Woodcraft: Be Creative – Upcycle and Reduce Waste
Parkersburg, WV (PRWEB) August 06, 2013 -- Turn old or discarded furniture, cabinets and doors into fresh new creations through “upcycling” – high-end “recycling” – that reduces trash at landfills by refurbishing or repurposing existing pieces, often enhancing the value. Woodcraft offers the following ideas and products to get you started.
UPCYCLING PROJECTS
Family furniture. Save chairs, tables, and other furniture passed down through the generations by doing repairs, if needed, and staining/painting to suit your current décor.
Other furniture or “yard sale finds.” These can also be stabilized and given a new look through stain/paint or distressing, but some may also lend themselves to transformation for other uses: a chest of drawers into bookshelves, a chair into a swing, a dresser into a seat, and more.
Doors and more. Solid wood doors can become tops for tables and kitchen islands, old-fashioned screen doors hung from the ceiling can store pots and pans, and old windows make attractive wall hangings used “as is” or with additions such as photos.
Cabinets. Change the look of a kitchen, bathroom or workshop with a new color for the cabinets and new handles and pulls.
HELPFUL PRODUCTS
“Woodcraft offers many products that can make upcycling projects easy and successful – including professional advice,” product manager Kent Harpool said. “A few products are listed here, but our retail store owners and salespeople, customer service staff and tech experts are available to help you select from Woodcraft’s extensive line of tools and supplies, as well as understand how to use the products. We know wood and how to work with it, repair it, and transform it. Visit a store near you, or give us a call – let us help you.”
Repair. Furniture that has been around awhile may need repair. For weak chair joints, drill a hole, inject Briwax ChaiRx, and wait for it to swell the joints for a strong bond. For other repairs, Titebond I, II, or III and other glues will work.
Transition. Changing the use and form of wood pieces will involve varied tasks.
For projects that involve disassembly of furniture or doors, followed by reassembly of some pieces into a new creation, the Kreg Jig K4 Master System offers quick joinery – strong pocket-hole joints.
Stanley Chair Braces are designed for corner reinforcement on chairs, tables, chests, and more for quick, easy construction and repairs.
Color. Once you have selected and/or repaired a piece of old furniture or created a new piece from an existing one, determine where your upcycled piece will “live,” what color/colors will look best there, and what type of paint or finish will achieve the desired effect.
Use Restor-A-Finish to “uncover” the original finish on an heirloom or other old piece of furniture. Available in six colors plus neutral, it revives the wood finish’s luster while blending out minor scratches and blemishes.
To change or refurbish the color, the three products listed below are easy to use, and surface prep for furniture and cabinets requires only cleaning and light sanding.
For the look of a hand rubbed wood finish, choose General Finishes Gel Stain and Topcoats. Available in 12 shades, including the popular Java, these urethane stains and topcoats are easy to use – simply wipe on with a rag and wipe off the excess. To protect the gel stain, especially for heavy-use surfaces such as tabletops, General Finishes offers three options: Gel Satin Top Coat, PolyAcrylic Top Coat or High Performance Top Coat.
General Finishes Water Based Milk Paints and Glaze Effects offer a wide range of color possibilities. Use one of the 20 premixed acrylic Milk Paint colors, such as Tuscan red, or combine two colors (using a topcoat between applications). To create eye-catching decorative finishes such as distressing, antiquing, marble effects, shabby chic, and more, choose one of the six translucent glaze effects to go with any water-based stain or paint.
Old-Fashioned Milk Paint is a powder made from earth pigments, which is mixed with water to make 20 rich colors that authentically reflect colors found on existing antique furniture and buildings.
To uncover the original wood surface on furniture, SOY-GEL Professional Paint Stripper is easy to use, virtually odorless and has no known health hazards.
For more information about Woodcraft and Woodcraft products, contact the store nearest you, visit http://www.woodcraft.com or call (800) 535-4482. To learn about Woodcraft franchise opportunities, visit http://www.woodcraftfranchise.com or email woodcraftfranchise(at)woodcraft(dot)com.
Lori Milner, Woodcraft Supply, LLC, http://www.woodcraft.com, 304-422-5412 2107, [email protected]
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