Title: Building From Scratch Vs Upcycling: Worth The Hassle?
I get what you mean about the guilt with new lumber—pricey, and then there’s all the leftover bits that never seem to fit any other project. But honestly, sometimes I’d rather just start from scratch than fight with a piece of old furniture that’s warped in every direction. I swear, some of these old tables are more triangle than rectangle by now.
That said, upcycling is kind of addictive once you get the hang of it. I’ve found a couple tricks help—like clamping everything down and measuring corner-to-corner diagonals instead of just trusting the eye. And wood filler is my best friend for hiding those “creative” gaps. Still, there are days when I’m halfway through sanding layers of weird old paint and thinking, “Why didn’t I just buy some plywood?”
But yeah, tossing stuff feels wasteful. If I can salvage even part of an old piece, it’s a win in my book...even if it means spending twice as long fixing it up.
WEEKEND CRAFTS: DO YOU PREFER BUILDING FROM SCRATCH OR UPCYCLING OLD STUFF?
I totally get the “why didn’t I just buy plywood” feeling—been there, covered in dust and regretting my life choices. But honestly, upcycling’s kind of like a puzzle. If you can embrace the weird angles and random holes, it gets fun. My trick is to sketch out what I want first, then see if the old piece can actually become that... or if I’m just forcing it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you end up with a wobbly plant stand. Either way, at least you’re not tossing more stuff in the landfill.
WEEKEND CRAFTS: DO YOU PREFER BUILDING FROM SCRATCH OR UPCYCLING OLD STUFF?
- I’m still figuring this out, honestly. Just moved into my first place and every project feels like a test.
- Upcycling sounds awesome in theory—love the idea of saving money and not wasting stuff—but sometimes it’s just way more work than I expect. Like, I tried turning an old door into a desk and spent half a day sanding weird paint blobs off. Not sure it was worth it.
- Building from scratch is intimidating, but at least you know what you’re working with. No weird surprises hiding under layers of old varnish or whatever.
- I do like the puzzle aspect you mentioned. Sometimes you get creative solutions you’d never think of if you started with new materials.
- My biggest issue is tools. Upcycling sometimes needs more random tools than just cutting new wood, which I didn’t realize until I was knee-deep in a project.
Guess I’m leaning toward building from scratch for now, but maybe that’ll change once I get better at this stuff... or collect more random junk in the garage.
WEEKEND CRAFTS: DO YOU PREFER BUILDING FROM SCRATCH OR UPCYCLING OLD STUFF?
Totally get what you mean about the tool situation—half the time I’m digging through boxes for some weird-sized screwdriver or a sander attachment I didn’t know existed. Upcycling does sound great for the planet, but yeah, sometimes it’s just a pain. I’ve had projects where I spent more time undoing old stuff than actually building anything new. Curious if anyone’s found a way to make upcycling less of a hassle? Like, is there a trick to picking materials that aren’t a nightmare to work with?
WEEKEND CRAFTS: DO YOU PREFER BUILDING FROM SCRATCH OR UPCYCLING OLD STUFF?
I totally relate to the frustration of spending more time dismantling than creating. In my experience, the trick is being a bit picky with what you upcycle—solid wood pieces are usually worth it, but anything with tons of glue or weird finishes can be a nightmare. I once tried to repurpose an old laminate dresser and ended up regretting every second... sometimes it’s just not worth the hassle. Now I stick to materials that are easy to sand or paint, and I’ve learned to walk away from anything that feels like it’ll fight me the whole way.
