Getting creative with your offcuts

By now we all understand the meaning of recycling and we’ve probably all been in the firing line of an angry bin man who has uncovered the recyclable wine bottle you tried to sneak into general waste after drinking one too many glasses. However something you might not be so familiar with is the concept up upcycling, which basically means using discarded objects to create a whole new product or purpose. You know those fruit bowls constructed by melting record vinyls and plant pots made out plastic carrier bags? Yep, that’s upcycling and we’re here to show you how you can do it with unwanted carpet tiles or rogue offcuts.

Tapping into your imagination and conjuring up whole new purposes for any unwanted materials is a great way to do your bit for our precious planet and reduce any necessary wastage - and besides, repurposing is all the range don’t you know. So if you’ve ordered one too many tiles, have a whole heap of offcuts you just don’t know what to do with, or are looking for something to do with those old carpet tiles that you’re replacing with some brand spanking new DCTUK ones, just keep on reading.

Create a portable and multi-functional rug or mat

One of the absolute best things about carpet tiles is their long-lasting durability and strength in the face of hard wear and intensive use. So even if you’ve got some old tiles that are a bit past their best, don’t chuck them in the nearest skip - get your hands on some TacTiles and create a mini arrangement that would be just perfect as a kid’s play mat or dirt-resistant welcome mat instead.

Donate to a dainty doll’s house in desperate need of some DIY

If you’re sat here reading this blog post then it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’re into your interiors and you understand the importance of picking the perfect product so why not start them young and introduce any little ones in your life to the beauties of modular flooring. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and what you might consider rubbish, Barbie and Ken might simply adore.

Eliminate nasty furniture scratches on smooth hard flooring

It’s not just those little nippers that can benefit from discarded carpet tiles either. If you have any stone, wood, marble or vinyl flooring in other areas around your home or office, you will know all to well how easily marked and damaged they are by heavy furniture. Taking the time to cut up little pieces of carpet and attaching them to the feet of tables, drawers or chairs with a little bit of adhesive will minimise scratching and make furniture much easier to move around.

Make a pretty awesome coaster for your cuppa

Coasters are a great invention. There really is no disputing that. Like, where would you rest your double-shot macchiato on a Monday morning when you really can’t be bothered holding it up? However Team DCTUK are known for their lateral thinking so our theory is - why bother with a bog standard coaster when you could repurpose your free samples or spare offcuts instead? They’re sturdy, moisture-absorbent and some even have anti-slip properties so it’s a win-win situation.

Use as a kneeling mat when you’re weeding the lawn

If you really can’t find any place for your surplus offcuts or unwanted tiles in the home or office, why not take one outside and use it as a kneeling mat for when it’s time to coiffeur the conifers and replant the peonies. You could probably do without bruises on your knees and grass stains on your jeans anyway, right?

Okay so now we’ve given you some inspiration on how to get creative with your offcuts and discarded carpet tiles, we want to see what you come up with! Share your creations with us by heading over to our Facebook or Twitter page where we will be sitting, eagerly awaiting your arrival. See you there!