That item you need to complete a room may be in a Dumpster instead of a store. Our makeover maestro will have you looking at trash differently in tonight’s Room for Improvement.
WSVN — Martin Amado: “We all love getting things for free, right? Well, on today’s ‘Room for Improvement’ I’m going to show you how by Dumpster diving, we can score some really cool home decor items. Stay with me!”
Martin Amado: “And by Dumpster diving, I mean looking in your neighbor’s trash. For example, many neighborhoods have what’s called bulk pickup once a month. So, what your neighbor threw away could look awesome in your home. So, let’s go diving. And remember, it’s free.”
Martin Amado: “OK, so this mirror was probably used in a little girl’s bedroom, but I love the shape of it and I’m thinking we can use the mirror surface as the top for a coffee table.”
Martin Amado: “You can buy wood legs and brackets at any home improvement store. The problem is that I can’t drill into the mirror itself because it’s hollow and I’m going to break it. To avoid that I need a stronger backing, so I’m using a piece of MDF board.”
Martin Amado: “So, this piece will be glued down to the mirror and now I have a harder surface to install my wood legs. But, before, I have to cut these down too. They’re too long.”
Martin Amado: “I’m going to cut them down in between one of these decorative wood carvings. And, no one will ever know.”
Martin Amado: “All right! One down, three to go! It’s a good workout!”
Martin Amado: “OK, so the next step is to remove the screw on the top portion and reinstall them in the shorter leg, which will eventually screw into our bracket.”
Martin Amado: “So here we have our base. The mirror will be glued right on top, and to make it look like one single piece of furniture, I’m going to paint them.”
Martin Amado: “Painting it all white will give it a modern, fresh look.”
Martin Amado: “So, to get a cleaner line between the mirror and the frame, I’m using magazine tear sheets in between, so when we paint, it will be nice and sharp.”
Martin Amado: “Last corner. And now we just wait for it to dry.”
Martin Amado: “Remove the paper before it dries completely, or else you’re going to have little pieces of paper all around the edges.”
Martin Amado: “OK, so the paint is dry and it looks brand new. Now, we got super lucky that the mirror is in perfect condition, but if you find an old one with some stains, don’t discard it because it just adds more character to the piece.”
Martin Amado: “I’m just using plain old construction adhesive to attach my mirror to my base. I can get away with this because it doesn’t weigh that much. Nice and snug.”
Martin Amado: “We took a mirror that someone else threw away, gave it some TLC, spent very little money adding legs and we turned it into something unique and functional for a living room. I love it! Hope you do as well. For 7News, I’m Martin Amado.”
If you’re looking for a makeover at a minimal cost, you can reach Martin by calling him at 305-576-HOME or 954-962-HOME, or you can e-mail him at room@wsvn.com.