Milk Crates Are for More Than Just Carrying Milk!

Due to the newest redesign in the common milk jug, milk crates may become a thing of the past. So what are we to do with all of these extra milk crates that may just be lying around? I for one would rather not see them just pile up in our landfills. Milk crates have so many uses I believe that we can make some things out of them, and in this article I will be talking about uses that you may not have thought of or just revamping old ideas. With that said, let's get started.

Getting the milk crates

This part is easy if you work in a store that receives milk by the crate. Just talking to the milk delivery person can quite often net you as many milk crates as you want. If you don't have that option, I would suggest speaking to your local stores manager and asking! Most times they will have no problems with you taking some of their old crates off their hands. They may have a ton of them sitting in the back just begging to be drug off. I wouldn't suggest stealing them though, while the stores may be happy for you to take the milk crates off their hands, they won't be so happy if you just take them.

Recommended Supplies

With the following supplies, you should be able to make just about anything you want out of milk crates. These are just recommended supplies to have at hand, and when we discuss the different projects I will also list the supplies I recommend using to complete the projects. You may find that you have other things lying around that you could use and the more you recycle the more you win!

To start off our list we of course are going to need milk crates. I would recommend using zip ties which you can find at any hardware store for strength when connecting the crates, you can also use strips of fabric, rope, string or anything you have handy. A hammer and nails or wall anchors if you want to make wall shelves. Spray paint would be good to have if you want to change the color of the milk crates to match a room. Also you might want to use paper, old cardboard (painted to match), pieces of wood, or any other items you can think of to place on the bottom of the milk crate to not only label the crate itself, but to also cover the bottom plate where it usually has the name of the dairy imprinted. Something to secure those items is also going to be needed depending on your choice. Of course the list would not be complete without your imagination and creativity.

Painting the Crates

Unless you don't mind the black color of the milk crate, one of the first things you may want to do is paint it. Because of the amount of spaces on the crate that may need to be painted I would suggest using spray paint. I have tried different methods of painting milk crates to be able to give some pointers or ideas. One of the best spray paints I have found to use is Krylon Fusion for Plastic®. It does not require any priming to use and you don't get the flake off effect with regular use. Now if you can't find a color you like in that type of spray paint, you do have other options at your disposal. I would suggest getting fine sandpaper such as 180-200 grit silicon carbide sandpaper, lightly sand down the areas that you would like to paint, and use a primer at this time if you like.

When spray painting keep in mind that you want to use short sweeping sprays. It is better to have a couple of coats of light spray paint then to have heavy coating and get drips. Because of all of the surface area to be painted on a milk crate, remember also to rotate the crate so that you can see all of the different surfaces and make sure that you get all of the ones you want to paint covered.

Depending on how much of the crate itself you paint you can get 2-5 milk crates painted with one can of spray paint. If you want all of the surfaces painted such as the inside and bottom you are looking at approximately 2 milk crates per can of paint. If you decide that since the crate will be sitting on something and full you only want to paint the outside, you can get up to 5 milk crates painted with one can of spray paint.

Simple Projects

1.The first project is the easiest, as far as supplies, you will of course need one milk crate, and if you would like some spray paint, and something to cover the dairy name on the bottom. Basically all you are making is a storage box. Take the milk crate and paint it if you like, then fill it with stuff. These can be placed anywhere you like, stacked on top of one another, placed on a shelf, or under a table. I have several of these on the shelves in my closet, milk crate on one side, books and magazines on the other, and the crates hold clothing. Better than having a dresser, and I have more storage space in my closet using them.

2. You can take the simple milk crates and after you paint them or leave them the color they are, take the milk crates and using zip ties or whatever you want to

use to lash them together, you can make a shoe rack for the bottom of your closet. To lash them together I would say use at least 2 zip ties per pair of milk crates, one tie on diagonal corners, you can use more depending on how sturdy you want them to be. The size will depend on the number of milk crates you decide to use.

3. Taking the same ideas from simple project number 2, you can stand them up to be stacked and use the milk crates as a standing self for whatever you would like to put in it. Lacking space in my bathroom, I have one that is 3 milk crates high that I have my towels in. Again you want to lash the crates together to keep them together and sturdy.

4. One of my favorite simple projects that can be made with milk crates is a bed frame. You will want a minimum of 4 crates for a twin to a queen size bed, and 6 for a king size bed. You can use them one of 2 ways, either upside down and place the corners of the box spring on the corners of the milk crates, or you can take the crates, lay them on their side and use them for under the bad storage as well.

For a king size bed I prefer for stability reasons to use 9 milk crates. I put a milk crate on the corners of the box springs, 3 on top and 3 on bottom (the middle crate can be used for both box springs), and 3 milk crates in the middle . You can use as many milk crates as you would like. I have found that putting milk crates along the entire bottom edge of my children's beds on their side for storage eliminates the "hide things under the bed" syndrome. You can always paint them and cover with a bed skirt.

Any of the simple projects listed above can be completed very quickly. Depending on how much you add to the milk crate is what will add to the time spent. The projects themselves can be completed in as little as 30 minutes.

Now that we have the basic projects down let's move on to a few harder ones. These are just to give you ideas and I am sure that you could make a lot of wondrous things on your own with a bit of creativity! I am going to label them by project and not by simplicity. Feel free to expand on any project listed to add your own flair!

Bookshelf

Depending on what size and "shape" you want will determine the number of crates you use. For the one I made for my daughters room I used 10 milk crates and made a "step" look. Recommended materials are milk crates, spray paint to match décor, and zip ties. You can also use cardboard or project board to cover the sides to give the bookshelf a more solid look, as well as frame the front so that it does not look like milk crates. I would suggest using glue that holds on plastic well to attach the board to the milk crate.

After spray painting the milk crates, I lashed 4 on top of one another using 4 zip ties per pair to hold them together well. I lashed 3 milk crates on top of one another and attached that to the side of the 4 I had already built, again using 4 zip ties per set. I did the same thing with 2 milk crates and finally with one milk crate. I covered the inside of the milk crate "shelves" with cardboard cut to fit, as well as the top of the milk crates so that there was a sturdy place for her to put things on top of the shelves.

She decided to take some old bead necklaces and fabric strips and cover the sides of the crates so she has all her own personality attached to them. She loves her bookshelf!

Television Stand

Milk crates make great TV/stereo stands. You want to make sure though that the heat from anything you place on them will not affect the spray paint. I would suggest either not spray painting the inside shelves or covering them so that the spray paint will not be affected. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Spray paint is very flammable, I do not know what the heat may do to it, but why take that risk?

Milk crates already have enough holes in them for you to add all of your extras such as game consoles, speakers etc. And as with the bookshelf, the number of crates that you use will have a bearing on the size of the stand. You can use any configuration you would like to achieve the space and number of shelves that you would like to use. You want to make sure that it is very sturdy, so I would suggest using a lot of zip ties to hold it together so that it will not move. I can't really give any real design tips since the way you set this up will be dependent upon the size of the television, and how you want to configure the stand. Use your creativity and make it your own!

Anything that you create you can put on the wall or for extra stability attach your milk crate designs to the wall. You can use any number of things to decorate, attach, and really make your milk crates look like something else. Milk crates have a lot of functionality, and with the use of spray paint can match any look that you desire. Explore and have fun with the designs, get the kids involved for some rainy day crafts that have a lot of functionality!