If you look through my website you will see that nearly all my projects have been made using recycled materials.  This has enabled me to keep my hobby going with very little cost to myself for materials. 5 Years ago I decided I wanted to start woodworking as a hobby.  Between my husband and son, we had a shed full of tools that just sat there.  Because I had no training or skills I was always stuck doing basic boring projects for fear of messing it up and the wood being wasted.  And wood is not cheap. 

So I started looking for free furniture to restore.  Because it was free I could be brave and try things I had never done before because there would be no financial loss to myself.  And if the project I had planned did not work I just changed my plans and recycled the wood into another project. For the last 4 years, I have spent next to nothing on materials, and thanks to the troll that posted this meme on one of my projects, I decided to make a post sharing how I find my materials. I wanted to show that, not everything made from recycled materials is rubbish.

How to find FREE DIY Materials

1. Pallets

The first thing that comes to mind when you say free wood is “Pallets”.  Pallets in my area are freely available, most building companies, stores, and supermarkets give the away for free. They are a great source of free wood but they can be very hard to take apart. There are tools available now to assist you with this.  Here are a few projects I have created with them. 

2. Facebook Marketplace

I started by placing an advert on my local Buy, swap, and sell (marketplace) site on Facebook. I asked for any free furniture that people had lying around in sheds that they no longer needed.  The number of people that contacted me offering what they had, was so surprising.  I only had to pick it up.   (Not everyone has the means to dispose of large old items, so they are just happy to get rid of them).  I took any furniture in any condition.  The furniture that was too damaged for restoration was stripped down and everything will be recycled in future DIY projects.  

Tabletops were what I asked for the most, they are not always in the best condition but it was the easiest way to get large pieces of wood for free.  And once they are sanded, and the dents ironed out  I was left with a  large piece of good reusable wood.  In no time at all, I had more tables than I could store.  I had to take the larger ones apart just to store them. 

After 4 years I don’t even have to advertise anymore, my friends just tag me in posts for free items or offer me their free furniture. I used one of these old tabletops to create the top for this wine barrel table. 

3. Strip down old broken furniture for materials

Take any broken furniture on offer even if it is beyond repair and strip it down for spares.  If you do woodwork you will know how expensive hardware is.  I collect old chocolate tins at Christmas and fill them up with the hardware that I remove from the broken furniture.  I reuse everything, hinges, wood, and backing boards.  You would be surprised how much wood you can get out of a broken chest of drawers.

Handles, hinges, and knobs are other expensive items that can be stripped from old furniture.

Plywood and MDF backing boards removed from the back of furniture can be reused once you cut away the edges with the nail holes in. These are all costs that add up when you are making a DIY project. 

4. Approach building sites for their scraps

My son works on a building site, and he collects all the leftover wood for the site after the job is complete.  Most builders just throw away the leftovers because the customer has already paid for the materials, and they do not have storage facilities for all the bits of wood not used.  (Make sure you ask first) 

Some pieces of wood did have nails in them but removing a nail is cheaper than buying the wood. There were also some pieces that were warped, I cut them into smaller pieces for other projects.

A lot of this wood was used to make a stud frame when I covered up the brick wall in my lounge. So my cost for the new wall was minimal. 

Plywood is another item that you can find on building sites or from homes doing renovations.  I collect all the offcuts and on many occasions, I have managed to get large pieces up to 2 meters that just need to be cleaned up.  These are great as backing boards for mirrors and picture frames.

I also have a scrap heap of offcuts which are old fence posts, and other scraps of wood I removed from the striped furniture. I use these in areas of my project that will not be seen.

4. Recycled furniture

Old wooden doors are also a great source of wood, so keep a lookout. I had a local guy contact me saying he was stripping out his old kitchen and would I like the old doors.  I jumped at the offer and created this headboard from the old doors. 

Recycle all the legs from old broken furniture, you will be surprised how often you will need them if restoring furniture is your hobby. Or if you build from scratch it is a very cheap alternative to buying them. The below were just perfect for my latest restoration of an antique dresser

I even go as far as reusing all the nuts and bolts and screws that I remove from stripped-down furniture.  I use all the old ones in areas that you can not see.  And my new stock for all visible areas.

If you are able to remove the old screws without damaging the top, you can even reuse them.

6. Fallen trees

Through word of mouth, I was offered the wood from a tree that had fallen down on a farm in the area.  I just had to go and cut what I wanted. So keep a lookout for fallen trees. (Again ask first).  

These are great for garden decor or for cutting wood slices for displays. If you are handy with a chainsaw or axe you can cut out the middle to make planters for your succulents.

7.  Offcuts of PVC pipe

PVC pipe is another item that has become very popular with all sorts of crafts being made with them. (Thanks to Pinterest)  Here are my latest PVC pipe photo planters. These have also been saved from building sites and offcuts from plumbing supplies. 

8. Free foam and padding

For a lot of my projects, I have needed foam to pad cushions, chairs, and pet beds.  I put an advert out for free or very cheap foam mattresses.  Which I just cut to size, wash and reuse.  I also keep old pillows and cushions which I wash and use as stuffing. Old couch cushions (middle picture)are also great to keep because they are usually made from high-quality foam which is very expensive.  A steam cleaner can be used to clean them all up. 

The items above were used to make this handmade chaise lounge made from scratch

9. Wood mills

If you are lucky enough to live near a wood mill as I do, they generally have a reject bin for wood not up to the quality they require and you can help yourself.

10. Repurpose

If you can not repair the furniture that you are given, repurpose it.  With a little bit of imagination and some browsing through Pinterest, you can get some great ideas for repurposing furniture. Here are a few of my repurpose/ upcycled furniture projects. 

If you cannot restore the wood (which is what I prefer to do) you can always use Chalk paint, which I find hides all the blemishes and defects. This bench below was made from an old headboard and foot from two different beds.

More helpful tips to keep your hobby cheap

1. Local recycling centre/Dump/thrift store

 Where I live we have a recycling centre that has a shop for furniture that people have dumped that they feel is too good to throw away.  And these can be picked up for next to nothing.  I paid $5 each for 4 dining room chairs and after refurbishing them I sold them one at a time as bedroom feature chairs for $60 each, a profit of $40 per chair. So don’t forget to check them out. 

2. Buy in Bulk 

To keep the cost of the items I do buy down, this is how I do it.  I buy all my fabrics and materials in bulk from China, usually in 10-meter lengths. Supplies will give you a discount if you buy multiple items from them.   I use mainly neutral colours that will blend into most people’s homes. I do buy a lot of bed sheets from thrift stores/charity shops which I use as lining for upholstery projects.  Always go for king size, more fabric for your money, and they are much cheaper than lining or calico.

I buy all my accessories from China too. Plan ahead for projects, so all items needed can be ordered on time.  I order my sanding discs in bulk and I can get 100 discs from China for the same price as I pay for 10 in my local hardware store. You used to have to wait months for a delivery from China, but nowadays I seem to get my orders within 2 weeks. 

3. Reuse all your scraps

I have a bin next to my table saw and mitresaw in which I keep all my very small scraps of wood.  Not even these go to waste.   I use a scrap piece of wood and glue all the small offcuts onto the surface.  I turn these into wall art for my home and to sell.

4. Must have Equipment

If you are going to build from recycled materials the best tip I can give you is the buy a thicknesser (Planer)machine.  I used to sand all my wood by hand to clean it up, but this machine will do it in minutes. 

There are 100-plus DIY projects on my website that have all been made from mainly recycled materials, feel free to scroll through for inspiration. Here are also some great tips and ideas if you are just starting out on your woodworking journey. Woodworking 101

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