How To Create A Laptop Desk Pad With Old Shingles

If you're like most people, you want to do what you can to recycle as much as possible. There are many opportunities for recycling that you may not have considered, even when you have a home demolished. One thing you can do is use the old shingles that come off a roof to create a laptop pad for your home office desk. This guide explains the steps needed to create this unique office accessory.

Step 1: Grab These Items

Ask your demolition contractor if you can rummage through the pile of old shingles. Try to find a few whole pieces that you can put together. When you have your shingles, collect these items:

• a tape measure
• a utility knife
• construction glue
• several newspapers
• paint
• a paintbrush

Step 2: Choose Your Work Area and Set Up the Space

Find a well-ventilated area with a table or other flat surface in your home in which to work. Lay down a couple layers of newspaper. Check the surrounding area and clean up any dust, dirt or other debris that might find its way to the wet paint that you'll be adding later.

Step 3: Measure the Laptop

Find the width and the length of the laptop with the tape measure. Look through your pieces of shingles to find those that you can put together, while using the least amount.

Step 4: Connect the Shingles

Place the shingles you're using on the newspaper. Apply a thin line of construction glue along the edge of one shingle and connect it to another one. Depending on your desired pad size, you may need to repeat this step a couple times.

Wait a couple hours for the glue to dry. Attempt to pull the pieces apart gently. If they seem like they are coming apart, apply more glue to the areas that are loose.

Cut off the edges with the utility knife, until your glued-together pad is the same size as your laptop.

Step 5: Paint the Shingles

Saturate your paintbrush in the can of paint and begin painting the connected shingles. Wait a couple hours for the paint to dry, and apply another coat if you prefer a darker color.

When the paint is dry, and you're happy with the look you'll have a recycled laptop pad for your home office. Ask a demolition contractor, like Alpart Scrap Iron & Metals Inc, for some other ideas on how you can recycle materials from a demolition. You'll save money and have fun creating new things in the process of doing your part for the environment.