Upcycling old wood furniture is a hot trend in home décor magazines and amongst amateur DIY furniture restorers and inventors. Upcycling is great because it allows you to be really creative and it can save you a lot of money. With mass production of wooden furniture contributing to the destruction of millions of trees every year, more and more people are starting to reuse and repurpose their old furniture as a way to reduce waste and help the environment.
The good thing is that so many of us have old pieces of furniture in our houses that we are ready to throw away!
This article is a guide to 6 ways to reuse old wooden pieces of furniture.
Make a Cornhole Board
If you have an old wooden table, why not turn it into something a little fun? With just a little work, an old table can be turned into a cornhole board game which is fun for all the family to play. All you need to do is saw off the legs at one end of the table completely. With the other legs, saw them down to about 6 inches. Then cut a circular hole at the end of the table with the short legs that is just bigger than a tennis ball. Lean the cornhole board on the short legs and try to throw a ball through the hole. Pick up some unique cornhole bags to make the game even more fun.
Revamp Your Old Dining Chairs
Are those old dining chairs no longer as comfortable as they were before? Using them for a small repurposing project rather than throwing them away is a good strategy. As chairs are designed with stability in mind, make the most of that by transforming them into something stable as well.
How about a creative plant holder? Cut a round hole in the middle of the chair seat and make sure it perfectly fits the top of the flower pot while the rest of the pot is hanging below the seat. If you have more than 2 old chairs, creating a bench is a good idea. After getting rid of the seats and connecting their legs, place a big barn wood plank across the chairs as a seat. Add in some cushions and you will have a new comfy bench.
Repurpose an Old Wooden Ladder
Everybody knows how dangerous climbing on an old ladder is, so it’s time to repurpose it. You can turn old ladders into unique shelving units with different kinds of shelves depending on the type of ladder that you have.
If it’s a single-sided wooden ladder, hang it horizontally and the sides can become a perfect minibar to display decorative items. Another option is leaning the ladder against the wall with baskets to create more space for storage. For extra stability, frame the ladder with some more old wood and attach strong chains like ropes at the top of the unit for hanging.
Upcycle Your Old Wooden Doors
A solid wooden door is ideal for many different repurposing projects as it is made from one excellent, flat piece of wood. Many doors are designed with unique details that can really add to the uniqueness of a repurposed piece of furniture. No matter whether you cut an old door into smaller pieces for a pair of matching coffee tables or use it to make a new wall mirror, its unique design can help to showcase your personality and charm.
Repurpose Your Old Wooden Drawers
Is the space in your kitchen too small to make the most out of your cooking skills? Do something with the dusty old drawers that are knocking around in your garage. After giving it a new cover of paint and affixing a piece of flat wood, you have a brand new kitchen island where you can store your utensils and other cooking essentials.
Make Reclaimed Wooden Shelves
You will probably have some random pieces of wood left after all the cuts for the pieces in this guide. No worries as you can make use of every inch of leftover wood. Make those small wooden pieces into artistic hanging shelves in just a few minutes. Just drill some holes at the end of the leftover pieces of wood and thread some industrial strength twine through the holes. Pop a couple of nails in the wall and hang the shelves up on the walls. This is a clever hack to store little things when you have limited living space.
Nothing is impossible when it comes to reusing old wooden furniture. Not only is it a lot of fun but it is eco-friendly and helps to save money as you don’t need to buy new pieces. With a little bit of creativity and patience, you can turn potential trash into a masterpiece!