When you can't afford a new piece of furniture, recycled furniture. You can still find good pieces at garage sales, thrift shops, and rummage sales that you can adapt, restyle, and refinish. With some ingenuity and vision, you can turn some "sow's ears" into honest to goodness "silk purses."
1. Good bones. Furniture constructed of particle board is not going to be worth the trouble of refinishing. Try to find a piece made of real, honest-to-goodness wood with good "bones."
2. Sand. If the finish of your new is "distressed", sand the piece lightly before you paint. You can try new faux finishes to make the piece distinctive. Or you may try an "antique" finish, decoupage or make your own embellishments (dots, squiggles, stripes, etc.)! Be creative!
3. Topping. If you find a table that has great legs but a dreadful top, have a mirror cut which can cover the entire top. Or cover the entire table top with postcards, greeting cards, picture of your family, pictures of flowers or other colorful photos. I even covered a table with a game board - Monopoly! Have a clear glass top made to place over the photos or cards. Voila! A colorful and personalized table!
4. Mosaic. You can also hide a ugly marred table top with ceramic tile. Simply place the tile of your choice in a mosaic pattern over the entire top. Place a strip of molding painted in a contrasting color around the edge to keep them in place. Then apply grout between the tiles. Let dry and wipe the grout "haze" with a clean cloth.
5. Throws. Cover the worn upholstery of an otherwise solid thrift shop sofa with a quilt or make a large throw by sewing four purchased solid-colored afghans together in a large patchwork. Hold the afghan in place with pins or tack at strategic places with a needle and thread.
6. Arms. Are the arms of the sofa or chair soiled? Find pretty table runners or placemats to match your room, then place them on the arms. Pin or tack in place. Make pillows of the same runners to blend the look.
7. Trims. Apply decorative trims to the sofa or chairs to hide imperfections. Nailheads, braid or other trims are available at any hobby or fabric store. You can use glue or staples to hold them in place.
8. Seating. Most dining room chairs can be easily upholstered by removing the seat. Place the seat on the new fabric you have chosen and trace around the edges adding at least 2 inches extra to the edge. Staple the fabric to the seat. Be sure you place the staples on the bottom of the chair where they will be hidden!
9. Taking off the skirt. If the upholstery is in good shape, you can remove the skirt from a skirted sofa and replace the legs with new, updated legs from a home improvement store. This will give you a modernized and updated look on a budget.
10. Coverings. You can hide a less than perfect sofa under a new slipcover. A sofa with good lines be made beautiful with a new slipcover in a wonderful fabric. Add a couple of colorful pillows and you have a whole new look!
With a few changes, you can have new living room, dining room or bedroom furniture and the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Now, give yourself a pat on the back for ingenuity!
