Let’s face it, money is tight for most of us these days. So if you’ve got an old chest of drawers that are looking a bit drab but you’re not ready or able to throw them out and replace them, why not upcycle them!
Upcycling something basically means taking a pre-loved item and turning it into something that will be of use to you again. You can upcycle all sorts of things from clothes to stuff you’d normally throw out with the trash. But obviously, we’re just concerned with furniture here!
Follow our guide below and we’ll help you to breathe new life into your tired old furniture…
- Begin by prepping the surfaces. Remove any handles or metalwork, i.e. hinges, and use sandpaper to strip the old varnish or paint from the furniture. Use a damp cloth to wipe away the sandy residue left by the sandpaper.
- For a shabby chic, vintage look to your furniture select a paint that doesn’t need a primer. Apply one coat as an undercoat, then choose an oil or matte paint in a complementing colour to go over the top of it.
- When you’re applying the paint to the piece of furniture be sure to go with the natural grain of the wood, and make sure that you allow each coat to dry before applying the next one.
- You can create a distressed look by concentrating your efforts on any raised areas, the edges of the furniture, the area around the drawers and the drawer handles. Use fine sandpaper to distress the parts that you have painted, once the paint is dry of course, and only sand in one direction.
- Once you’re happy with the paint job and any distressing that you’ve done you can either leave it as it is, or you could add a coat of light varnish or beeswax to protect the wood. Apply sparingly though, you don’t want your furniture to be overly shiny.