Give Your Old Furniture New Life

Give Your Old Furniture New Life

Old furniture doesn’t have to be put aside if the basic structure is still in good condition.  You can bring a whole new life to any piece of furniture with a few simple steps and items readily available from any home improvement store.  Whether it is your dining room table or your patio furniture, you can get more mileage out of it and improve your home’s look at the same time.

Refinishing Wood Furniture

Any piece of solid wood furniture that has no major damage can be given a whole new look and many more years of service.  Dining room tables and chairs, coffee tables, and dressers can all be refinished easily.  Simply sand down the surface and then apply a new paint or stain, and finish it with a sealant for longevity.  Your home improvement store will be able to easily help you locate all of the right tools for the job.

You can even add special finishing touches to the look if you want, such as a distressed antique look or faux finish of another sort—the only limit is your imagination!

Recovering Upholstered Furniture

Professional re-upholstering can be really expensive, but in some cases you can do it yourself.  For dining room chairs with a padded seat, simply turn the chair upside down and unscrew the seat.  Choose a fabric (remember that it should be washable) and then cut to the right size, allowing extra to tuck under the seat.  Pull it tight and then use a staple gun to attach it.  Trim the excess and re-attach the seat.

For other types of furniture such as sofas and armchairs, slipcovers might be the way to go.  You can find a wide variety of styles and colors to fit any piece of furniture.  Slip it over the surface and pull it tightly and you will have a brand new looking sofa or chair at a fraction of the price.

The Great Outdoors

Metal patio furniture is easy to refinish as well, with a little spray paint.  Make sure you choose the right brand for the surface you are spraying.  Paint carefully, and use drop cloths and masking to avoid overspray onto surfaces such as the patio itself or the walls of the house.  Then spray, let dry, and you’re done!

If new furniture isn’t in the cards, don’t give up.  You can simply and easily transform your current furniture for new life and a new look.