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Upcycling: 20 Creative Projects Made from Reclaimed Materials
“The expert when it comes to turning old junk into special pieces of furniture . . . includes some speedy [projects] you can craft in next to no time.” —PrimaEver thought about transforming that rusty old item in the garage into something awesome to impress your dinner guests, or fancied refurbishing the random old dining chair in the shed but don’t have the tools or know-how? Discover your inner design genius, find out where to find great scrap items and learn techniques on how to transform them into great designs with this stylish eco-friendly book by Dragon’s Den entrepreneur and TV presenter Max McMurdo. Step away from the chipboard and venture out of your comfort zone into a glorious world of doodles, sanding, waxing, stunning colors and the satisfaction of telling people, “I made that!” You don’t have to own expensive tools or have any previous experience. Some of the projects involve only a few simple steps and can be completed within an hour, whereas others may take the best part of a weekend and combine several different materials, techniques and tools. Whichever project you choose the most important thing is to have fun and remember design is all about experimenting and learning—and not about always getting it right!“Max is an upcycling alchemist who turns junk into something wonderful.” —George Clarke, presenter of Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces
- GenresNonfiction
137 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2016
23 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 10, 2017
I always want to love the up-cycling, trash-to-treasures DIY books. Keeping things out of the landfill and transforming them into functional and beautiful house hold objects is a natural fit for me. The problem is that while I want to love these books the reality is that I never do. The project inevitably are something along the lines of how to take an old skateboard and turn it into a shelf. Which 1) assumes I have access to an old skateboard, 2) need a shelf, and 3) assumes that even if I had an old skateboard and needed a shelf that I would find the shelf attractive, and not like litter stuck to my wall.
So you can imagine my delight when I got to page 64 of Upcycling and found six pages of instructions and photos on how to make my own skateboard shelf. To be fair to the skateboard shelf, any pretense of delight had already shriveled away when I saw the pallet-wood upholstered stool. Pallet wood is tempting because it is easy to find and free. Of course one of the reasons it is free is because it isn't always safe. Canada and the US regulations require manufacturers to treat the wood before shipping, either with chemicals or heat. If you manage to find pallet wood marked with HT it’s been heat treated, or kiln dried. If the boards are unmarked there’s also a strong chance it’s been chemically treated, which makes them dangerous, and they shouldn't be used where children have access to them, or anywhere near food prep, which includes planter boxes food is grown in (I'm looking at you Lean-To Pallet Herb Planter on page 74). Also? Pallet wood is notorious for splinters.
So how can I have such negative things to say about this book, yet feel justified in giving it three stars? Because of the rain. A few hours after I finished the book it occurred to me that the flash flood warnings being issued for my general area meant I should don my rain gear and see how close to flood stage the creek at the end of my block was. Happily my neighborhood only had puddles and not creek water to deal with, but walking home I passed by several pieces of furniture neighbors had put on the curb, hoping a passing driver would pick up and give the items a new home. Rather than fixating on my usual thought about curb furniture ("Really? Did it occur to any of these people to check the weather before sticking things out to get ruined?") I found myself pausing and thinking new thoughts, like "That might make a cool lamp base" and "If I cut the legs down that old table might make an interesting coffee table."
That, I realized was the purpose of McMurdo's book. To look at discarded objects and see the possibilities, to not be limited by the original and now unneeded purpose of an object. Yes, I realize this is the true purpose of all the upcycling books I had looked through and dismissed in the past, but McMurdo's instructions and photos make the entire process seem less haphazard and cumbersome, which is probably what freed my mind to be open to the possibilities of curbside furniture on a very wet day.
Sent from my iPad
So you can imagine my delight when I got to page 64 of Upcycling and found six pages of instructions and photos on how to make my own skateboard shelf. To be fair to the skateboard shelf, any pretense of delight had already shriveled away when I saw the pallet-wood upholstered stool. Pallet wood is tempting because it is easy to find and free. Of course one of the reasons it is free is because it isn't always safe. Canada and the US regulations require manufacturers to treat the wood before shipping, either with chemicals or heat. If you manage to find pallet wood marked with HT it’s been heat treated, or kiln dried. If the boards are unmarked there’s also a strong chance it’s been chemically treated, which makes them dangerous, and they shouldn't be used where children have access to them, or anywhere near food prep, which includes planter boxes food is grown in (I'm looking at you Lean-To Pallet Herb Planter on page 74). Also? Pallet wood is notorious for splinters.
So how can I have such negative things to say about this book, yet feel justified in giving it three stars? Because of the rain. A few hours after I finished the book it occurred to me that the flash flood warnings being issued for my general area meant I should don my rain gear and see how close to flood stage the creek at the end of my block was. Happily my neighborhood only had puddles and not creek water to deal with, but walking home I passed by several pieces of furniture neighbors had put on the curb, hoping a passing driver would pick up and give the items a new home. Rather than fixating on my usual thought about curb furniture ("Really? Did it occur to any of these people to check the weather before sticking things out to get ruined?") I found myself pausing and thinking new thoughts, like "That might make a cool lamp base" and "If I cut the legs down that old table might make an interesting coffee table."
That, I realized was the purpose of McMurdo's book. To look at discarded objects and see the possibilities, to not be limited by the original and now unneeded purpose of an object. Yes, I realize this is the true purpose of all the upcycling books I had looked through and dismissed in the past, but McMurdo's instructions and photos make the entire process seem less haphazard and cumbersome, which is probably what freed my mind to be open to the possibilities of curbside furniture on a very wet day.
Sent from my iPad
December 27, 2022
I love upcycling and now need bigger house because of all my raw materials and finished projects... which seems to defeat the purpose of saving the planet and all that. There are just a couple projects in this book that I hadn't seen elsewhere and now I so wish I could find a washing machine drum to make into a lamp/side table. This is a fun book and quick read. It skews industrial as opposed to shabby chic but its real purpose is to open your eyes to the possibilities of reusing something that another has deemed unusable.
November 16, 2025
Max McMurdo's "Upcycling: 20 Creative Projects Made from Reclaimed Materials" offers beautiful, doable ideas that feel genuinely empowering despite the steep learning curve. I appreciated the variety of designs, while not all matched my personal taste, they provided excellent inspiration. The step-by-step instructions are clear, and I especially valued the inclusion of easier, smaller projects that don't require extensive toolsets. This book makes upcycling accessible even for beginners like me who barely have any tools at home.
July 27, 2017
A few really cute projects, and an overview of different techniques and tools to use - this felt like a good introduction to upcycling and repurposing materials. Not everything appealed to me, but I learned something even with those projects.
Particular favorites are the washing machine drum light table (although I suspect it would take me many hours to days to get a used machine drum to the shiny finish the author achieved) as well as the scaffolding board antlers.
Particular favorites are the washing machine drum light table (although I suspect it would take me many hours to days to get a used machine drum to the shiny finish the author achieved) as well as the scaffolding board antlers.
July 31, 2018
A good resource and good inspirations, but only one project I'd even consider making. These are all interesting projects, and I love the idea of repurposing all of these materials. However, this wasn't the book for me. It's really more upcycling for the home decorator, rather than crafter - most projects were pretty big. And it's almost all with a particular aesthetic - very industrial chic, lots of pipes and repurposed metal pieces.
October 23, 2017
By and large this is up cycling to a very industrial look. I liked two of the projects, but even they would be out of place in a normal house.
If ever I move to an industrial look dwelling however, this book would be of interest.
If ever I move to an industrial look dwelling however, this book would be of interest.
February 4, 2018
Good info, great concept!
Provides some good ideas on different materials and approaches to "upcycling". Love the concept, and this book takes some of the intimidation out of useful projects. Also provides ideas on where to source the materials which is half the battle.
Provides some good ideas on different materials and approaches to "upcycling". Love the concept, and this book takes some of the intimidation out of useful projects. Also provides ideas on where to source the materials which is half the battle.
April 6, 2020
Very nice pictured instructions
Very cool ideas. Just wish there were more everyday items and tools that could have been used. Definitely need to have major no doubt expensive tools for these crafts.
Very cool ideas. Just wish there were more everyday items and tools that could have been used. Definitely need to have major no doubt expensive tools for these crafts.
October 12, 2019
this is a good book it would do better with a bit more detail on how to.
February 17, 2020
Very nicely published and interesting to browse through.
August 18, 2020
Some good ideas, but overall I was left still wanting more...
January 3, 2017
Pretty neat book to get you started on your first upcycling projects. The items made in the book seems relatively easy enough for first-timers and are rather unique. Think along the likes of a coffee table made from an unused washing machine drum, a stool from an old bicycle seat and even a vertical planter made from discarded wooden pallets. Reading this book did somewhat inspired me to think of more ways to upcycle an item and prolonging its life rather than simply discarding them.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews