Genius Ways to Upcycle Old Furniture

From furniture painting techniques to taking trash to treasure, upcycling is the way to go!

Have you heard of “upcycling”? The upcycling movement has become quite popular in the last few years. People are trying to save older previously loved pieces through furniture repair or furniture refurbishing.

Now it’s called “Upcycling.” I have seen some of the cutest things and upcycled furniture ideas that I would have never thought of! People can be so clever!

Genius Ways To Upcycle Old Furniture — Transform your old furniture or items into amazing refurbished furniture!

My Daughter can find a good piece of old furniture or any furniture item that needs repair or refurbishing. She takes on upcycling to repurpose furniture projects all the time.

She has even made her own business with all of her clever upcycling ideas! She can give them new life and make them look like new!

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With a little imagination, you can come up with unique upcycling ideas to give your old stuff and old pieces of furniture a second life and new purpose.

One of my all-time favorite projects is to add more storage space to anything I can by adding wooden planks for shelves.

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This is a great way to give something a new function. But don’t forget to wear old clothing such as an old t-shirt and old pair of jeans, so you don’t ruin your clothes while you work on your DIY projects, especially when putting on a fresh coat of paint or coats of primer.

Upcycling gives us innovative ways to cut down on our budget for household items. Click here to get your own free printable Monthly Budget Worksheet.

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DIY Upcycling can seem like a huge task. We’ve all seen those beaten-up old pieces of unwanted furniture that were made with so much character and craftsmanship and thought to ourselves, “With a little bit of work and a lick of paint that could look great and have a whole new look with a simple upcycling project!”.

Yet, more often than not, when we get down to it, we get cold feet. We start talking ourselves out of it by asking the following questions:

Where do I start?
What materials do I need?
How long is the whole process going to take?

All these questions and more make us talk ourselves out of it before we’ve even begun the repair for the whole piece of furniture. Well, here’s where Modernize< can help!

They have great resources and tips to help turn your old dust catcher into a modern furniture refurbishing masterpiece!

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Furniture Repair And Upcycling Project Tips

Here are a few upcycled furniture projects and easy upcycling ideas and tips that will get you started:

1. Start Small

Not all upcycling projects are created equal, so be wise when choosing where to begin. Older pieces in need of furniture repair that have simple lines, minimal detail work, and no upholstery are going to be far easier to learn on than your great grandmother’s vintage furniture, such as her 18th century Louis XIV throne chair.

It would be a great idea and if you did some quick research on your new upcycling projects to make sure that your old furniture aren’t priceless antiques and that the value won’t be lost if you start working on them. Otherwise, just choose an old piece of furniture that needs refurbishing that will fill a need in your home—and whose bones you love—and you can’t go wrong!

2, Go Bold!

Now that you’ve chosen your next project and masterpiece, it’s time to get creative and have a little imagination. Let your mind wander through the color scheme and shades you might like, as well as any creative way to add artistic accents you might be drawn to, such as decoupage or stencils to achieve the overall look and finished product you want for your simple project.

This is an important step before you decide on your final result and to narrow down your great ideas. Don’t be afraid to choose a bold color or pattern, or even some fun things such as eclectic hardware for your old drawers to add some character to your brilliant upcycling project!

If you go too bold and hate it, you can always tone it down later. Chances are, though, that you’ll grow to love your daring artistic choices for your fun DIY project.

Colorful hardware Discover easy upcycling ideas for beginners to kickstart your creative journey. — Bold and bright colors can make a world of difference

3. Materials Matter

Now that the planning stages are done, it’s time to get started. Of course depending on the job you have chosen, the list of supplies will vary. However most upcycling project will require some or more of the following:

Simple Tools You Might Need To Start Your Upcycling Project:

220 grit sandpaper
primer
paint
brushes
cleaning rags and solutions
either varnish or wax.
annie sloan chalk paint
spray paint
mineral paint
garbage bags
pair of scissors
foam roller
acrylic paint
sewing kit

Although there are some things in your upcycling projects where you can save money and make it a fraction of the cost, make sure to check out the quality of your choices of paint, brushes, and/or varnish/wax.

By opting for quality products, this is an easy way for you to save yourself time and frustration while ensuring your hard work and new product are protected from dings and chips.

One thing to remember is that you can use leftover materials instead of buying new materials on other projects. This is a great way to not waste material or to reduce the amount of waste you produce.

Most DIY upcycling projects can be finished in a weekend, giving you no excuse for not starting now. Come Sunday, you’ll have a show-stopping masterpiece you can be proud of and enough experience and excitement to get you planning your next upcycled product and furniture item ideas!

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