Used Furniture - DIY Ideas
Used Furniture is Fine!
My house is full of used furniture and I love that fact! Secondhand furnishings can be fun, fabulous, funky and sometimes even free. I see DIY ideas everywhere and they always inspire me.
I'll share some of my own favorite used furniture redos on this lens and several more redo furniture projects on my to-do list. The chair shown here was purchased for a few dollars at a local used furniture store. I replaced the original worn rush seat with one I wove of leather belts from a local thrift shop. See how I did it here.
(Photo credit Pam Irie)
Before and Afters Add Value to Your Refinishing Project
When starting a used furniture renovation, try to remember to take a picture before you start the work. Especially if a job takes longer than you'd expected, before and after comparison shots can give you a much needed pat on the back.
My favorite part during the refurbrishing of this old settee was stenciling the words CHEAP SEAT to the front of the piece. If you decide to stencil your used furniture, do it before applying the top coats of protective finish. DIY ideas like this are fun because the possibilities are many.
(Photo credit Pam Irie)
Used Furniture - Make It Fun! - Graphics and Color
The used furniture redos in this picture were fun and all very affordable. These revamps were gifts to my son in his college days and are pictured as they appeared in his home then.
Each of the wooden chairs were painted in a different color of latex paint, then top coated with 
What started out as used furniture becomes functional art. Isn't it fabulous?
(Photo credit Pam Irie)
Paint Used Furniture
DIY Ideas for used furniture transformations require painting in 9 out of 10 furniture redos. The type of paint I use most often may surprise you. Yep....those small bottles of latex paint in the craft section of your local discount store. Here's how I do it...
(Photo credit Pam Irie)
Used Furniture - DIY Redos - One thrift shop table = two funky nightstands
HGTV created two fabulous nightstands from one solid wood table. This is one of the best used furniture upcycling projects I've seen in a while. Find DIY ideas you love and recreate them in a version that's all your own.
(Photo credit HGTV.com)
There is Hope for Used Furniture - Hope Chest DIY Furniture Redo
DIY Ideas for used furniture can be as simple as sanding a piece, painting and adding some feet. This old hope chest was transformed and put to good use as storage in the guest room. Adding legs to this piece of used furniture gave it the height it needed to also serve as extra seating.
(Photo credit Pam Irie)
Used Furniture - Try Plaid Painting
DIY Ideas Worth Sharing....
Yes, I did paint these thrift shop metal stools in "plaid paint". However, I can't take credit for the idea, but I'll point you in the right direction. Go here to try this surprisingly simple plaid paint effect on your own used furniture.
(Photo credit Pam Irie)
Coat Rack Makeover via HGTV
HGTV has done it again.....Besides the refreshing coat of paint, what other changes can you see in the BEFORE and AFTER pictures in this used furniture makeover? This revamped coat rack takes up very little space, yet offers much more storage with a few extra well placed hooks. HGTV shows you how here.
Adding the 
( (L) Photography by Alison Gootee/Studio D and (R) Photography by Philip Friedman/Studio D)
Used Chair Revamped with Foam Stickers
I think the idea of using foam stickers to redo this old oak chair was so clever and frugal. It's now a real fun piece of furniture, right? See how it was done over at The Inadvertent Farmer.
(Photo credit The Inadvertent Farmer blog)
