5 Fast & Easy Furniture DIY

We’ve all seen the home decorating shows on TV that turn worn-out, dated properties into beautiful works of art. Sure, updating a space can dramatically change its overall feel, but you often have to put up a lot of money to make it happen. We all want to live in a beautiful space that we absolutely love. But unfortunately, the costs involved in decorating an entire home can add up pretty quickly. But don’t despair! Here are a few DIY furniture projects that will add a lot of design flare to your home’s decor, without breaking the bank.

Re-Paint Used Furniture

It’s easy to find dated accent tables or chairs at garage sales, and you can typically get them at a low cost. Used furniture can still have a lot of great design elements.

The problem is, old furniture is typically stained an ugly color, like yellow oak. But don’t be turned off by ugly stain finishes!

• Clean the wood surface with a degreaser, like TSP, to remove any grit or grime on the surface.
• Next, prime your furniture piece with an adhesive primer that does not require sanding, like Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s directions and allow enough drying time.
• Then, paint your furniture piece with your favorite shade of paint, and coat with a polyurethane top coat.

No worries if your paint job doesn’t come out perfectly. The ‘rustic’ style is trending right now, so rough up the edges with a little sandpaper, and you’ll get a beautiful furniture piece that would have cost you a lot more in a store.

Reupholster Chairs

A lot of people think reupholstering is complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple. Depending on the type of reupholstering you’re doing, it may not even require any sewing.

If you know how to use a staple gun, odds are you can reupholster. To reupholster a dining room chair:

• remove the upholstered section from the wood frame of the chair.
• remove the staples on the underside with a flat-head screwdriver until the fabric can be removed completely.
• use that fabric as a template and cut an identical shape out of your new fabric.
• replace the fabric and staple underneath, folding your corners in like you would a present.

Give old dining room chairs a facelift for a fraction of the cost it would take to hire a professional. There are YouTube videos out there for virtually any reupholstering project, so don’t be afraid to try something new.

Craft or Homework Table

Make an easy, custom-looking craft or homework table by purchasing two small book cases and a ready-made counter top , like one you’d find at Ikea or Home Depot. Place the book cases on either side, and set the counter on top and secure with screws. Paint in your desired color, and you’ve got a custom table that will look like a million bucks.

Chalkboard Mirror

Chalkboards are really in style right now, and you can make a great one really easily. Get an old mirror from a thrift store, and paint the mirror portion with chalkboard paint. Paint the frame an updated color as well, and you’ll have a stunning framed chalkboard, customized to your tastes!

Repurpose What You Own

Sometimes you have perfectly good furniture right under your nose, and with a little elbow grease, you could turn it into a beautiful piece of decor. Use your old baby crib to make a front porch bench, or repurpose an old TV entertainment center by cabinet refacing into a sewing cabinet, or clean your sofa and add some new throw pillows and blankets to make it sparkle like new. Sometimes couch cleaning is all it takes to breathe some life back into your living room. Whatever you have, clean it up, shine it up, touch up the paint, and you might be surprised at the end result!

It doesn’t require thousands of dollars to decorate your home to your tastes! Let these 5 DIY furniture projects customize and beautify your home, and the best part is, no one will ever know you did it yourself!

 

Written by: Lee Flynn, Lee Flynn is a freelance writer. Through small local workshops and articles, Lee trains and teaches others on home preparation, healthy living, home organization, food storage techniques, and self-reliance.

 

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