Rather than throwing out old furniture and other items around your home, why not refinish them for reuse as something new. Not only will you be saving money but you’ll be helping the environment by reducing the load on landfills. Read on for some easy reuse DIY projects for your home.

Refinish an Old Paddle Fan or Light Fixture

Rather than throwing away an outdated ceiling fan or light fixture, spray paint it to make it look like new and reuse it:

• Take down the fan or light fixture and remove any parts that won’t get painted.
• Clean the parts using denatured alcohol to take off any dirt or grease.
• Rub any slick metal surfaces with fine steel wool to remove the gloss.
• Spread out all of the pieces on newspaper, and spray with several light coats of a spray paint that is made for metal.
• Put the fixture back together again.
• Reattach the fan or light fixture to the ceiling.
• Attach the blades to the fan.

Turn Old Shutters into a Screen

Old shutters can be hinged together to make a great accent screen for your living room. Shutters can be found at a reuse or salvage store. Here’s how to do it:

• Repair shutters, then clean and lightly sand.
• Apply two coats of spray paint and allow shutters to dry.
• Hinge the shutters together with cabinet butt hinges.
• For larger screens with more than three shutters, alternate the hinges on each side of the screen so it can be folded up for storage.

Refinish an Old Wicker Chair

To give new life to an old wicker chair:

• Blow off and dust using an air compressor or canned air.
• Clean the wicker using a scrub brush, sponge, and denatured alcohol.
• Make any needed repairs to the wicker using a hot glue gun.
• Refinish with two coats of spray paint. Allow the chair to dry for the recommended time between each coat.
• Let the paint to dry thoroughly before using.
• Hang onto any leftover cans of spray paint for use as touch up later.

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