Old Gutters

Gutters are essential for directing rainwater away from your home’s foundation, but that’s not their only possible use. Instead of tossing old gutter sections, you can repurpose them for creative and practical applications around your home and garden—from organizing your workshop to enhancing your outdoor living spaces.

Here are some ideas to inspire you to turn your old gutter pieces into something new.

1. Windowsill Planter

Transform a gutter section into a charming windowsill planter to grow herbs, small flowers, or succulents. To create this planter:

1. Cut a 12-inch length of aluminum gutter using tin snips.
2. Attach end caps to both sides, securing them with a crimping tool.
3. Seal the end caps with silicone caulk to prevent leaks.
4. Fill the gutter planter with potting soil and your chosen plants.

2. Seedling Frost Protection

In colder climates, gutters can serve as protective shields for delicate seedlings. During chilly nights, place a length of gutter over your tender garden plants to shield them from frost. This simple technique can help extend your growing season and protect your plants during unexpected cold snaps.

This tip comes straight from the TOH Magazine archives: In colder weather, place a length of gutter atop tender garden plants at night to shield them from frost. For even more protection, consider pairing this approach with a DIY cold frame — a simple box made from rot-resistant wood and a salvaged window that acts like a mini greenhouse, letting you foster seedlings in early spring and keep veggies going through fall and even into winter.

3. Shop Storage Shelf

Create a ladder-style storage unit for your workshop using gutter sections:

1. Cut gutters to your desired lengths.
2. Crimp end caps onto each gutter section.
3. Screw the gutters’ backs into two 1×3 boards to create a ladder-like structure.
4. Hang the unit on a door or across a stud bay in your workshop.

This storage solution is perfect for organizing small tools, paintbrushes, or other workshop essentials.

This project originally appeared in TOH Magazine’s “10 Uses for Gutters” feature, where editors demonstrated how standard aluminum gutter troughs can be cut to size with tin snips and repurposed throughout the home and shop. The ladder-style configuration is especially useful because each trough is individually accessible — no digging through stacked bins to find what you need.

How to Build It: According to TOH Magazine, the key steps are to crimp end caps onto lengths of gutter, then screw through the gutters’ backs into two 1×3s to create a ladder-style storage unit. Hang the finished unit on a door or across a stud bay for easy access to your shop supplies.

4. Cord Management

Keep your workspace tidy by using a gutter to manage cord clutter:

1. Cut a gutter section to fit the width of your desk.
2. Screw the gutter across the inside back legs of the desk.
3. Run excess cords through the gutter to keep them off the floor and out of sight.

This allows your desk to sit flush against the wall while maintaining a clean, organized appearance.

How to Do It: According to TOH Magazine’s original instructions, screw a length of gutter across the inside back legs of a desk so that the furniture can still sit flush with the wall. The gutter’s U-shaped channel naturally corrals power strips and excess cable, keeping everything hidden behind the desk.

5. Tabletop Drinks Trough

Transform your picnic table into a party-ready surface with a built-in drinks trough:

1. Cut a gutter section to fit the length of your picnic table.
2. Crimp end caps onto the gutter and seal with caulk.
3. Remove a section of the center plank of your picnic table to fit the gutter.
4. Drop the gutter into the opening and secure it with sheet-metal screws.
5. Fill the trough with ice to keep drinks cool during outdoor gatherings.

Technique Detail: Use a K-style gutter for the trough — its flat back and decorative front profile sit more securely in a table opening than half-round styles. Cut the rectangular opening in the table’s center with a jigsaw, sizing it to the width of the gutter’s top and leaving at least 6 inches from each end of the table for structural integrity.

6. Custom Message Board

To create a message board for your patio or outdoor kitchen:

1. Flatten a length of galvanized steel gutter using a rubber mallet, leaving the rolled lip along one side intact.
2. Hook the lip onto a wall-hung metal kitchen utensil rail.
3. Use magnets to post notes, reminders, or outdoor menu ideas.

7. Unique Bookshelf or Picture Ledge

Create a floating bookshelf using gutter sections:

1. Cut 3-foot sections of gutter and crimp end caps onto each piece.
2. Paint the gutters in your desired color to match your decor.
3. Fasten the gutters to the wall by screwing through their backs.
4. Use the shelves to display art books, magazines, or small decorative items.

Similar to the bookshelf idea, you can use gutter sections to create picture ledges:

1. Cut gutters to your desired lengths (3 feet works well for most spaces).
2. Attach end caps and paint the gutters to match your wall color.
3. Mount the gutters on your wall using screws through the back.
4. Display framed photos, artwork, or small potted plants on the ledges.

These picture ledges offer a flexible way to showcase your favorite memories or rotate seasonal decor.

Pro Tip: For secure mounting, always anchor gutter shelves into wall studs. If you have drywall, locate studs by sliding an electronic stud sensor along the wall until you hear a beep or see a red line indicating the stud’s edge, then mark the point in pencil. For wood-lath plaster walls, switch to a stud sensor with a “metal” setting to pinpoint where the lath is nailed to the stud. Books and framed photos add up quickly, so hitting studs is essential to prevent pullout.

Technique Detail: When building gutter shelves, use the same approach TOH recommends for other gutter repurposing projects: cut your aluminum gutter to length with tin snips, then tap on end caps and secure them with a crimping tool. For a clean, finished look, be sure to screw through the gutters’ backs when mounting — this keeps the fasteners hidden behind the shelf contents.

8. Securing Pipes

Create custom pipe straps using small gutter sections:

1. Cut a 2-inch section of gutter with tin snips.
2. Bend back the ends to form a horseshoe-shaped strap.
3. Place the strap over PVC or steel pipe.
4. Screw the bent ends into the wall or ceiling to secure the pipe.

Technique Detail: This idea comes straight from TOH Magazine’s original “10 Uses for Leftover Gutters” feature by Katelin Hill. The key is cutting a short 2-inch section of aluminum gutter with tin snips, then bending back both ends to create a horseshoe-shaped strap that conforms snugly around PVC or steel pipe before screwing the bent flanges into the wall or ceiling.

9. Critter Deterrents

Protect your garden from unwanted visitors by using gutters as a fence topper:

1. Place a length of gutter open-end down over the top of your garden fence.
2. When animals attempt to jump onto the fence, the rattling noise will startle them and possibly deter entry.

This humane method helps keep stray animals out of your garden without causing them harm.

Origin: This tip comes from TOH contributor Katelin Hill, who suggested placing a length of gutter open-end down over the top of a garden fence so that when stray cats jump onto it, the rattling noise will spook them—a clever reuse that doubles as humane pest control.

10. String and Ribbon Dispensers

Create an organized craft station using a gutter section:

1. Cut a foot-long piece of gutter.
2. Stand rolls of ribbon, string, or twine upright in the gutter.
3. Use the gutter as a dispenser for pulling out and cutting short lengths of material.