We had talked about DIY methods for various home related scenarios, ranging from constructing your very own “porch staircase” to building your “backyard shed”. However, this time around, our guidelines pertain to stuff that complements the interior of your house, and we’re going to give you some diy tips for your furniture renovation. Yes, we are talking about old furniture items, and how they can be refurbished with our personal ‘craftsmanship’ to serve as modernistic pieces of home decor. So, without further delay, let us go through some simple DIY tips to overhaul your home’s furniture.
DIY Tips for Home Furniture Renovation
1) Sanding –
It takes no rocket science to figure out that the very first psychological connection is made through a visual medium. In this regard, a good paint job always forms a crucial part of the visual overhauling project of your old furniture items like desks, drawers and stools. However, before you start your painting, it is important to opt for a sanding process for the furniture (either to remove earlier substances on the outer surface or to smooth out the surface). In such cases, we would prefer soft sanding sponges over conventional sanding paper, as they are easy on your hands. Furthermore, you can also add an undercoat of primer on the sanded furniture piece before commencing with your painting.
2) Painting –
Now, moving on to the painting scope, if you are planning on doing the job in an enclosed space (that is, inside your house), make sure you are using a mask and the area is well ventilated (for quicker drying). As for the paint brush or roller, make sure that you are comfortable with its ergonomics and brush texture, especially when applying broader strokes and finer details (for example, foam rollers are apt for flat surfaces). Moreover, specific brush types are suited to specific types of paints – like, nylon brushes are good for latex paints (check out our ‘how to paint‘ post for more details). Finally, as for the paints themselves – enamel, chalk and latex are the most common types used for furniture painting.
3) Decorating –
Painting is a great way to amp up your home decor. However, there are other ways to add some decorative quotient to your old furniture items, like the oft ignored process of upholstery. This involves the addition of new foam and other complementary fabric layers to ‘update’ your sofas and stools (both functionally and aesthetically). The DIY tips for furniture renovation can also extend to visual treatments like – attaching of uniform shaped mirror pieces, application of wall decals or even gluing of colored paper cut-outs (also known as decoupage) that uniquely transform the appearance and presentation of your furniture pieces. In fact, you can take the slightly bolder route of completely re-defining your furniture items in accordance with particular themes like vintage or art deco.
4) Re-purposing –
The scope of re-purposing entails that by some modifications and additions, you can change the function of a furniture item. As can be understood from the ambit, such re-purposing projects are countless in nature, with each furniture alteration depending upon your household items, tools and resources. For example, you can opt for easy projects like re-purposing used mirrors as crockery trays by applying felt backing to their base. You can also decide on bigger DIY endeavors, like – converting old doors or windows into tables (by adding support legs), upholstering wooden crates to make foot stools, or even transforming larger storage boxes into sumptuous side tables.
5) Other modifications –
The sheer number of options for your DIY furniture renovation means that you can try out various DIY processes that correspond your customized needs. In this regard, we have listed out a few options that you might find handy while deciding on your DIY project.
1. Hardware and add-ons – Keeping functionality in mind, you can opt for practical add-ons like making easy cut-outs to the furniture pieces that would serve as storage spaces and shelves. Moreover, you can also add various structural components like metal brackets and corner pieces to improve upon the longevity and support system of the furniture.
2. Contrasting decor – People with a more ‘avant-garde’ sense of fashion might be interested in the antithesis of variant decor items. For example, you can bring in an outdoor piece like a terracotta pot to enrich the bold ambiance of interior living room, On the other hand, you can also bring out an interior decor item like a bookshelf to serve as your garden storage space.
3. DIY artistry – Again for people with a bold sense of ‘adventure’ and some creative credentials, you can always play the novelty card by resolving to go for hand-made murals or even sketches. If done craftily, the unique scope will certainly take your old furniture’s aesthetic value to a whole new level.
