Think twice before you trash a furnishing that has one too many dings in the wood. Furniture is the least recycled household item. But there’s a local woman who is helping to change that with one refinished wood project at a time.
Aimee Taylor began to pick up discarded furniture from curbs in October 2019. She would refinish and donate them to Loudoun Habitat for Humanity so the charity could resell in their ReStore. Her hunt for trashed treasures started as a “trial” and she says she “wasn’t sure if it would be successful,” but in her mind it was a win.
Soon she had a full-fledged initiative operating from her garage called Finished For Good with a Facebook following that has garnered more donations and appreciation for her work. As of February 2023, she has completed 62 wooden furniture pieces for Loudoun Habitat.
“Soon, I wasn’t just working on things from the curb,” said Aimee. “I received a lot of donations of unwanted furniture, mainly items that could not be donated as they were.”
The work is pleasing to Aimee, who works as a government contractor. She said she appreciates knowing that bulky items will stay out of the landfill and Habitat can further its mission with the proceeds.
She also keeps a tally of what she’s kept out of the landfill. To date the completed furniture kept 699 cubic feet out of the landfill.
Her only cost is the supplies. “Sometimes these are donated, or I pick them up for free on Facebook marketplace or on sale at the store,” she said.
Currently Aimee is looking for ways to expand the initiative and would welcome anyone that has an interest, experience, or warehouse space to reach out. She has 17 pieces in her garage currently waiting to be redone, with two nearing completions.
For more information:
Aimee Taylor finished4good19@gmail.com Facebook: @finished4good Instagram: finished.for.good
