old kitchen cabinets

[redglass]

My ancient kitchen is being refitted. Is there anything I can do with the old cabinets? They are the usual chipboard and melamine, doors are solid wood frames and veneer centres and of course the doors are varnished. The frame of the sink unit would make a raised bed for growing blueberries in, but I expect the materials are too toxic for anything in the allotment. Best I can come up with at present is to put one of them in the woodshed to store root veggies inside. Any other ideas? If I can't find any use for them I'll offer them on FreeCycle but TBH the chances of them being taken there aren't great. There are only 3 of them and even by my frugal standards they are pretty hopeless as a kitchen.

[MKG]

Yep - shed storage units is probably about it. But there's nothing wrong with that. If that's not an option, the wood frame, as you intimated, is worth saving for those projects you dream up and rarely get around to. Chipboard is OK for storage, as long as it doesn't get wet - once it does that, it isn't even fit for composting.

Mike

[dave45]

I had the same problem 20 years ago... best I could come up with was to knock them all apart into flat sections then use them for floorboarding the loft.... Got as far as dumping them in the loft... then rather went cold on the idea. Eventually dumped them when we had extra loft insulation put in. There must be something useful you can do with chipboard and melamine!

[redglass]

Thanks, MKG and Dave45, it looks as if my instincts were sound!
Loft floorboarding is a possibility, actually...worth pondering.

[Thomzo]

Some of mine went into the garage. A couple of cabinets and a bit of the worksurface has made a great workbench and storage. The rest went on the fire. It's scary just how well worksurface burns. You'd think it should be fire retardant.

Enjoy your new kitchen.
Zoe

[redglass]

Some of mine went into the garage. A couple of cabinets and a bit of the worksurface has made a great workbench and storage. The rest went on the fire. It's scary just how well worksurface burns. You'd think it should be fire retardant. Enjoy your new kitchen.
Zoe

Thanks, Zoe, I intend to! Is it OK to burn worksurface, though? I thought it had glue and other nasties in it? If it's OK to burn, then it's going in the woodstove....

[baldybloke]

I wouldn't burn it in a woodstove due to fumes. A bonfire might be ok but would suggest taking it to the recycling centre if you cannot find a use for it.

[redglass]

I think the worktop might be a recycling centre job...if we still have a centre, that is. They are closing down/charging now, in my part of the world. Completely barking: the area is rural, with miles of unpoliced lanes and unfenced ditches and rivers, so guess where all the trash will go if people don't choose to pay? Big Society my a***

Sorry, rant over. Thanks to everyone for their kind suggestions.

[boboff]

Why not use it as a Mulch? Worktop and Melamine stuff layed flat, wouldn't take much to hold down, and by this time next year the ground will be weed free, and the mess thats left can get chucked on a Bonfire. Great if you have a project in mind.

That or saw it up and keep it dry and just use it to start your fires with, I wouldn't have thought you would do much harm like that, and I have done this and it seems to be ok.

Or just keep it "just in case" which will involve moving it about 9 times then burning it eventually.

[redglass]

Or just keep it "just in case" which will involve moving it about 9 times then burning it eventually.

Ah yes, I'm really great at that!