3 Beautiful Creative Reuse Ideas You'll Want to DIY

In honor of Earth Day, here are a few cools ways to breath new life into old things around your house. - Deborah Snoonian & Amy Hughes, This Old House

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Reuse ideas
Reuse ideas


Looking for something small and affordable at the salvage yard? Decorative iron tub supports can be found at most such shops-and are far easier to recycle than the heavy vessels that once perched upon them. Put them to work as bookends on your desk or use just one to prop up magazines inside a shelving unit. To protect wood from scratches, stick felt cushions on the feet bottoms. Then put your own feet up and enjoy the ironwork's vintage charm.

TOH Tip:To preserve the iron's patina and seal any lead paint, add a coat of clear acrylic finish.

RELATED:DIY With Doors: Reuse Ideas for a Common Renovation Throwaway

Reuse ideas
Reuse ideas


A rickety wooden ladder that's been gathering cobwebs in your basement may be unsafe to climb, but that doesn't mean you should kick it to the curb. With a fresh coat of paint in a cheery color, it becomes a space-efficient, budget-friendly display station for prized potted plants. If the ladder's spreaders-the horizontal braces that connect the ladder's rung-bearing base and fly sections-are missing or broken, lean the ladder against a vertical surface or stabilize it with two scrap pieces of 1x3 fastened where the spreaders would go. In any case, remember not to walk underneath your new creation-you wouldn't want to jinx your green thumb.

TOH Tip:Potted geraniums like these thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. Consider experimenting withclimberson your new plant stand as well.

RELATED: How to Build a Trellis: Pick a Project!

Reuse ideas
Reuse ideas


"We bought this 'summer front' at a farm auction for $110," says Kentucky homeowner Renay Davis, who had been looking at pricey basket-weave tile to protect the wall behind her cooktop. This Victorian-era cast-iron antique, once used to cover a fireplace during the off-season, is now a fancy focal point that saved the Davises more than $800 in materials. We like how it turns the kitchen into the true hearth of their home.

TOH Tip:The Davises coated the piece with tile sealer to make it easy to clean, then mounted it between the wall studs.

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