How to Recycle Chipboard Melamine Offcuts

The first commercial particleboard was produced during WWII in Germany.

Chipboard or particleboard is an engineered wood product made from small pieces of wood particles such as wood chips, shavings or sawdust and synthetic resins such as melamine. Particleboard is formed from a slurry of wood pieces and glue pressed through an extrusion machine to form long sheets with a smooth consistent surface. Particleboard can also be faced with melamine as in shelving material. No matter which kind of particleboard offcuts you have, there are many ways to recycle the pieces. You'll soon be coming up with your own ideas for this useful building material.

Instructions

1. Use rectangular offcuts to make a magnetic board. Paint the particleboard with magnetic paint and nail a frame made from scrap molding around the outside.

2. Turn a hard-sided suitcase into a bedside table. Cut the particleboard to fit the inside dimensions of the suitcase. Cut the corners at an angle to accommodate rounded edges. Place the particleboard inside the suitcase and then flip both over onto a tall stool. Position a table leg top plate in each corner of the suitcase bottom. Attach each plate with screws long enough to go through the plate, suitcase, and half the particleboard thickness. Twist the table legs into the center hole of the plates.

3. Make dollhouses. These miniature versions of real houses are easy to make with particleboard scraps. Cut to size then glue and nail the pieces together. Finish as desired. If using melamine-faced particleboard, cut so the melamine faces outward and the exterior of the house won't need any finishing except for details such as shutters.

4. Use in place of wood pieces in just about any small woodworking project such as the base for a cat scratching post. Just keep in mind that particleboard is designed for interior uses only. Finish any exposed particleboard with paint or other type of sealant such as varnish to protect from moisture. Particleboard swells easier than other types of woods or plywood.

References

• Kid Bean: What is Particleboard?
• "Country Living": Make a Message Board
• "Good Housekeeping": Make a Suitcase Table