10 Aug Giving a second life to furniture : tricks to revamp or transform your old furniture
You have old furniture that isn’t trendy anymore, but you don’t want to give it away? Or you like finding things in second-hand shops but don’t know how to make them awesome again? Don’t panic, it’s really easy! Here are some tricks on how to do it!
Know the materials
Of course, this a crucial step before beginning any DIY! Depending on the material you will not proceed the same way and won’t have the same possibilities. Knowing the material of the furniture you wish to revamp will influence everything you will do next. Paint is a good example, because there are different paints for each material.
Striping
Striping is often the popular choice for wood furniture. Many techniques exist and they all need some tools. Also, a lot of time and patience will be needed. Striping is not an easy thing, mostly if your furniture is covered by many layers of paint.
But, the final result will be worth the pain! A piece of wonderful restored furniture in its original state will easily find its lost beauty. You only need to add a bit of dyeing (optional) and varnish and it’s done!
Painting
The contrary is sometimes also true: you only need to give a nice layer of paint to a piece of furniture to make it beautiful again! What’s interesting with paint is that it is fairly easy to do and almost all materials can be painted. Make sure you choose the right type of paint, sand well, and check if you need a primer before you start. You should also start with a small piece of furniture such as a side table to practice and try different techniques or paints.
Decorate
Not everyone is good with his hands. If you are one of those, don’t worry! Why not simply change the handles or legs if you don’t like your furniture anymore? Or, you could use self-adhesive sheets to change the look. All these changes don’t need to be complicated to be pretty!
Transform
Finally, if you want a bigger challenge, you can completely transform your piece of furniture to give it a whole new purpose. Of course, it takes more skills but it can give amazing results. See this example of a dresser transformed into the ideal furniture for an entryway. Perfect for sitting down and taking your shoes off with a lot of storage space!
Whatever your project is, the best part is saving a piece of furniture instead of getting rid of it! Whenever you make a mistake, remember that you only need a fresh layer of paint to fix everything!