People who convert trash into treasure are our kind of people. Finding beauty in old discarded objects and giving them a new lease of life through their creativity is one of the best ways to live sustainably. Take this man for instance: digital creator Abhinav Yadav, @createyourtaste on Instagram, upcycled an old, discarded refrigerator into an artistic shoe rack.
Yadav, a resident of Varanasi, India, gave the product a final touch with Madhubani art patterns, a traditional Indian art form originating from the Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal. But you can adorn the refrigerator-turned-cabinet however you desire. Want to know how he did it? Well, let’s break it down.
Get an Old Refrigerator
You can look for an old refrigerator on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. If you can find one at a garage sale, that’s good too. Once you have the refrigerator, treat the surface with an iron base putty and leave it overnight to dry. This will help with any dents or rusty flakes coming off.
Sand the Surface
The next day, lightly sand the putty surface evenly. Yadav replaced the refrigerator racks with wooden sliders by cutting pieces to size. If you are adept with an electric saw, go ahead and cut the boards; take someone’s help.
Prime the Surface
Once the surface is evenly sanded, apply any white primer over the entire refrigerator. Let it dry and sand it again with light hands. Then, draw whatever you want to adorn it with. Yadav created beautiful Madhubani art, featuring its colorful and nature-inspired patterns. Once the sketch is in place, you can apply the base color.
Paint and Seal
Depending on the type of paints you use, you need to use varnish or lacquer, or wax to seal the color in place. Instead of a shiny sealant, opt for one with a matte finish.
Final Touches
Yadav finished his refrigerator turned shoe rack with peel-and-stick tiles, hooks, decals, and wooden legs. The final touches make it look like a sleek kitchen appliance. You can choose to add whatever you like to make it more to your liking.
This man’s desire to turn trash into treasure is simply inspiring and something that we all should be doing to help reduce our footprint. So, are you going to try this DIY transformation? If you want some other ideas, we have a DIYers list on how to upcycle an old refrigerator into something useful. Give it a whirl.
