Reuse furniture in outdoor areas
A great way to reuse indoor furniture is to repurpose it to use outdoors! For example, an indoor classroom table that may be looking tired and worn could make a great base for a mud kitchen or play table! Before throwing out old furniture, have a think about your current outdoor classroom spaces, and see if anything could be reused outside. Even old indoor chairs can be useful outside, for example creating a space where children can sit at a table outside and play. Old bookcases can be used for outdoor storage, too!
Repaint old furniture to give it a new lease of life
A lick of paint can give old and tired furniture a new lease of life! Painting furniture is a great way to prolong the life of your classroom furniture. Even better, you can paint it to tie in with a particular colour scheme or classroom theme. You could even get creative and paint some imagery or murals on furniture, for example painting book characters onto an old bookcase for use in a reading nook. Painting furniture is an easy way to give it a total refresh, often all you’ll need to do is give the surface a light sand, use a furniture primer, and then get started with any furniture paint.
Use existing furniture in different school areas
With furniture upcycling, it’s about being creative with the resources you’ve got! If you’re considering replacing some old furniture as it’s no longer fit for the area it’s in, have a think about whether it could be used in a different area of the school. For example, if the library is overflowing and you’re looking to replace some classroom shelving, consider just moving the shelving into the library! Older furniture may work in lower-traffic areas in the school, such as break-out areas or corridors.
Purchase made to last furniture
It’s important to consider the lifecycle of furniture when purchasing it! Often, furniture can work out cheaper in the long run if you buy better quality. The cost-per-use of a furniture item will be much smaller for an item that lasts years and years, rather than an initially cheaper option which needs replacing after a few years. That’s why it’s really important to make sure you’re buying from a good-quality furniture supplier!
Make the most of furniture guarantees
Furniture products often come equipped with guarantees, which mean that if anything goes wrong, such as a manufacturing fault, you are able to claim on the guarantee, and either have the item repaired or replaced. It’s important to make note of the guarantee information when you first purchase a furniture item. At YPO, we provide furniture guarantees of up to 25 years, depending on the item, providing peace of mind in the event of a fault.
We hope you found our classroom furniture upcycling blog useful! To explore our full range of classroom furniture, click here.
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