Western New York's Largest Supplier of Reclaimed & Surplus Building Material

Mirror, Mirror, on the (Curb?)

We need mirrors! The funkier the better – in fact, we’ve found the very best mirrors are found on the curb, across the city, abandoned by their ungrateful owners. Rusted Grain crafters have been making lots and lots of picture frames and we want to add some mirror excitement to some of them. We’re calling on our ReUse Explorers to spot curbside mirrors and grab them for us. We’ve found you can’t hesitate, you need to pull over quickly & safely and load up with free mirror! We’ll take pretty much anything, but if the glass is broken, only take … Read more

Building out the Art/Artisan Center

Sharing spaces and creative ideas…this is what we envision in our warehouse space. On Thursday afternoon, with help from several volunteers and Rusted Grain ladies, we started construction on the temporary “office space!” Housed in this space will be offices for ReUse Action, Rusted Grain, a yoga instructor and hopefully more!  Shared office space is VERY AFFORDABLE.  So if you are in need of office space and would like a space where you can share your frustrations and successes of running a small business…please contact us!  info@reuseaction.com    

ReUse Action’s wood being used!

Check it out!  I took some wood from ReUse Action’s indoor lumber yard, processed it at the Rusted Grain woodshop, and am making a cabinet for a client.  The wood comes from the demolition project ReUse Action’s Green Demo Team conducted in South Buffalo in September.   Flush doors with tongue and groove paneling and a very simple face frame and body structure. They will be using their new cabinet in their dining room to put extra plates and table settings when not in use. Check out the progress so far…panels glued, table top made, face frame complete…it just needs to … Read more

February workshops!

Announcing TWO workshops for the month of February… Make a Picture Frame Tuesday February 7th 6-9pm Rusted Grain, 1212 Jefferson Ave Bring a picture and build a frame for it using all reclaimed wood! Suggested donation. Making Birdhouses for Gilda’s Club Monday February 20th 6-9pm Rusted Grain, 1212 Jefferson Avenue Every year Gilda’s Club has a spring fundraiser in which they auction off birdhouses which are decorated by club members as well as local artists.  This year Rusted Grain has committed to building several birdhouses in addition to teaching a workshop for anyone who wants to donate time to a … Read more

People ask us . . . Why Do You Do What You Do?

From our About page: Question: People ask us . . . Why Do You Do What You Do? (WDYDWYD?) Answer 1: Jobs! We’re committed to creating local and green jobs for the Buffalo community. More importantly, we feel these jobs should leverage the waste in our society to create opportunity. We’re interested in a critical analysis of our economy to identify wasteful business practices that damage our communities and our environment, and opportunities that exist for new ventures. We’re determined to find solutions and to implement alternatives that put people to work. Answer 2: Innovation! As we look at the … Read more

ReCycle Your Kitchen . . . and we’ll take all the debris too!

Between Christmas and New Years ReUse Action took on a kitchen demolition for the Phillips Family on Lafayette in the City of Buffalo.  Kitchens are one of the most specialized and individualized rooms in a house.  Often the kitchen is the first room to be renovated by new home owners, because of the diverse tastes of folks and because they’re such high use areas.  So, lots of cabinets get removed and many end up on the curb and in the waste stream. Brandon and I, with the determined support of the homeowner, took on the task!  We carefully removed all … Read more

Back from the mill!

Last week we took a shipment of 2x lumber stock to a mill in Arcade, NY Brauen Custom Millwork.  It is very exciting to be able to track the life of this wood–from where the lumber came from to how it was processed and finally to the end product.  This lumber came from the demolition of the John Deere Factory in Syracuse, NY, was tracked and coded by D-Build, brought back to Buffalo by the Green Demo Team to Action HQ, shipped to the mill, and is now being used in Rusted Grain’s woodshop.  We will be using this lumber … Read more

Character AND Quality, you can have both!

The intrinsic quality of reclaimed materials is the eye catching element of our customized cabinets and furniture!   We can’t typically compete with IKEA on price, but our products offer unparalleled aesthetics, durability that will ensure your piece will endure for years, and a unique story of reclamation and renewal. We are pleased to introduce the newest member of our Action HQ team.  Having recently arrived in Buffalo, Trevor Corp is eager to put his skills into action, check out examples of his work here … http://www.trevorcorp.com .  His contemporary skills, combined with his passion for reclaimed materials, create a tremendous … Read more

What a Successful Organizer-making Workshop!

Last Tuesday night we had 12 people attend the How to Make Your Own Organizer workshop at Action HQ in the Rusted Grain woodshop.  Each participant made an “organizer” out of wood scraps and old dresser drawers that we taken from trash piles at the side of the road.  It amazed us how varied and creative each organizer turned out.  Take a look at the example below! Jeanenne made a spice rack for her kitchen.  Ikea made a knick-knack holder.  Cayla and Emmanuel made a small bookshelf.  To see more pictures of the workshop, click here.  If you like what … Read more