CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Keep tons of building materials out of the landfill. Pay a fraction of the retail cost for top-quality supplies. Help Habitat for Humanity.

Those are just a few reasons why homeowners shop at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

In a nod to Earth Day, customers were asked to send in photographs of projects done with ReStore materials. Director Amy McLaughlin was exuberant over many of the entries to the "ReStored Showcase."

"Are these amazing?" McLaughlin said as she shuffled through photos of shower stalls, sinks, kitchens, mantels and more. "We've saved over 4,500 tons of building materials from the landfill thanks to caring citizens, businesses, retailers, organizations, contractors and manufacturers."

John Casey, owner of Casey Construction in Ripley, and his fiancée, Jennifer Fox, owner of Fox Engineering, frequently use materials from the ReStore.

"My fiancée and I always stop at the ReStore before we go to the local hardware store or the big-box store when we are working on a home-improvement project," Casey said. "We do a lot of home improvement projects because my fiancée watches DIY and HGTV like a cat watches a fish tank -- all the time!"

Casey loves using good used materials that could have ended up in a landfill, and he appreciates that the ReStore profits go directly to Habitat for Humanity.

"This money, in return, will help someone in the effort of achieving affordable housing," Casey said.

Do-it-yourselfers Stephanie and Kevin Cantrell are "flipping" a house in Kanawha City, and the ReStore has been a steady source of supplies.

"It's hard to remember what all we've gotten from there," Stephanie said. "We're hauling stuff out of there all the time!"

The couple has done work in every room of the house, including gutting the kitchen and finishing an unfinished basement.

"The tile for the bathroom, the shower door -- so many things down in that basement are from the ReStore," Stephanie said. "We got the living room mantel and all of the carpet for the family room -- and it's brand new, high quality and better than we could have afforded."

Artists love the ReStore as well. Chris Dutch is known for his creative stained-glass work. It was tile, however, that became the medium of choice when Dutch created a one-of-a-kind shower stall in his West Side home.

"It was a long start-and-stop project, but I think I had about a week in cutting and installing the tile," Dutch explained. "Not all the tile in the shower is from the ReStore, but most of it is leftovers in one way or another, either ReStore or from another project I have done or extra tile friends have given me. I had to buy some new tile to get certain colors."

The artist said he's used doors, ductwork, lumber, hardware and furniture from the ReStore, both for art materials and for fixing up his house and his studio.

Geoff Bourne volunteers at the ReStore, so he's been able to snag some pretty nice items for his home in St. Albans.

"We got the wine bar/refrigerator there," explained his wife, Grace. "You've got to check frequently."

The Bournes added kitchen cabinets to their existing ones that were a design match. A coat of shellac made it impossible to see that 60 percent of them are original and the rest came from the ReStore.

Registered nurse Linda Hershberger, of Mineral Wells, enjoys woodworking and home-improvement projects as a type of therapy. She joked that she "used to live at the mall but now I'm always at Lowe's or the Habitat ReStore searching for a hidden treasure." She's currently tiling her covered front porch area with 16 boxes of exterior tile purchased from the ReStore.

McLaughlin said the ReStore works with tile companies to pick up surplus tile that's been returned from stores or that didn't sell.

"One company was grinding up the tiles and sending them to the landfill," McLaughlin said. "Tons and tons of tiles -- and now they are being used in projects here in West Virginia!"

Hurricane resident Carolyn Outman used tile and tile samples from the ReStore for several projects, including tiling a small table (purchased at the ReStore as well) and a countertop.

The ReStore staff hopes the Showcase will give a push to its spring donation drive, "Hello spring! Goodbye clutter!" that's running through the end of April. Donations of used and surplus materials are accepted throughout the year, but the resale store saw a dip in donations during the recent snowy winter.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 301 Piedmont Road, Charleston, is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 304-720-8733 or visit www.hfhkp.org/restore.

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.