Reviving Old Furniture: Upcycled Pieces
In today’s world, that grows an increasing, and more precisely, a sustainability conservation consciousness and increased creativity, upcycling furniture becomes a major trend to decorate homes without so much trash passing. Refinished furniture is the process of taking old, tattered, or unappreciated pieces and giving them new life with a spark of imagination. Not only does this process turn unwanted items into gorgeous, useful new pieces, it also gives you the ability to create your own personal stylized décor! You may be on a budget or just like getting creative and doing it yourself; up cycling furniture offers endless opportunities. So, in this guide, we will tackle the advantages of upcycling, a few methods you may want to try and bring to your project and some inspiring DIYs that transform old furniture into outstanding home art-pieces.
Why Upcycle Furniture?
There are many reasons why upcycling furniture has become so popular. Second of all, it is sustainable. Upcycling helps reduce the waste that comes from a society that uses it once and throws it away by taking objects in our everyday lives and giving them another job instead of just throwing them out. You’re helping to recycle furniture and save the planet while you’re at it with this approach.
Upcycling is not only actually good for the environment; it is a very cheap means of updating a wardrobe as well. First off, you will be doing a fraction of the furniture purchasing that you would have done if you bought new. An old dresser, coffee table or dining chairs can be saved from the landfill and updated to a modern look without breaking your bank with upcycling.
One more benefit of upcycling is the level of creativity it allows. My brother, Nicholas.urlencode, and I launched our business when we recognized the luxury potential of upcycling: unlike mass-produced furniture that can often feel impersonal, pieces from Rehx are unique. You are in total control when it comes to the design, colour scheme and finishes of your choice; you can customize each piece as per your liking. With upcycling, the choice is yours—be it a rustic, vintage, or contemporary look. continue reading ⇒
And lastly, there is a personal fulfilment in doing upcycling. One might feel satisfied after taking something old and making it new and beautiful. A valuable process for which you need a little creativity and a bit of brain-flexing.
Upcycling Techniques
Want to know what else is cheap, ranges from $1-$5, is multi-use, and can be perfect for your home whole year-round? — Furnishings. It does not have to shoot you back hundreds of dollars every time you need a new piece of furniture. There are so many different things you can do with that old dresser or piece of side-table collecting dust in your basement right now! There are a few popular strategies:
1. Painting
One of the most simple and impactful ways to upcycle is painting furniture. A new paint job can make even the oldest, most outdated pieces look brand-new. With paints available in chalk, spray paint, and acrylic paint among a choice of colors. Chalk paint, in particular, is so liked by our upcycling heroes because it grips to most surfaces without the need for priming and gives furniture a beautiful matte finish that looks quite vintage too.
Prep your surface right before you want to get to work on some furniture painting. Use sandpaper to smooth any rough spots or peeling paint, and then wash the surface with a mild window cleaner (or a weak solution of dish soap) to get rid of dust or dirt in the area. Prepare the surface, use primer if necessary, and choose a color of your choice. Distress the edges slightly after painting or add more pizazz with some patterns by using stencils.
2. Decoupage
Decoupage ~ decoupaging furniture with cut-out paper or fabric and sealing it to the surface by varnish or glue. It is perfect for you if you want to have a very detailed design, picture or texture in your furniture without painting it or carving it. Old newspapers, magazines or wallpaper—anything can be a way of adding rich textures and colors in the garden.
To get started with remixing furniture, cut the images or pattern you want. Apply decoupage glue over the furniture and then place the cut-outs onto it. After the pieces are filled and sealed, you have to apply another coat of glue or varnish on top. Use the same technique when applied to tables, dressers, or even chair backs for some fun and textural interest.
3. Reupholstering
Reupholster If you have an upholstered piece of furniture like a chair, sofa or ottoman that is still in good shape but just worn out, simply reupholster it for a brand new look. In reupholstering, the fabric is terminated and new material gets installed instead. There are different fabrics you can choose, like cotton, velvet, or linen, based on your home aesthetics.
Reupholstery may sound daunting but is actually quite simple with a little bit of time on your hands. Carefully remove the old fabric, and mentally note how it was secured to the frame. Cut your new fabric pieces, using the old fabric as a pattern. After the fabric was cut, it is to be unpinned and then stretched tight over the furniture, but make sure that in you go straight all over cabinets either with stapling or nailing them together. Create a professional finish by stapling or gluing on decorative nails or piping.
4. Staining or Refinishing
For wood furniture that is otherwise in fine condition but just appears worn, staining or refinishing can be an option. The natural grain of the wood is elevated within the stain, but it still provides a glossy new look. Refinishing is the process of sanding off the old finish and then re-staining or coating with a new paint.
If you are refinishing a piece of furniture, sand down the surface to remove all traces of the current finish. After the wood is all sanded, take a damp cloth and wipe down the wood to get rid of excess dust. Use a brush or cloth to apply the stain in the direction of the wood grain. Allow the stain to dry, then apply a coat of varnish or polyurethane to protect it from damage and give it a glossy shine.
Upcycling ideas to upcycle Furniture
We hope you now have an idea on the methods, Now here are some creative ways to upcycle that old furniture into something new completely!
1. Old Dressers
Dresser: Dressers are upcycle furniture staples because they are so versatile. If you have an old rickety dresser with paint chipping off, why not make it a statement piece by adding three or four coats of fresh new color? To get really creative with it, remove a few of the drawers and install some simple shelfing to put baskets or decorative items.
And you can swap out the drawer knobs or pulls for something newer or more vintage for a quick and cheap fix. Get creative by adding wallpaper or decoupage to the drawer fronts for a bold, unique look.
2. Coffee Tables
A coffee table is great for playing around with paint, stencils, or even a mosaic design. You can base the colour you paint the table off of other colours in your living room to accent, or create a design on top by using a stencil. You can use chalkboard paint to make the tabletop writing board, which will definitely be an innovative touch.
Give it a more rustic look by adding on top a wooden pallet or making your own mosaic with broken tiles/glass. Display books, plants, or decorative baskets on a lower shelf of the table if it has one.
3. Dining Chairs
A simple coat of paint and a swatch of new upholstery can easily take an old set of dining chairs to the next level. If you want sort of a vintage feel, just sand down the edges to ‘distress’ the paint and give it that weathered look. Bold, contrasting colors will give a more modern feel that will make the chairs stand out.
You could also play with the upholstery: a printed fabric or one with texture. You could even try using different fabrics for every chair to give your dining room an eccentric, mismatched feel.
4. Bookshelves
Another good piece of furniture is a bookshelf. You may even want to paint the shelves in a color that goes with your room or wallpaper and decoupage the back panels. For a more weathered feel, this project can also be sanded & stained.
Readjust My Shelves, take a look at your bookshelf and try to change things up creating multiple levels in shelving. If you want to make it a little more polished, you can add some decorative brackets or corbels for an extra architectural look.
Conclusion
There are so many possibilities using upcycled furniture that it can be very sustainable, creative, and unique to your personality. Paint, reupholster or refinish a piece, and the reward is immediate; painting old furniture to look new again saves space in landfills. On top of that, upcycling is a great way to turn your everyday items into unique pieces that match or complement your home theme. By taking the time to make something from our own imagination, you will feel not just proud of yourself for the work that has been done, but also it will allow us to indulge a bit in traditions by international law. In that case, rethink throwing out that old dresser or coffee table; with a good upcycling, it could turn into something beautiful in your space.