What can be made from leftover building materials: DIY crafts

Country construction, repairs and decoration are processes that take up a lot of free time and finances, and when, after completing useful tasks, you notice a lot of remnants of various materials, it becomes a little disappointing for the money spent. But we won’t be upset, because all the leftovers can be put to good use and there is no need to throw them away. DachaDecor.ru will tell you right now what can be made from building materials.

Never rush to throw away construction waste and leftover building materials. Everything that was not included in the main work can still become useful for the dacha.

Crafts from plasterboard

A truly versatile material, you can also use it in the form of scraps and broken pieces.

You can make the following from drywall:

• Small vases for dry bouquets, you just need to cut the plasterboard into even pieces and fold it into a mold using a mounting profile;
• Various geometric shapes for decorating country house rooms, gazebos and patios;
• There are quite interesting solutions for miniature pieces of furniture in a children's tree house. For example, the same shelves, racks, different decor.

If you can no longer use drywall, give it to the kids, because with any piece of damaged material you can simply draw on asphalt or slabs, using the material like chalk.

Master Class

Inspired by the New Year theme, we decided to show you a simple and stylish way to create holiday packaging.

But, before you start decorating, you need to make a PVC box that is the right size for your gift. You can easily find the diagram on the Internet. Next, we proceed directly to the design.

To work you will need the following:

• Double-sided tape;
• Scissors;
• Two sheets of crepe wrapping paper (different but matching colors);
• Colored tape;
• A small New Year's composition.

1. When everything you need is at hand, cut out a piece of suitable size from one sheet of paper that should cover the top and two sides of the box. Attach the paper with small pieces of tape;
2. Now take the second sheet, it should cover the entire box;
3. Next, fold the second sheet (on the front side) so that you get a triangle;
4. Secure everything carefully with tape;
5. Make several cuts on the sides of the resulting triangle, the distance between them should be about 1 cm;
6. Bend the resulting cuts upward (so you get something like a colored Christmas tree);
7. At the end, decorate the box with colored ribbon (diagonally) and attach a New Year's composition.

What can be made from pieces of tin

This material is very practical, because, like pieces of stainless steel, it can be bent into any shape. This makes it possible to create the most unusual crafts for the garden.

• First of all, these are original lamps, which, with the help of metal scissors or a grinder, take on bizarre shapes;
• Also, from similar material, thin steel or scraps of tin, you can make small country bins and ashtrays;
• If the pieces are large, they can make good containers for flowers, even hanging ones;
• You can also use stainless steel and thin steel for more useful things, for example, putting patches on cracked linoleum, using strips of tin to connect the joints of flooring in a country house, making clamps for bolts and nuts, cutting washers, tightening wooden buildings and fences with pieces of material, installing them as a lining when tying large tree branches so that their bark is not damaged by the rope.

DIY wall kitchen shelf

In the opposite corner of the window, I decided to make a shelf for tea and coffee supplies. The essence of the idea: when installed, the window sill is shifted to the right from the window, to the wall. As a result, in the right corner of the room, which is hidden by the refrigerator, a small shelf was created due to the window sill board.

The lower additional shelf is made from scraps of plastic window sill to size. For aesthetic and sanitary reasons, the sections of the wall adjacent to the shelf are trimmed with scraps of wall panels in the same color as the finish of the window slopes. The result was a rather original design that fits into the overall interior.

Since the shelf is not noticeable at first and is designed quite compactly, the items stored in it do not clutter up the room. Separately, I would like to talk about the tray, because the thing turned out to be quite convenient to use (carry a cup of tea, make a sandwich, etc.).

The tray is made from a piece of plastic wall panel, a starting profile and a plastic corner. On top, for convenience, the plastic panel is covered with a piece of linoleum.

Useful uses of leftover and off-cut boards

Almost anything can be made from wood, within reasonable limits, of course. Naturally, we are talking about garbage residues, because we already create many useful things in the country from solid lumber.

• So, if there is a thin strip left, it can be used for boxes, just like, in principle, a small board with timber;
• Cuttings of furniture panels, for example, from a press, will become excellent containers for vertical gardening;
• Larger boards can be sanded and cut into kitchen utensils - chopping and chopping boards, hot mats;
• Naturally, if there are good quality materials, they will always be suitable for country furniture - shelves and racks, small stools and chairs, shoe stands, etc.;
• It is worth noting that sawdust also brings benefits in the country, but all our readers know this very well.

You can make a lot of interesting things out of wood, and therefore you shouldn’t throw away any of its remains.

If among the readers there are masters of wood carving, they will find another original use for all materials!

Homemade shelves for household appliances

Taking into account the fact that some things in my office did not have a permanent place of registration, I decided to use waste to make homemade shelves.

To begin with, I made a sketch. For what?

1. Firstly, everyday experience has taught me: it is better to think through everything in advance before making a shelf with your own hands.
2. Secondly, you need to clarify the dimensions of the future shelf for these specific items (kettle and microwave oven).
3. Thirdly, since I made everything from leftovers, I had to try to find the right scraps, both in size and quantity.

The result of creative efforts is shown in the figure below. Since I made the sketch for myself, I apologize to the reader for the readability of my creation. The content of the sketch: the dimensions of the stove are indicated, the dimensions of the stand for the kettle are indicated, the general dimensions of the shelf are indicated, approximately the necessary materials and parts and their quantity are indicated.

The finished shelf for the kettle and microwave oven is shown in the photo below. Compare how the actual design differs from the sketch.

Useful scraps of OSB and plywood

Construction waste obtained from these materials will be a godsend for people with imagination.

But whatever you come up with, we have ideas too:

• A birdhouse and a house for a squirrel are the first things that come to mind!
• Next, feeders for birds and even animals, where the material will serve as the base of the roof;
• OSB and plywood scraps can be turned into quite good boxes for storing food and non-food products, a variety of bulk products;
• An interesting idea is to use pieces of plywood and slabs to create formwork for the construction of small architectural forms;
• Such garbage can also participate in the production of country furniture, along with lumber, which was discussed above;
• If you have a jigsaw, you can always cut out original garden figures or fragments from leftover materials.

Using old polyethylene

It is unlikely that the film will be used to equip a new country greenhouse or even a small greenhouse, but individual plants can be placed in spring protective structures - film cubes.

In addition, you can cover anything with old film... the same piles of sand for construction, stacks of bricks or decorative tiles for arranging a summer house, bulk materials, feed. You just have to fold it several times, and even old and worn plastic film will become a good protection against moisture.

It will also find excellent use in major construction projects. The film can be used to cover foundations and only poured areas so that the concrete does not dry out and crack in the sun.

In the issue of film, we moved a little away from the main topic of crafts and leftover building materials, but now we are returning to it.

Foam insulation: using scraps in the country

Penofol, ecofol and other insulation materials based on foamed polyethylene and foil will be an excellent material for the original decor of any country house.

Most often, such materials are used before the New Year holidays, since snowflakes and stars of a wide variety of shapes can be cut from them without any problems. But they can often be used for standard room decoration.

One side of this material is foil-coated or coated with reflective material. That is, it shines. This makes it possible to create bright shapes that will transfer sunlight to the walls, floor and ceiling. Such crafts look especially interesting when suspended, on a fishing line or thread.

Most often, all thermal insulation work where such materials are used occurs with insulation that is foil-coated on one side. But if you need a double-sided object, you can cut out two mirrored shapes and glue them together on the back side. Then the star, snowflake or figurine will shine on both sides.

Savvy summer residents find many other uses for penofol, for example, they additionally insulate the sides of greenhouses, make small portable refrigerators with their own hands, simply by sewing the material inside onto the walls of a small box. But the most fun use is sewing children's costumes and their various elements from the material.

Features of working with wood

Wood is a unique material, which is distinguished by its special structure, naturalness, beautiful appearance, sufficient strength, and amazing flexibility in processing. It is easy to cut, drill, sand and fasten. Various wood species are successfully used as ornamental materials:

1. Products of the woodworking industry - boards, beams, laths, pressed panels, plywood, veneer.
2. Parts of a tree - trunk, branches, roots, branches.
3. Available materials - driftwood, stumps, logs, bark.

Crafts (especially homemade furniture) can be made from new, purchased wood. In this case, you should remember the need to pre-dry the material. Most often, free raw materials are used. High-quality wooden elements can be extracted from old, unnecessary furniture. A huge reserve of ornamental material is located in the forest. You just need to walk around it and pick up dry wood. There is no need to rush to dispose of dried plants in the garden - trees and shrubs can provide excellent material for crafts.

You can make wooden crafts in different ways. The following main types are distinguished:

1. Joinery. They are made in a workshop, on a workbench, or by hand. The following hand-held (including electric) carpentry tools are used: hacksaw and saw, plane, jigsaw, chisel, knife, axe, hand router, grinder, drill, hammer.
2. Machine products. Woodworking machines are used to create complex wooden elements. Parts with round profiles and other ideal shapes are obtained when processed on a lathe. Complex recesses can be made using a milling machine.
3. Exclusive products. Most crafts fall into this category if they have a non-standard design and are made from non-standard wood material with your own hands. They are made by hand, piece by piece. Basic techniques - cutting, sawing, gouging, planing.
4. Separately, we can highlight such an option as artistic crafts. The main technique is wood carving.

To give the craft an attractive appearance, finishing or finishing is carried out. Wood has a beautiful natural structure, which just needs to be emphasized and secured. Final processing includes the following techniques: sanding and polishing wood, varnishing, tinting impregnation. Burning, painting, dyeing, decoupage, veneering, and film coating are used as additional decoration.

Remains of plastic, polycarbonate, acrylic

After installing a fence, greenhouse, canopy or even a partition in the bathroom of a country house, such materials may remain, even in the form of scraps. You shouldn’t throw them away, because they are useful decorative elements.

• First of all, various flashlights come to mind. We have studied with you many lighting options for the garden and dacha area, and therefore it will be easy for you to come up with lanterns and lamps made of plastic and polycarbonate, especially if the scraps of materials are colored;
• Colored plastic and polycarbonate with shades in the decor of the fence look very good. Once we already raised a similar topic and even showed you photos of similar fence decorations;
• From small scraps of acrylic you can make boxes and chests, which can perform both decorative and household functions;
• In addition, these materials can fully participate in the production of garden figures. By combining wood, steel, plastic and other materials, you can make garden gnomes, fairytale castles, and various animals with your own hands.

We update furniture.

Every home craftsman can update furniture in this way. The main thing is patience and accuracy. We decorate any surface of the cabinet - walls, doors, shelves, drawers.

If you paper the inside of the side and back walls of a cabinet, rack or shelf, the furniture will sparkle in a completely new way.

For a longer service life of such decor, it is first necessary to clean off the old coating: peeling paint or varnish. This can be done using sandpaper. Irregularities or deep scratches, chips must be repaired with wood putty, then sanded well with sandpaper so that the glue adheres better. At the end of the preparatory work, apply a primer and dry the surface thoroughly.

If any part of the furniture needs painting, then do it before working with the wallpaper.

We measure the surface and cut out pieces of the required size from the wallpaper. We glue them to the surface of the cabinet with PVA glue or wallpaper glue, carefully smoothing them out and expelling the air. It is better to use wallpaper glue, because... it allows more time for corrections and processing of bends.

Paper wallpaper must be varnished to protect it from dirt and damage. You must first apply a protective film to the pasted wallpaper, otherwise the varnish may corrode the paper. For protection, use a regular PVA-based primer or remaining wallpaper glue.

The protection is applied to the dried wallpaper in a thin layer. When the protective film has dried, you can coat the surface of the wallpaper with water-based varnish. To make sure that nothing will happen to the wallpaper after varnishing, first try the process on a small piece, and then, after making sure that everything is fine, proceed to the rest of the wallpaper. When choosing wallpaper for decoration, it is worth considering that varnishing makes the wallpaper several tones darker.

If you work with vinyl wallpaper on a dense base, you don’t have to worry about contamination: such wallpaper can be easily wet cleaned. Alternatively, you can use self-adhesive wallpaper. You can decorate not only external, but also internal surfaces. This technique enlivens the space, and gives you the joy of a new thing made with your own hands.

Such furniture will look advantageous if the color of the wallpaper matches the shade of the curtains or decor in the room. Or, on the contrary, among objects of restrained colors it will become a bright accent. If you want to add brightness, you should cover sections of a cabinet or shelving unit with pieces of different wallpaper.

Modern fittings and other details will emphasize the stylishness of the updated furniture. This decor from leftover wallpaper is an opportunity to include an additional pattern, color, or ornament into the design of the room.

Furniture covered with the remains of wallpaper will take on a new style - Provence, country, vintage or any other. If the top is scratched and worn, losing its former luster, you can stick suitable wallpaper on it. This method is used to update various pieces of furniture: chest of drawers, cabinets, dressing table. And to decorate the top of a coffee table, just cover the top of the wallpaper with thick glass. This way you can remove or change the wallpaper at any time. Remnants of wallpaper can also be used to cover any furniture, such as cupboards, drawers, screens, stairs, racks and shelves.

The interior staircase looks stylish with the risers covered with the remains of wallpaper. Remnants of moisture-resistant wallpaper, harmonizing in color with the surrounding interior, are ideal here. A contrasting geometric pattern or traditional ornament will look great.

Remains and broken bricks

We use this type of construction waste perfectly as backfill and materials for leveling holes. But today we propose to think about more useful structures.

• These can be the same fairy-tale castles of a decorative nature, located in the garden, in which the brick will act as the base;
• In addition, small lamp columns can be built from brick;
• The building material will also be used in the production of heavier and more permanent furniture, for example, as a base for benches or even under a table in a new gazebo.

What to make from PVC plastic panels

Covering walls and ceilings and various buildings outside and inside with plastic is a fairly popular process for renovating a dacha. But, due to the low cost of the material, or due to incorrect calculations, we often buy PVC panels with a reserve. Then, when the material remains, we think for a long time about where else it might be useful.

We have already mentioned certain options, but there are more interesting ideas:

• A miniature fence made of PVC panels will last for several years until the material deteriorates due to the influence of atmospheric phenomena;
• The material is also excellent for demarcating garden beds and flower beds. The result is a multi-colored and very colorful decor;
• If we return to country crafts, then plastic can become the roof of small garden buildings, be used as gutters for collecting rainwater, or even serve as simple but quite attractive shutters for the windows of a country house, if you combine the panels with wooden beams.

The main stages and features of making a homemade shelf

Homemade shelves can be made using corner structures attached to the wall with self-tapping screws. The welded structure can be replaced with wooden blocks, wall brackets, etc. I used scraps from plastic window sills as load-bearing shelves (stands) for the kettle and stove. There were no other, more durable materials among the available remains.

Wooden cross bars are installed for the sole purpose of hiding the metal structure and slightly improving the appearance of the shelf by using scraps of plastic wall panels.

Since both items for which the shelf was intended are volatile, I built my own socket group into the shelf. To install the socket, I needed a piece of metal profile from drywall. The main features of making a homemade electrical household shelf are in the photo below.

General appearance of the shelf and its placement in the office:

It is logical to assume that if there is a kettle and a stove, then there must also be tea (coffee) accessories, such as tea utensils, the products themselves (tea, coffee, sugar, etc.), which also need to be stored somewhere. Since a place for electrical appliances has been determined, a place for storing “accessories” should be located nearby.

Thus the next idea was born.

Bulk mixtures and use of their residues

Plasters, putties, cement and other building mixtures always remain after construction or repairs.

This can be either several scoops in a bag or a whole bag of material. Naturally, such material will not go to waste at the dacha - grease, seal cracks, repair garden paths, etc.

But the mixtures can also be used for decorative purposes, for a wide variety of crafts.

• We have already talked about how to produce decorative blocks for walls using the simplest, even homemade forms;
• Also, they told you how to make a drinking bowl from cement, quickly and quite simply;
• But you can use your imagination, select special molds and pour out whole figures for the garden, which will easily last up to ten years even under the worst outdoor conditions. You just need to treat the finished crafts with protective paints, which will give them a brighter look.

Pieces of linoleum

Of course, it is impossible to create a durable floor covering from pieces of linoleum, but such floor finishing in a country house will look very original if you combine several linoleum pieces of different colors and sizes. The result will be the effect of a patchwork carpet on the floor. More often, pieces of material are used to control weeds; it is enough to lay the sheets in places where weeds grow, for example, near a fence or between beds. Fleecy linoleum is laid upside down to reduce the sliding effect. Water will not remain on the surface of the coating if you make small drainage holes in it.

If there is very little linoleum, you can use it to make a universal and high-strength adhesive. To do this, the remains of the floor covering are crushed and dissolved in acetone. The prepared mixture is stored in a sealed glass container for 2-3 days, after which the prepared glue can be used for gluing paper, cardboard, wood, and plastic.

Also, pieces of linoleum can be used for upholstering benches and tables in the country, which will greatly simplify the process of caring for garden furniture. An outdoor toilet can also be upholstered with linoleum pieces, providing better tightness.

The benefits of an old shower curtain at home and on vacation

Remains of ceramic tiles and mosaics

They say that materials of this kind are irreplaceable in the country, but mainly in economic terms.

• The remains of the tiles can be used to decorate the base of the house to protect it from external influences;
• The same material can be used to cover a new blind area;
• If there are very few tiles, and they represent a battle, then, like the mosaic, it is worth moving it to the garden. Here you can decorate garden figures with pieces of multi-colored, glossy material with various patterns. For example, you are making a garden gnome... so now you don’t have to paint it, you can decorate it with pieces of tiles. A turtle from the remains of cement in the garden will receive an exclusive shell in the same way. Tiles or mosaics will serve as an unsurpassed finish for a small decorative pond in the country.

We have hundreds more tips in our arsenal, but we simply cannot fit them all into one article. We have mentioned almost all the popular materials used in the garden, and now you just have to focus on the fact that not everything should be immediately thrown into the trash, because any piece or scrap can be useful.

Crafts from building materials and the beneficial use of construction waste are interesting and popular topics. Thousands of summer residents across the country every day come up with incredible decor from metal and wood, leftover foam and paint, scraps of polyethylene and dry mixtures. So why don't we try it? We are sure that with our experience the crafts will turn out just as good!

Original options

If an ordinary box seems banal to you, then you can try to make cool packaging from a plastic bottle; we offer several options:

• Bullseye. A plastic apple is suitable for small gifts (for example, jewelry, a keychain or a flash drive). It's very easy to make. You need to cut off two bottoms from identical bottles and connect them to form a box. Next, make a small twig and leaf from the remaining material, attach it to the top of the box, put a surprise inside, and you're done.
• Triangle. A more complex option, but it looks very unusual. First, cut out the middle of the bottle (you need an even bottle so that you get a cylinder). Next, flatten the workpiece and iron one edge. Then smooth two more edges in the same way to create a triangle. Now you need to carefully cut the top in three places so that the package closes, do the same with the bottom. Place the gift inside, close the box and decorate with a bow;
• Barrel. Another simple way. To begin, make a cylinder out of a flat bottle, and close it with caps from the bottom and top. But it’s up to you to decide how to make the lids; you can make bright bottoms from paper; knitted lids will look just as original. Give free rein to your imagination, it will tell you how to complement your craft.