On 15 October we hosted 7 would-be upcyclers in our Furniture Upcycling workshop to celebrate International Repair Day.

We provided everything needed – paints, brushes, masking tape and tools for any last-minute small repairs. Most of our participants brought their own items of furniture along. Ranging from a mother-in-law’s chair to a vintage foot stool, they were well-loved and well-used items that were looking a bit tired and in need of some TLC. First everyone practiced on picture frames, as our tutor (Jude) explained how to clean and prepare surfaces ready to take the chalk paint. Then it was time to try out the colours on the bigger pieces of furniture, with some helpful hints on how to make a small tin of paint stretch to cover a larger item.

At lunchtime everyone enjoyed a communal soup lunch, with the talk flowing freely while the paint dried. Then it was back to work to get a second coat on each piece. Finally, Jude showed everyone how to seal their new colours with furniture wax, to give a lasting finish.

Here are some of the comments we received from the participants afterwards:

“Amazing that this was a free event! It was great meeting new people. Everyone was very friendly.”

“Brilliant day and a great confidence booster!”

“Great to be able to try something new and make new friends.”

Moniaive Initiative would like to give a big Thank You to our tutor, Jude, and her helpers (Jake and Glenn) and to Jade for the wonderful lunch.

This event was made possible with funding from the RESTART PROJECT, locally managed in Scotland by Circular Communities Scotland.