How to create upcycled furniture

Aarti Tripathi Aarti Tripathi
Waschtisch mit Apothekerschrank, Helm Design by Helm Einrichtung GmbH Helm Design by Helm Einrichtung GmbH Modern style bathrooms
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There are huge benefits of creating upcycled furniture. It reduces the waste materials sent to landfills every year, and also helps in minimizing the need for producing more goods and hence reducing the use of raw material, air and water pollution. Apart from the environmental benefits of upcycling, there are a number of social benefits as well. A new industry of production method has developed which has shifted the focus from factory produced goods to beautifully handcrafted unique products. This can give an immense boost in the economy of rural areas around the world. The end customer also feels benefited by this upcycling industry. Apart from the satisfaction of positive contribution in protecting the environment, there is a fulfilling experience of taking home a one of its kind designer product. Here are some tips to create upcycled furniture.

New Paint Can Already Make A Difference

Upcycling does not always require different tools to cut, scrape and dismantle. A new paint can already make a difference in the old furniture. Almost all of the old furniture can be revamped simply by using paint. The old wooden cabinet in the house may give a look of wear and tear, but a simple paint can give it a new breath of life. However, not all paints can be used for upcycling furniture. Different paints are suited for different surfaces. The acrylic eggshell paint can be used to give a soft sheen to the wooden furniture and to protect them from daily wear and tear. The trend nowadays is to use chalk paint for the furniture. The chalk paint also need less prep of the furniture. However, they are not as resistant to daily wear and tear and therefore need a wax coating to protect the surface.

It has become a trend to design upcycled furniture in the past few years. It has many environmental and social benefits. Apart from that, these handcrafted products have stunningly beautiful and unique design. This is the reason that many DIY enthusiasts are now taking up new environment friendly upcycling projects.

Pallets are Very Versatile

Pallets are not only versatile; they are also extremely easy to upcycle. Literally thousands of furniture can be created by upcycling pallets. Coffee tables, daybeds, couches, benches, wine racks, bars and cabinets, almost everything that is used in a house can be created by super versatile pallets. Earlier pallets were mainly used in shipping and storing bigger items. However, with the growing number of DIY upcycling enthusiast, several of beautiful home décor and furnishing can be fashioned using pallets. The pallets are made by assemble wooden planks. These wooden planks can be pulled out from the pallets to be used in any DIY upcycling project to create beautiful and unique designs.

A New Couch Made From an Old Bath Tub

Creating a new couch from an old bath tub can be exciting. Most of the times the old cast iron bath tubs are discarded after a long usage, because they no longer look beautiful with all those chipped paints. However, bath tubs are expensive and discarding one, may still give a twinge in the heart. There can be nothing more thrilling than to create a stylist couch from an old cast iron bath tub. Before creating a couch from the bath tub, it is important to check that the iron is not rusting. Secondly, the cast iron bathtub can be a bit heavy, and hence it may require assistance to create a couch out of it. Cutting the bathtub, smoothing the edges, removing the paint and repainting it will also take a few days.

A Cabinet Made From An Old Tank

There can never be enough cabinets in a home. There is always a need of more storage space for convenient storing and organizing. Cabinets made from old tanks have a unique design. They are not only extremely durable but also highly functional. For creating a cabinet from an old tank, there are a number of tools and resources that are required, for cutting, gluing, cleaning, scraping and painting the tank. It is also important to decide that which articles will be stored in the cabinet made of tank. This will help in deciding the height and number of shelves inside the cabinet. According to the articles that are going inside the cabinet, it can be compartmentalized.

Container Home

For those who believe in minimalist and eco-friendly living, a container home is totally inspiring. At first it may sound crazy, but there has been stunning homes build by upcycling shipping containers. Upcycling shipping containers to create sustainable buildings has become a trend in past few years. The ease and simplicity of creating home from containers is unparalleled. The convenient size of the containers allows the designer to create multi-room and multi-story houses by stacking them together or over each other. However, there are some challenges in creating container homes. First of all, permission from the local building authority is mandatory. Secondly, some level of expertise is required for building container home. There are several things that need to be done in a home like insulations, plumbing, electrical and cooling. All these tasks require the help of experienced professionals.

Storage Ideas With Upcycled Furniture

It is not always necessary to buy brand new expensive storage units. With a little creativity, the old furniture of the house can be upcycled to create a number of storage units for smart storing. As there is no limit to creativity, there is no limit to the number of things that can be created by upcycling. All it needs is a bit of creativity, a will to create something and a few resources. The old drawers can be upcycled into shelves, a broken chair back can be easily converted into storage for scarves and belts, an old globe stand can be changed into holder for paper towel, and cardboard boxes can be cut and painted to serve as separator in a drawer and so on.

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