Furniture upcycling is a popular trend and pastime – it provides a rewarding hobby as well as a great method for reducing waste and making use of old items to create new ones. Money and time can easily be wasted in furnishing your home and buying brand new furniture items, therefore furniture upcycling is a great way to cut the costs and create some unique pieces, just for you.
What is Upcycling?
Upcycling is the process of taking an old item and changing it to create a new item of higher value. This is usually done on a DIY basis at home.
In terms of furniture upcycling, this means taking old pieces of furniture — whether it’s furniture you already own, or old furniture you have found or bought — and dressing them up or changing them to make them look better and hold more value. This means you can get a brand-new furniture item from something you already had, or something which you bought at a cheaper price, rather than buying brand new.
4 Tips to Get You Started
- Choose a Small Item First
If you’ve never upcycled anything before, whether furniture or otherwise, then it’s a good idea to start small. Practice can help you to know what the experience is like, and allow you to learn from your first attempt.
You therefore may want to try a small furniture piece that doesn’t need much improvement, such as an item you can paint and spruce up, before working your way up to bigger things.
2. Prepare as Much as Possible
Furniture upcycling needs a lot of preparation, in terms of planning for the item you’re looking for (or already have), what you intend to do with the item, and what tools you’re going to need to improve it.
If you’re not changing anything regarding the style or shape of the item, you may just need basic tools such as a sander, paint and perhaps finishing accessories. If you’re looking to make extra features to build on to the piece, you may need extra workshop tools like a saw, as well as a safe workshop space. You can see how to operate a table saw strategies and techniques for best tips.
3. Think Outside the Box
Imagination and creativity are key to upcycling. The point of upcycling isn’t always to do up an original piece for the same purpose it always had. Upcycling can transform old pieces into something completely new.
Ladders can become shelves, old crates can become ideal places for house plants or old trunks or suitcases can become tables if you attach legs. Be as creative as possible to make it more interesting and create something truly unique.
4. Browse Charity Shops and Second-Hand Stores
Great bargains, as well as one-of-a-kind pieces, can easily be found in second-hand stores or charity stores. If you want your upcycling journey to be buying older pieces to do up yourself, then it’s better to find the cheapest items possible in these sorts of stores so that you save money (and help a good cause).
Make your upcycling journey a fun and exciting one with these four beginner tips.