Upcycling–What’s Old is New Again

It's spring time which means yard sales! (Or garage sales or rummage sales, depending on where you live.) Whether you are rich or poor, well off or getting by, we all can afford to be frugal. For me, part of living frugally is using your skills and talents to make your resources last longer or stretch further. We needed a computer desk desperately and had been looking on craigslist for months to see if anything matched what we were looking for...and our budget. Nothing did.

Around where I live, there are these wonderful things called bulk pick up day. Different neighborhoods are assigned a Saturday when they can put out ANYTHING. And I mean anything. Just pile it by the side of the road and the trash guys will come load it themselves. No need to schedule or pay extra for it. Just put it out and it will be taken away. Either by the trash men or the dumpster divers.

That's where I come in. I learned many years ago that there is no shame in garbage picking. My brother, who lives in a custom built home that is exquisite, STILL garbage picks because he understands that you are never too wealthy to pass up a great deal. And a lot of times you can find something either on the side of the road or in a yard sale that may look bad now or may not work, but can become something wonderful will a little TLC.

One particular Saturday, as I was driving around a neighborhood, I spotted a computer desk that matched everything I was looking for. Well, besides that it was covered in stickers and was oak colored. I don't like oak colored wood. Still, I knew I could do something with this beauty.

I managed to get it in my car with the help of a neighbor lady who saw me struggling to lift this 100 lb. piece of manufactured wood. I couldn't wait to get started on it. I peeled off all the stickers which peeled off a lot of the laminate, so I painted over the peeled parts to seal down the laminate.

Then I used Rust-Oleum Black Satin Finish Spray Paint. You can get it at a hardware store or even at Walmart, or buy it online. This stuff is awesome! It took about 3 cans to give the desk a proper coating. If I were to do it again, I think I'd paint the whole desk with just some regular ol' paint and then spray it. Once it was all sprayed, I finished it off with none other than my trusty old Mod Podge! Can you believe it!? Me neither. When I brought it insides, I just LOVED how it looked and how well it fit in our room.

So, the next time you are driving around or yard sale-ing and you see something that has potential, don't pass it up. Use your skills (or develop them) and turn useless into priceless.