Don't give up on chairs with torn seats or tables with missing legs -- we have plenty of ideas for giving new life to worn furniture in unexpected ways.

A table that has lost a leg can find new purpose as a console in an entryway or hallway.

Just add wheels to a sturdy basket, and you'll have a mobile end table that keeps clutter contained.

An old wooden stepladder provides a steady spot for a row of books as well as an alarm clock and reading lamp.

Sturdy benches that merely take up space in the garage can be stacked and repurposed as a brand-new bookshelf for the family room or den.

A wooden pot-lid rack is ideal for holding mail; all it needs is a fresh coat of paint. For easier viewing, place smaller items, such as letters, bills, and postcards, near the front, and larger catalogs and magazines toward the back.

Learn how to transform the interior rails of three beleaguered bistro chairs into the legs of a new side table.

Transform a traditional piece of bedroom furniture into a multitasking mini office, complete with bulletin board and filing cabinet.

Balanced on a few overturned flowerpots, an old wooden door becomes a rustic and sturdy outdoor coffee table or work surface.

A solid old door, refinished and hung sideways, becomes a perfect -- and perfectly inexpensive -- headboard for a bed.

Create custom cabinetry in your garden shed with vintage wine crates from flea markets or online auctions.

These two flea market cupboards looked nothing alike, yet it wasn't hard to turn them into a single piece that functions like an armoire.

These squat geometric cubes were originally designed as stools. But if the caned seat is shot, replace it with a round piece of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and turn the cube into a low-slung end table.

Wooden shutters can be just as functional and good-looking indoors as out. This refinished trio hangs on the wall over a hallway console as a bulletin board. Their louvers are a perfect (not to mention plentiful) spot to tuck invitations, display artwork, or hang a message pad.

Old coat hooks can be mounted on a wooden plaque and put to work corralling the daily mail.

Paint or stain a precut plaque, available at crafts stores. Paint hooks to desired color. Secure the hooks side-by-side with 1/2-inch wood screws. Repeat to form additional rows to separate your mail.

Just because an antique platter or plate is scratched, cracked, or broken, its useful life doesn't have to end. Its patterned border can be used as the decorative frame for a mirror.