3 Ways to Repurpose Old Furniture

Posted on 05/10/2020

Clever Ways to Repurpose Furniture

You are wondering what to do with the unwanted furniture? Or maybe you want to finally free up your garage, basement or attic from the enormous pile of clutter? Before you call the house clearance company to take away the unnecessary, why not find a new purpose for your clutter. Don’t give up on your old furniture. With a little make-over you can rejuvenate the outdated items and turn them into statement pieces. Here are a couple of easy DIY projects that will spare you the hassle organising a domestic clearance and will inspire you to upcycle your shabby furniture.

Dresser into a TV Console

Recently had a garage clearance? Just finished a loft decluttering project? If you came across an old dresser and you have no idea what to do with it, you can transform it into a multifunctional TV stand.

1.    Before you begin, empty the contents of the piece and clean it. Then remove the top row drawers and the slides and stops. If you want to get rid of any decorative elements or handles, you need to do it during this step.
2.    Sand the empty spots or the entire piece (it’s up to you).Use a sanding block for the tight spaces and on the drawer fronts. Patch nail holes with wood filler and then sand, when the filler is completely dry.
3.    Clean the dust and lint in the dresser.
4.    It’s time for the fun part. Pick a paint colour to suit your decor. Before you paint the piece, apply primer. You can use a paint sprayer for both priming and painting. A bonus tip - add two coats of primer and sand in between each coat.
5.    You will need a piece of wood. Measure the top shelf of the dresser and divide the wood into proper sized sections. Sand and prime the pieces and the drawers with a paint roller and go over with an angled paint brush.
6.    Drill holes in the back of the dresser for the electronics cable.
7.    Prime and paint the pulls and attach them to the drawers.
8.    Optional: use a shelf liner for the drawers.

Coffee Table into a Tufted Ottoman

A stylish ottoman can be the centre piece of your living room or bedroom. Luckily, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good furniture piece. Make the most of your property clearance and breathe a new life into the old coffee table by turning it into a beautiful ottoman in several easy steps. Don’t worry if the top of the table is scratched or damaged – you won’t have to resort to furniture disposal just because of that. Just be sure that the legs look well.

1.    Start by painting the legs of the table and use a tape measure to mark the place, where you want the tufts. Then drill holes on the marked spots through the top of the table.
2.    Put 2-inch foam on the top of the table and cut it with a bread knife or electric carving knife. Let the foam extend 1 inch beyond the edges. Attach the foam to the table by using spray adhesive.
3.    Mark the place where your holes are on your foam by using a 6-inch upholstery needle. With marker identify the spots where the needle pokes out.
4.    Create a hole in your foam for a nice, deep tuft. In this way the buttons will sit deeper. Cut circles around the marker spots and removing the foam until the hole in the table is exposed.
5.    Wrap a quilt batting over the foam and the apron of the coffee table. You can use spray adhesive to secure it. Then cover the top of the batting with the fabric.
6.    Turn the table on its site. Use fishing line to thread the base button that will stay underneath your coffee table. Poke the needle from the bottom through the centre of the hole to the top, ensuring that the fishing line tails are beneath the table. Then thread the tuft button onto the needle and poke it back through all the foam. When you are done, you should have both ends fishing line beneath the table.
7.    Staple the fishing line in a zig-zag way to minimize the chance of slipping back through. Do the same with the rest of your buttons.
8.    Staple the fabric’s edges.
9.    To make the “band” of your ottoman cut four equal lengths fabric and staple them underneath the coffee table and at the four corners of the furniture piece. Voila – you have a stylish ottoman, and you spared yourself the furniture disposal process.

Bed into a Bench

Just finished with the house clearance? If you have some unused bed frames, collecting dust around your home, you can chop them and turn them into a bench.

1.    Cut the bed to make the different parts of the bench. The footboard will serve as sides and the headboard will be the back of the bench. The box spring will be used for the seats.
2.    To create a better bench, you may need to adjust the height of either the headboard or the footboard.
3.    After connecting the sides of the bench, you can build the frames for the seats. Avoid splitting the wood by pre-drilling holes.
4.    Use heavy-duty exterior glue to assemble all parts.
5.    Use scrap wood the make the seats
6.    Optional: Prime and paint the finished bench.

Up-cycling old furniture is a great way to update your interior without going broke, while helping the environment. The next time you are thinking of furniture clearance, think again!