We originally planned this to be the final chapter in our big basement makeover, but we ended up splitting the wrap-up into two posts because we tackled two separate DIY projects: building a screen to hide our unsightly water heater and frosting the windows to achieve full privacy while still letting in light. Trying to fit both step-by-step photo series and instructions into a single post felt overwhelming, so we decided to break it into two parts. Here’s the first: how we created a custom screen to conceal our water heater using three secondhand bi-fold doors and a single quart of bold green paint—all for a bargain price.
Before sharing the step-by-step, a quick reminder of the eyesore we were dealing with: a bulky water heater and the unattractive trap door in the wall behind it that leads to the crawl space. The rest of the room had already improved a lot—we added a rug, a bike rack, upgraded lighting, papered the insides of armoires, hung art, and organized storage. But the water heater still stood out. We considered switching to a tankless unit, but the current heater still works fine and we didn’t want to send it to a landfill, so a removable screen seemed like the sensible, economical solution. When that water heater is finally retired, the screen will still be useful for hiding the trap door.
The challenge was finding a screen tall enough to hide a roughly 6-foot water heater without spending hundreds of dollars. Store-bought screens that fit our space were often pricey and not always the right height, so we brainstormed affordable materials we could repurpose. The idea we settled on was both simple and practical: hinge three bi-fold doors together to form a freestanding folding screen. Bi-fold doors are essentially pre-cut panels, lightweight, easy to move, and readily available at thrift stores or salvage yards. Painted in a lively color, they would also add personality to the room.
Step 1: Source three sturdy bi-fold doors that are tall enough to obscure the water heater. We found a matching set of three secondhand bi-fold doors at a local Habitat ReStore for $18 during a sale. They came with hinges, which simplified assembly. The set was unconventional—three panels instead of the usual four—but that worked perfectly for our plan to create a three-panel screen.
Transporting the doors required some creative packing: we folded seats down and carefully slid the doors into our sedan, using a seat belt to help secure them. Small vehicles don’t have to be a barrier to DIY projects; with a little ingenuity you can often make it work without renting a truck.
Step 2: Assemble and prepare the doors where the screen will live. Once home, we assembled the doors where the screen would be used so we wouldn’t have to move a fully built screen across the house later. We laid the doors on cardboard to protect the floor, attached the hinges to join the panels, and inspected the surfaces. A bit of puttying and light sanding smoothed out imperfections and filled any recessed areas so the paint would go on evenly. For $18 in used doors, the condition was quite good and needed minimal prep.
Step 3: Paint the screen. Painting is the simplest step but makes the biggest visual impact. We used one quart of semi-gloss latex paint color-matched to a saturated green; two coats provided full coverage. The paint we used cost about $14 for the quart, which brought the total cost of the project to roughly $32. The bright green injects energy into the basement and ties in nicely with other green accents already in the space, while still keeping the water heater fully concealed behind a cheerful, movable barrier.
The finished screen performs exactly as intended: it hides the ugly mechanicals and the trap door while remaining easy to move for access when needed. The configuration still allows ample walking space and doesn’t obstruct daily use of the basement. Best of all, we gave an inexpensive set of used doors a new life instead of buying a costly screen or discarding otherwise usable materials.
That’s how we transformed three thrifted bi-fold doors into a functional, attractive screen on a very small budget. Next up we’ll share our window frosting tutorial and then a full basement wrap-up with a start-to-finish photo recap and a detailed budget breakdown. In the meantime, if you’ve repurposed doors, windows, or other household items in creative ways, we’d love to hear about your projects and how you gave them a second life.