Apartment Decorating: How to Turn Trash into Treasure
Editor’s Note: Every Sunday, Blair shows us how to decorate our apartment or dorm without spending a fortune. Since your room says as much about you as your outfit, what do you want yours to say? This week, she’ll show you how to give an old piece of furniture a makeover for cheap!
Have you ever envisioned the perfect piece of furniture but weren’t able to find it anywhere? Or have you found something you loved in a store but couldn’t afford the hefty price tag?
With a little knowhow and some DIY skill, those problems will be a thing of the past! This article will show you how to turn old furniture you find in your attic, at yard sales, or at thrift stores into new and unique furniture you’ll love!
The Process
Step 1: Go hunting!
The first step in creating your own unique piece of furniture is to find an old piece that you want to remake.
Look around your parent’s attic, thrift stores, and on craigslist. Examine each piece and envision what you could turn it into! You can start small with things like picture frames, small tables, or stools, but eventually you might want to look for pieces like chairs, dressers, and desks for the best savings and style potential.
Step 2: Prep work
After you’ve found something you’d like to remake, it’s time to get it ready!
In order to make your furniture beautiful, you first need to clean it and prep it for painting. I usually just fill the sink with hot water and a little bit of dish soap, then use a rag to wash off the surface. I do this a few times, letting the piece dry in between each step. That way, you can get off all the dirt and oils that might prevent it from holding paint.
Next, use steel wool or sandpaper to rough up the surface of the wood. Creating a rough surface is crucial to getting your paint job to stay!
Finally, wash off the dust you’ve created from sanding. Now your piece is ready for priming.
Step 3: Priming
Now it’s time to prime your piece of furniture to get it ready for painting!
I usually use a water based, stain blocking primer, but make sure to talk to a customer service representative when you buy your paint. The most important part is finding a primer and a paint that work together! For example, you can’t use an oil-based primer with acrylic paint.
Step 4: Painting
This is the fun part! I usually use an acrylic paint in a color that I love. Acrylic paint is much easier to use (and way easier to clean up), but if your furniture is going to be subjected to a lot of wear an tear, oil based paint might be the best bet. Either way, make sure to follow the directions on the can… and the more coats, the better!
Step 5: Enjoy!
Once your furniture has completely dried, put it in your room, sit back, and be proud of your handiwork!
Shopping List:
- used or antique wooden furniture you’d like to remake
- sandpaper or steel wool
- paintbrushes and/or rollers
- primer and paint that go together in a color you love!
And for a little inspiration, here’s a peek at two projects I completed recently for my own room!
So, do you DIY?
Do you ever attempt DIY projects like this one? Do you love decorating your room/apartment to express your personality? Have you come up with creative ways to turn something old into something new and unique? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
Posted on on September 20, 2009 / Filed Under: Dorm Room / Tags: Apartment, Decorating, DIY, Dorm Room, How To, Interior Design, Styling Your Space
Like this post?
Before you post a comment, please read the 
Angelica Berry
I definitely want those two projects you completed for your room, they are in my fav color, bright blue! I love all these tips and how they show how we can all be innovative & inventive with a budget — comes in handy when there’s an urge to rearrange. =)
I’m a brand ambassador (titled expressionista) for some cute/fun/colorful room decals from flair4all.com. The brand is all about encouraging expression.
Check em out, if you want a free sample (any design of your choice) to include in your decorating series let me know.
<3
Brittney
I lovelovelove the idea behind this series! My most recent project was really small, but I have a white board/magnet board that I painted blue so it wouldn’t be so boring. I obviously can’t use the white board function of it now, but I have pictures and magnets and stuff up on it. It was a really cheap, easy way to make something functional a little more colorful (which is always needed when you are working with white walls).
Jess
I love doing this! Before I came to college I was in search of a small desk that I could turn into a vanity. I found a wooden one and stripped it, painted it white, and gave it adorable drawer pulls.
Valeria
Great! :D I love to diy, and I really need it. My room it very boring, so I’ll try some of the tips! Thanks! :D
My inspiration is the room thar Serena Van der Woodsen has on Gossip Girl (drool) I really looove her style.
Lauren
My best project was a small dresser that I inherited after my grandfather passed away…it was a lovely dark wood, except for the top, which for some reason was painted white. I went to my local paint store and they got me set up with a wood marbling tool and some stain – basically I painted something that was (originally) wood, but then was painted over (in too many layers to just strip it), so that it once again looked like wood. And it turned out great! I would recommend it to anyone who has something that isn’t wood, but they would like to make it look like it is.
mary
I love this idea.
I recently completed a project like this.
when you go shopping for furniture, there are a few things to keep in mind.
look at the shapes and lines of the pieces, not on what they look like currently. also, make sure it’s solid wood, and not pressboard covered with a veneer.
I got a solid wood dresser that used to be in a college dorm more than 50 years ago. i got it at goodwill for 10 dollars. I painted it black, and then got some plain wooden knobs for a dollar, and spray painted them hot pink. the whole dresser cost me less than 2o bucks, and looks great! we’ve also done things like this with furniture we’ve found on the curb. our stuff looks really great.
Kate
I have been in love with the drawer pulls from Anthropologie and I finally decided to create my own Anthropologie-inspired piece of furniture. I painted my dresser and gave it an “antiqued” look and then added a mix of drawer pulls to give it an eclectic, bohemian sort of feel. It was very easy, inexpensive and fun. I’ve already started scoping out the next piece of furniture that I want to paint.
Here’s my blog post about the project…
http://katewestby.blogspot.com/2009/09/labor-of-love.html
Julie Oh!
I adore this. DIY is such a great way to decorate on a budget and really express your personality! With a limited budget and limited space, moving to college really forced me to be creative. I started a youtube channel all about DIY so that I could share my project ideas with other people looking to express themselves and have practical, easy projects at the same time.
I can’t wait for more! =]
elle
Some wonderful ideas here… Once I get my first place I will definitely start hunting for pieces to make over :D :D
Cara
Half of my room a home is DIY, often of cute stuff I found in catalogs like PBTeen, but didn’t want to pay for and/or wanted to see my own twist on. I’ve done drawer pulls, cute little paint-bordered mirrors, bead-edged lamps, the like. Back in middle school I made strings of colored beads and hung them over my window curtains and valance, a la the inside of Jeannie’s bottle on “I Dream of Jeannie.” I got sick of them eventually, but they were really cool and sort of Boho while they were up.