Going Green or Upcycling

For years now, there has been a lot of talk about going green and many products are being brought out by manufacturers for the green market. This seems to be very expensive with claims that the product will pay for the extra cost in x amount of years. However, the products only last x amount of years, so not sure where the savings are there.
Maybe I am just naive but going green should not mean using up a lot more of the earths resources for new products.
I am a big fan of upcycling which can be used in many different ways to great effect.

For instance:

  • Update your kitchen by replacing the cupboard fronts (new cupboard units will be the very same as the ones you have now so why replace)
  • Paint/spray your existing cupboard doors and if mouldings are added before repainting you can change a straight door in to a panel door.
  • Move your cupboards around until you get a new layout which is better suited to the room.
  • Replace your old worktop with new or tile your existing worktop (hob and sink will need to be adjusted to allow for tiles).
  • Added extra mouldings to your skirting boards to make them bigger/taller or for door and window surrounds wider.
  • Recolouring or styling your table to get a better match for the room it is in (take your time, no rush, get it right first time).
  • The list could be endless ( be careful there is a fine line).

As you can see from my examples, upcycling for me is keeping the main component and adding to it in order to update and/or upgrade. I have always been careful to carry out quality workmanship as the last thing you want is a DIY slapped together look.