If there is a term that has been flying about for years, it is upcycling. The idea is simple, take something that is headed to the bin and turn it into something that people will want to use again. This is great for the environment and people have created businesses by upcycling. So how do you start doing this for yourself? Here is a quick guide to get you started with upcycling.
Wash it down
If you have found some furniture that you can transform, one of the first things that you have to d is wash it. It might be covered in a lot of grime and this needs to be removed before you can do anything else. The last thing you want is to be handling something that has 50 years of filth on it. All you need is some sugar soap and some elbow grease to remove any grime. Once it is washed, you need to allow it to dry completely before you can move on to any other part of the project.
Access the damage
Once you have washed away the grime, it is a lot easier to get a look at any damage. You might need to remove hardware, seal cracks, and remove the glass. It all depends on what can be fixed and what needs to be completely removed and what can be replaced. If the item has locks, you might need to speak to someone who is a key cutter to see if they can cut a new key in order to keep the existing hardware. If you are working with wood, you will need to fill any cracks and holes with high-quality wood filler and allow it to dry.
Sand it down
If you are planning on changing the colour and adding a few coats of paint, you will need to sand off some of the existing topcoats. This will create a rough surface that allows the paint to stick instead of it sliding off again. You don’t need to go nuts sanding it down but the more of the old paint and varnish that you can remove, the better. The wood underneath could be beautiful without the varnish so don’t rule out only needing to stain it after the varnish comes off.
Dust it off
After you have sanded away the old paint and varnish, you need to dust away from the dust that is left on the furniture. If you don’t you could end up with a lot of mess stuck in your paint. This might not seem like a big deal but it can ruin the overall effect of the piece. It is a good idea to take the vacuum to the furniture to make sure that you haven’t missed any bits and ensure that it is completely clean.
Paint it
One of the last steps is to paint and recover any surfaces that you want to change. The process of upcycling is about removing the old and adding the new. The new can be a fresh coat of paint, new glass panels, or new fabric.
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