Recycling consists of a lot more than just remembering to put your newspapers by the curb every week. Another important component is reusing existing items rather than throwing them away or buying new ones.
Here are a few nifty ideas for fixing up old items that might be cluttering up your closet or garage. Used building materials and other household items are also available at bargain prices through classified ads, local salvage companies, Goodwill stores, The Freecycle Network and Habitat for Humanity ReStores.
Refinishing Furniture
Refinishing furniture is a great way to give new life to an old table or chair. For best results, read and follow the instructions and safety information on the stripper and finish.
Apply stripper Remove residue Clean with solvent
To refinish a piece of furniture:
- Apply liquid stripper and allow it to remain on the surface for the recommended time.
- When the finish has softened, use a putty knife with rounded edges to remove the bulk of the old finish.
- Take off the remaining finish and stripper using steel wool or a plastic scouring pad dipped in the recommended solvent.
- Sand the surface thoroughly starting with coarse sandpaper (80-100 grit) and working up to fine (180-220 grit). Sand with the grain when possible.
- Stain the piece and allow to dry. Applying stain with a rag works best.
- Finish with several coats of a clear finish such as polyurethane.
Sand stripped furniture Stain furniture Finish furniture
Turn Fallen Trees into Lumber
Small, locally owned sawmills are a great way to recycle fallen trees into lumber. Not only does this keep them out of the landfill, but it can provide unusual species of wood in sizes not commonly available for unique woodworking projects.
Watch our video on How to Recycle Fallen Trees
Recycled Punching Bag
You don’t have to send your kids to a gym to find a punching bag to take out their frustrations. With a little imagination and some scrap materials, you can make one yourself using scrap pipe and plywood, an old carpet pad, and duct tape.
To make a punching bag:
- Cut a piece of 4” PVC pipe several inches longer than the desired length of the punching bag.
- Cut out a round piece of plywood for the base approximately 10” in diameter, using the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket as a pattern.
- Cut a plywood disk the interior diameter of the pipe and attach it to the center of the base.
- Screw the bottom end of the pipe to the plywood disk.
Attach pipe to base Roll carpet pad on pipe Cover pad with tape
- Cut the carpet pad to the desired width using a utility knife.
- Attach the pad to the pipe with duct tape.
- Roll the pad onto the pipe until the thickness equals the diameter of the base.
- Wrap duct tape around the pad until it’s completely covered.
- Drill holes in the top end of the pipe, and hang it on a rope from an eye hook screwed to a joist in the ceiling.
Mud Room Shoe Caddy
This handy shoe caddy is perfect for organizing the shoes in your mud room or garage. All you need to make it is some scrap lumber, recycled 5-gallon buckets, and leftover paint.
To make a shoe caddy:
- Decide on the layout for the buckets. We used six buckets in a triangular configuration, but other groupings work as well.
- Cut the lips off the buckets with a sabre saw, using the rim as a fence, then sand off any rough edges.
- Assemble the buckets into the pattern desired, using spring clamps to hold them together.
Cut rim off buckets Assemble frame Attach buckets to frame
- Screw the bottoms of the buckets to a piece of plywood.
- Cut and assemble a wooden frame so it fits tightly around the buckets.
- Sand and paint the frame.
- Fit the frame over the buckets, and screw the sides of the buckets to it.
Desk from Reused Door
There are a number of useful items you can make from old doors, including headboard and room dividers. For our project, we turned a door into a functional and cool looking computer desk with bookshelves.
To turn an old door into a desk or bookcase:
- Remove the hinges, lockset, and other hardware from the door.
- Fill any large holes with solid wood and smaller holes using auto body filler.
- Plane or sand the filler flush with the surface of the door, and sand the door smooth.
- Cut the desktop and shelves to size.
- Rout a molding pattern on three sides of the desktop and shelves.
- Attach wooden shelf brackets (corbels) to the bottom of the desktop and shelves.
- Mount the desktop and shelves on the door using glue, nails, and screws.
- Cut and round 2” x 6” x 2’ support legs and attach at right angles to the sides of the door.
- Attach a coat rack or hooks to the back of door.
Patch holes in door Attach brackets Attach base
