November 15 is America Recycles Day – a wonderful reminder to all of us that we should be doing our part to help keep Mother Earth beautiful and healthy. So this week, and every week, just remember to reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose!

Repurposing old and outdated furniture is a simple way to help reduce landfill waste and cut down on the carbon footprint required to make and ship new furniture. Plus, it’s just plain fun!

Kim Yeager, founder and principal of Lark Nest Design, refurbishes decor and furniture for clients here in the Twin Cities. She recently hosted some seminars for Hirshfield’s on best practices for refinishing furniture. Some of her tips include:

• You can paint metal: You can paint metal, just make sure to prime the surface first!
• The more you sand, the better you’ll get: The more you sand, the more you’ll pick up a technique. You don’t want to sand so deeply that you go beyond the top layer of wood. Learning how your sander handles will also help you when you “distress” painted objects.
• Don’t take shortcuts: If a piece has hardware or drawers, remove them entirely for prep and painting. Because these areas get a lot of use, they are ripe for eventual paint flaking. Sand drawer edges carefully so the old paint is gone before applying new. Two coats of sealer should give the drawers “armor” for future use.

Read more of Kim’s tips here.

Now that you’ve got the basics, here are some of our favorite repurposed projects from around the web!

Old drawers as shelves via RemodelAholic.

Old door turned coffee table via DIY Network.

Old headboard turned into a message center via The Prairie Homestead.

A little paint gives new life to an old cabinet via the Hirshfield’s team.

What refinishing projects are you working on? Any successes or questions you want to share with the group?

Hirshfield’s is your local Minneapolis-St. Paul paint retailer. The paint experts at Hirshfield’s are here to help you with everything from window-treatments to paint colors. Hirshfield’s manufactures paint right here in Minneapolis.