Environmental concerns are all the rage these days, and for very good reason. It’s become pretty clear to us that over the course of the last several decades (and probably for even longer than that), we’ve done a pretty lousy job of taking great care of the environment. We’ve only got one planet, though, and it’s become apparent that we’re going to seriously damage it if we don’t clean up our acts in the very immediate future. Thankfully, this knowledge has been met with and responded to by one of the most exciting and promising cultural movements that the world has possibly ever seen. Environmentalism is on everyone’s mind these days, in a very serious way. Individuals are looking for ways to live their lives and do the things they need to do in more sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways. Even huge corporations and companies are figuring out ways to contribute to our newfound concern with preserving the earth. Hybrid cars and other exciting developments are helping us usher in a new era of sustainability.
Maybe you don’t have the cash on hand to pay for a relatively expensive hybrid car, but there are still plenty of things you can do to make sure that you’re not contributing anything that you shouldn’t be. Waste is one of the biggest problems facing our environment today, and no matter who you are there’s a way you can help out with it. Upcycling has emerged as one of the best ways to combat unnecessary waste, as it involves finding old, unused objects and turning them into new ones. This clever (and very hip!) form of recycling has been adopted by creative individuals all over the world, and if you’re looking to get involved with upcycling, there are a ton of ways to do it.
Reclaimed wood is one of the favorite tools of the upcycler, because there are absolutely a ton of things you can do with it. Reclaimed wood can really be fashioned into just about anything you want, as wood is one of the most basic and easily-used building materials. If you’ve got a legitimate penchant for crafts and building, though, you might be looking to make something pretty serious. Furniture is definitely something for which you can use reclaimed wood, provided that you’ve got the time and expertise (and access to some of the equipment) required to put everything together.
One of the most important things to think about when you want to build some furniture out of reclaimed wood is exactly what type of wood you think you’re going to use. This will really depend on the actual style of furniture you’re going to build. If you want to go for a more modern or contemporary look, you might want to stick with woods like maple, walnut, or beech. When you’re going to for a bit of a more rustic look, you should try out a wood like cherry, poplar, or oak.
Once you’ve picked the right wood, you need to dry it in a kiln. This is one of the most important and technically complicated parts of the process, because it’s something you can’t just do anywhere. You have to have access to an actual kiln that will be able to heat the wood in a way that can remove all the moisture and kill all the bacteria and microorganisms within it. Doing this is very important because if you leave moisture in the wood it might condense if and when the climate shifts.
After you’ve kiln-dried the wood and it’s ready to go, you need to make sure you have a sketch of your furniture idea. How detailed you get here depends entirely upon you and your building abilities — it might be a great idea to call up a friend if you don’t think you’re quite so handy on your own. You can click here for plenty of other upcycling ideas, but if you’re thinking about building some new furniture out of reclaimed wood, then you’re definitely going to give your home a much more eco-friendly atmosphere.
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