Black & Decker Readymade Home Furniture

"Why are home craftsmen and craftswomen, and even the least experienced DIYer among us, drawn to the local hardware store as if in a trance? ... What is that allure? Just what is it about hardware stores? The answer can be summed up into one word: possibilities."

"...This book is about all the bits and pieces that can be put together in new and ingenious ways to create home furnishings and accents that are at once useful, fun, unique and economical."

The book begins with a "Hardware Primer" which I found particularly helpful. There are photographs of the various types of screws and even a chart for adhesives - providing a quick go-to guide for which type of adhesion should be used in any given scenario and what the drawbacks are for each. There is even a shopping guide for what to look for when purchasing a studfinder (which, I believe every household should own. In addition to those points I have listed, the guide provides much more necessary information and is good for beginners to learn and are good reminders even for the most skilled home craftsman.

The book is divided into sections. After the Hardware Primer is "Creative Reinventions" which contains fifteen projects, all with brilliant full color photographs of the finished product as well as several photos of each project taken as it is being built. These photographic illustrations are a wonderful addition to the book. They allow the reader to gauge how their work measures up to the book at multiple steps during the build process.

I will not list all the projects in the book, but I will name a few that I want to try to build. There is the rustic-chic Trim-and-Rope Mat that can be used anywhere in the home, including the front door, or the bathroom, or even in the bedroom or on the back deck.

The Copper Pipe Pot Rack is next on my husband's 'Honey-Do-List' and I am excited to have it installed in my kitchen. This item could cost upwards of $1500 to buy already built, but will cost less than $100 to do-it-yourself.

The "Chunky Club Chair" is a project I would love to have multiples of. My 'Honey-Do-List' seems to be getting longer as I go through this book and discover more amazing projects.

The "Aluminum Sheet Lamp" reminds me of lamps seen in high-end lighting store. I found similar lamps selling online for $300 and up.

The "Living Wall" will turn your backyard, patio or deck into a work of art and depending on what you plant in it, it could also be a source of fresh herbs or vegetables all summer long. This is one project I plan to start in March and to keep it inside with each 'pot' planted with vegetable seeds and once summer comes I will move it outside to its rightful place.

Believe it or not, all the projects listed above are from only Section One of this amazing Do-it-yourself book. The second section is titled: "Built-ins from Stock Cabinetry" and contains eight more stunningly beautiful projects that can be completed in a single weekend.

The "Media Bar" from this section looks like something you would see in the "After" shot of a professional television renovation show. It is also being added to my 'Honey-Do-List." Wow! My husband is going to be a very busy guy, and my home will look phenomenal when these projects are completed.

I rate BLACK & DECKER READYMADE HOME FURNITURE: EASY BUILDING PROJECTS MADE FROM OFF-THE-SHELF ITEMS as 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I will come back to this post and add photographs of each project as they are completed.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to save money by building projects themselves and who are interested in upping the resale value of their home. These small projects will make a big impact on your home decor and I am very excited about getting started.

**Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.**

This is a practical handbook on how to make home furniture using bits and pieces you find from a hardware store. It includes easy and interesting, and inexpensive projects homeowners can follow—a new workspace, a piece of furniture to add to your living room. The book also offers tips on the right hardware and working with different materials.
The projects in this book are divided into two sections: Creative Reinventions and Built-Ins from Stock Cabinetry. Both sections are filled with inspiring projects, accompanied by photos. A must-have for anyone looking for inspirations for their home.

Thank you to Chris Peterson, Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Black & Decker Readymade Home Furniture by Chris Peterson is a book of building useful and stylish furniture for the home and outdoor areas. Great color photos with step by step instructions.

This book has lots of fun DIY projects! I have a few marked to try and am excited to try with the awesome pictures and instructions. The one downside was that I felt like there were a lot of projects for alcohol bars. Since we don't drink, it wasn't appealing. The other projects looked great though.

Readymade Home Furniture takes off the shelf items found at any big box home improvement store and repurposes them into practical items for your home.

While some of the projects are simple like message boards and planters, others are complex like club chairs and closet home offices. There are 23 projects within these pages so at least one will catch your eye. However, remember that Readymade Home Furniture is sponsored by tool manufacturer Black & Decker. None of these projects are for amateurs but more for intermediately skilled home diyers who want to save some time. If you are one of those, you should check out the book for creative ideas and time-saving tips. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Living in a rural area where shopping is limited, not to mention we are not rich, I wanted some unique furniture pieces that did not look like everyone else's. Enter Black & Decker Readymade Home Furniture. I am not an expert in either woodworking or decorating but still found these patterns and suggestions easy to follow and have now built several pieces successfully. Start with some of the smaller items and move up to big pieces and you'll find that you too can easily build these. The sense of satisfaction you'll have when your neighbors start oohing and aahing over your new furniture will keep you busy for quite a while.

Black and Decker Readymade Home Furniture

What I enjoyed about this book is the comprehensive detail of tools and materials, not just for the purpose of building the projects detailed in the book but for general use as well.

The book offers a mix of great contemporary projects for the beginner and the more experienced artisan. This is a good go-to reference book for practical ideas.

I really enjoyed it.

The Black & Decker DIY series is an excellent set of how-to books for people with a moderate skill base and access to tools appropriate to the job – carpentry and plumbing tools mostly. I enjoy the series very much.

This book especially fits my taste and interest. I sometimes design and build specialty household furniture and the items in this book are close to my own taste – spare and sometimes a bit clunky but very well made. I particularly like the overhead pan holder (which I would make out of iron pipe), the aluminum sheet lamp, and the crown molding shelf.

There are only 23 projects here, but the instructions are comprehensive and after doing a few, you will have built up skills that will be useful for your own designs or in copying ideas you find online.

Tip: From experience I will tell you to buy the best pieces of wood you can. Be sure that it is well dried. Don't overlook salvaged wood that has hardened with age.

Wow, so many cool projects! There are nice, clear instructions for each project, along with lots of photos. The beginning of the book includes a comprehensive run-down of materials needed, and the projects, in addition to being really useful and nice-looking additions to any home, also give inspiration for using readymade components in new ways!

#BlackDeckerReadymadeHomeFurniture #NetGalley

Black and Decker home improvement books are usually accessible, informative, and helpful for novice to expert DIYers. This guide is no exception. Full of practical information on choosing the right tools, shopping for hardware, and safety tips. You can make your own rolling bar cart, a room divider made from wood trim moldings, a message center with built-in corkboard, and more. Plenty of photos and easy-to-follow instructions. As usual, my only complaint is that most (all?) of the people demonstrating in the pictures are white men. Don't women or people of color do any home improvement?

These Black and Decker books are always fabulous, always practical and with lots of information and projects for both the beginner or the advanced home maker. At the start of the book there is information about tools, materials, safety and such, with the rest of the book dedicated to project staring from very simple ones such as wooden rope mat, pot rack and other simple items. It then proceeds to a little harder such as club chair, birdhouse and more and the final part of the book concentrates on cabinetry for all rooms including the laundry.
Very easy to follow instructions, with plenty of pictures and close ups. I love the Copper Pipe pot rack, so you can see it isn't only about wood.

An excellent little book for beginning woodworkers and DIY'ers. Full of simple projects, like wine racks and birdhouses. Also has some more complex builds, such as a hobby center or closet home office. But even those are fairly uncomplicated, using stock cabinets and adapting them to the project.
Begins with a fairly substantial description of tools and fasteners. Easily understood step-by-step instructions. Lavishly photographed.
Would be a great resource to people wanting to test the waters in woodworking.

As someone who move like 5 times last year, when I saw this book I though that will be helpful now that I actually read it...damn, I need more money!!! LMAO

Nevermind...however, as an inspirational book is as good as pinterest, and with this I mean, is like a catalogue so...works as a catalogue.

<i>A digital copy of this book was provided by <i>NetGalley</i></b>