From Drab to Fab: Your Guide to Home Upcycling

In today’s recovering economy, it pays to be a little thrifty when it comes to home improvement. Everyone wants to maintain a beautiful home that is always ahead of the trends, but in most circumstances that means having an impressive budget to match. However, unbeknown to many, upcycling could just provide the answer to transforming your home from drab to fab…

What is upcycling?

Upcycling is when individuals repurpose used, damaged or tired furniture for use elsewhere in their homes. The opportunity to upcycle trash into treasure is not a new concept, in fact craft enthusiasts have been doing this for years. However, with the rising trend more and more resources are available to find furniture in need of home upcycling and gather ideas from fellow upcyclers!

 

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Where to begin

Many householders don’t have old and disused furnishings hanging around the home, so hitting salvage yards, skips, antique stores and charity shops is the first step to finding the best materials for upcycling. Salvage yards in particular can be a treasure trove of furniture finds and other hidden gems, the style of which you wouldn’t necessarily find in the polished stores lining our high streets. Salvage yards and charity shops are also the perfect place to bag a bargain!

Vintage and antique drawers are the ultimate find for any upcycler, and these can be transformed into renovated furnishings with a quick lick of paint or further repair and restoration. Look for items with a history and bring them back to life with your newfound upcycling skills.

Upcycling techniques

Once you have found your preloved furnishings, learning a few simple upcycling techniques is the next step to transforming your home on a shoestring budget. Retuning your DIY skills is a must when it comes to upcycling, whilst learning painting and finishing techniques can give you the skills to quickly transform tired looking items.

Chalk paints are the upcycler’s favourite product, and after smoothing the surface, these can easily be applied to transform the look of old furniture. Chalk paints can also be used on stained or veneered furniture, so you can create a great look without spending hours removing paint. Waxing and buffing techniques can also be used to create the popular distressed look. Stencilling and experimenting with paint effects can also add a creative touch to your home.

Something for the weekend…

Why not get started with this upcycling project? Transform old and disused wooden ladders into a bookshelf or towel rack to create a new focal point for your bathroom or living room. The wood can be treated using an array of effects, depending on the look you desire, or can be stripped and waxed to create a more natural finish.

The author of this post is Brittany Thorley from Cheshire Demolition, the UK’s leading salvage and skip hire specialists.