PARKERSBURG, W.Va.- 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 by doing repairs, if needed, and staining/painting to suit your current decor.

Other furniture or "yard sale finds." Stabilize and give these pieces a new look through stain/paint or distressing, or transform them: a chest of drawers into bookshelves, a chair into a swing, a dresser into a seat, and more.

Doors and more. Solid wood doors make great tops for tables, 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 your kitchen, bathroom or workshop with a new color and hardware for your cabinets.

HELPFUL PRODUCTS

"Woodcraft offers many products that make upcycling easy – 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. Visit a store near you, or give us a call."

Repair. To fix weak chair joints, use Briwax ChaiRx. For other repairs, Titebond I, II, or III and other glues will work.

Transition. For projects requiring disassembly of furniture or doors, followed by reassembly of pieces, use the Kreg Jig K4 Master System for strong pocket-hole joints.

Color. Once you have selected and/or repaired a piece of old furniture or created a new piece, determine where it will "live," what color/colors will look best, and what paint or finish will achieve the desired effect.

Use Restor-A-Finish to revive the original finish on old furniture while blending out scratches and blemishes.

To change or refurbish the color, products listed below are easy to use, and surface prep requires only cleaning and light sanding.

For a beautiful hand rubbed wood finish look, choose General Finishes Gel Stains and Topcoat. Available in 12 shades, these urethane stains and topcoat are easy to use – simply wipe on with a rag and wipe off the excess.

General Finishes Water Based Milk Paints and Glaze Effects come in 20 premixed acrylic Milk Paint colors that can be combined. For decorative finishes such as distressing, antiquing, shabby chic, and more, choose from six translucent glaze effects.

Old-Fashioned Milk Paint, a powder made from earth pigments, combines with water to create 20 colors like those on existing antique furniture and buildings.

To uncover an original wood surface, 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 www.woodcraft.com or call (800) 535-4482.

Source: Woodcraft