How to Repurpose Old Furniture in 10 Fun and Easy Ways

Are you in the middle of preparing your home for sale, and just about to start with move-out cleaning? If so, be prepared to prolong your what to keep when moving list. Because you might find real treasures hidden in the attics, or basements, perfect to be remodeled and incorporated into your living space. Here are some great repurpose old furniture ideas to tackle once you move to a new home.

How Do You Convert Old Furniture to New? A Few Useful Insights Before We Start Sharing Creative Ideas

It looks like Pinterest initiated the whole movement inspired by DIY creative furniture design ideas and projects. Not only has this helped thousands of people all around the globe to get another hobby, but also to acquire pretty useful skills that could even be profitable. Furthermore, this trend advocates against consumerism and throwing away all those pieces of furniture in good condition that need only a few touches before it shines again.

So, if you were wondering how do you redesign old furniture, and what are the necessary steps here comes a short but effective explanation on how to organize your creative projects and ideas.

How to Repurpose Wood Furniture?

Since the majority of furnishing pieces you have in your home are made of wood, we will mostly focus on this topic.

• Step 1: Determine what pieces are worth cross-country moving, since moving furniture made of wood is not cheap, and your goal will be to save on moving costs. If any of the pieces is moldy, broken, or impossible to fix, the best solution is to give them to the recycling center or throw them away. In case the specific piece is too large for your next living space, or you find it too expensive to put it on the packing list, then donating furniture will be the right move. Don’t forget that your goal is to move as efficiently as possible, so try to avoid typical moving mistakes and pack only things you consider “moving essentials.”
• Step 2: Once your stuff is packed, and delivered to your new address with the help of cross country movers who provided you with all moving services, it is the right time for further planning. Give priority to simpler tasks, and designate a space where you can repurpose furniture.
• Step 3: Acquire needed tools and equipment like nails, hammer, drilling machine, sandpaper, grinder, paints, paintbrushes, silicone, varnish, and base.
• Step 4: Dealing with wooden pieces means a detailed preparation process. First, you will have to clean them out, brush them using sandpaper or grinder – for larger spaces. After that, you’ll have to fill all the gaps with silicone, and put a layer of the base to make the space smooth and easy for painting.

How to Repurpose Furniture to Sell?

Once you excel in this skill, you’ll be fully ready to even start your own small business, and start selling repurposed pieces. The process is the same like we’ve described above, maybe you will need a couple of more professional tools.

However, if you’ve just moved to another state alone, and still feel anxiety about moving out, dedicating yourself to this hobby, and potentially creating a business out of it is one of the best things to do after moving. Just ensure you work precisely, and detailed, and your customers will notice it. You can start small, starting from social media, and who knows? Maybe soon you’ll have a whole studio and a waiting list!

#1: Use Oldish Door to Construct a Unique Dining Table

If you’ve just found an oldish door your grandparents left in the shed and don’t know what to do with them the solution is – be creative! Doors are perfect to be repurposed since they are usually made of quality wood, and come in larger dimensions. And one of the easiest ways to remodel the door is to construct a dining table out of them.

The Necessary Preparation Steps When Making this Type of Table

The only thing you should do is to remove locks, clean them from dust, brush them using sandpaper – to remove paint leftovers, and pick the most suitable color to freshen them up! Once you’re done with the preparations, the next step is to find a trestle for a table – you can try in some DIY store, or even ask the carpenter to create it and montage them. And voila! Here is your first handmade piece of furniture!

Now You Have the Table, You’ll Also Need Somewhere to Seat Guests. Here Is How to Repurpose Furniture and Create a Chair Bench

Expressing creativity is undoubtedly the ultimate goal when searching for interesting ideas to repurpose old furniture. One of them is to design a chair bench, which will provide you with an opportunity to match the elements that look incompatible at the first glance.

Taking three differently styled chairs and placing them one to each other – merging them into a one-piece bench, with the help of a drilling machine is the first step in this project.

The next one is to design a seating place that will fit the measure of three chairs, and pick the clothing that will ensure they’ll be noticed. And while you’re waiting for the seating place to be finished, you can select the right color, and repaint them. And once you’re done with all this, it is the right time to put your chair bench next to the board, and invite your friends for dinner!

#2: Looking for More Unusual DIY Projects? Let Your Drawers Become a Garden Station

Moving to the suburbs means you are very likely to move to a house with a garden. If this is the case, then you’re lucky, because this will also mean much more space to use freely and be able to nurture your hobbies like – repurposing oldish furniture.

How Do You Reuse Old Wood Furniture? DIY Home Projects You Have to Try

If you have drawers that don’t have any use-value, one of the fabulous ideas would be to remodel them into flower pots! The easiest way to do it is to remove all the drawers from the cupboard, position them where you think they’ll suit best, and plant the flowers you like.

Another creative solution is to arrange a garden station out of the oldish drawer cupboard. In the lower part, you can put all the gardening tools, while the countertop can become a planting station. Of course, painting it into a favorite color of yours is a must-do, so there is another do-it-yourself project waiting for you!

#3: Get Grandma’s Sewing Machine Out of Basement, and Design a Statement Piece of Furniture

The great thing about vintage sewing machines is they are placed on the narrow stand which has rich steel ornaments at the lower part. So, everything you need to do is to remove the machine from the table and put the stand into the hallway, or any other part of the house you find suitable for it. Wherever you place it, the space will look more romantic, thanks to its rich decorations.

#4: Want an Atypical Bookshelf? Here Is How to Make it All By Yourself Using – Ladders

If your living space is big enough, then undertaking this project is definitely a must-do. Two pairs of ladders and a few wooden boards will be enough to create an outstanding bookshelf. The good thing is you can nail all the boards into the ladders, so the whole construction will be more stable.

Everything you’ll need for this DIY project is nails and a drilling machine. So, once you’re done with it, you can start placing all the books. Just ensure to choose the lighter ones, because you don’t want the middle of the shelf to sink. Consider placing some decorative pieces in the middle, like candles, small succulents, or picture frames, and you can be sure this construction will be stable enough.

#5: How to Repurpose Furniture With Paint? From Vintage Hutch to Captivating Tea Space, or China Cupboard

Vintage hutches are just perfect for remodeling since they give a lot of space to combine different elements they consist of. The first step is to disassemble it and determine what parts are in good shape so you can use them.

In case the whole piece is in good condition, clean it, brush it, fill in the gaps, and finally repaint it into some color that will pop up and upgrade the whole space. If you decide to use the countertop, place the tea service, and the tea selection box. You can also install an electric hot plate, so every time you have guests you’ll be able to prepare and serve the tea right away.

If the upper part is still usable, then it will be an excellent place to put your chinaware, so at the same time, it will be decorative and practical. And of course, don’t forget to pack china when moving, since you’ll have to put something in your new cupboard!

#6: Need a Kitchen Island? Here Is How to Transform an Ordinary Dresser Into Storage-Savvy Space

In case you’ve just found an ordinary dresser you don’t know how to incorporate in the new living space when moving from apartment to house, the best solution is to find a different purpose for it. One practical idea would be to transform it into a kitchen island. This way, not only you’ll save money to move since kitchen islands are pretty pricey pieces, but you will also have unique storage space.

However, this could be quite a demanding task. Maybe you will even need to add some elements like a countertop, so don’t hesitate to consult a professional carpenter to help you out with details.

#7: Dated Dresser Can Easily Be Remodeled Into An Elegant Washbasin

Although this is a task you’ll definitely need help with, unless you’re a plumber and know how to connect pipes, it will be quite an interesting one! Turning a dresser into a washbasin implies you’ll have to find a piece that has appropriate dimensions to fit your bathroom and choose the sink to match the dresser’s size.

Vessel sinks are the best choice in this case since all you have to do is drill the hole, and place the sink on it. However, if you like vanity sinks better, it is also pretty easy to install them. (Of course, you won’t forget to measure the diameter of the pipe, or the sink itself and make the whole in that size). The plumber will do the rest, and the last thing to take care of is choosing the right color to match the rest of the bathroom elements.

#8: Dusty Shutters Are Perfect to Create a Hand-Crafted Cabinet

Here comes the ultimate creative storage idea! A little bit of glue, a few nails, two wooden panels, handles, and attaching wheels will be enough to get a hand-crafted cabinet easy to move! Cleaning the shutters from dust, and repainting them is a must-do step. This way not only you’ll have a useful storage place, but you’ll also get rid of unnecessary clutter and give it a second life

#9: Use Outdated Picture Frames to Create Outstanding Chalkboards

If you’re moving with children and want to make them a part of your DIY projects, creating pieces they can use is the best way to do it. Outdated picture frames are perfect for this purpose. All you have to do is buy black paint chalk, a couple of plywoods, and remove the glass. And soon, your kids will have an entirely new space for their artistic expressions. Hopefully, this will save your walls from their art!

Of course, you can use these repurposed pieces as a piece of decoration in other parts of your home, like kitchen, hallway, or study room to put motivational messages, or anything that inspires you.

Good to know: Believe it or not, one of the best-sellers in garage sales is outdated picture frames! So, if you’d rather boost your moving budget than deal with creative projects, one of the best tips for moving out of state is – sell all the picture frames you don’t find useful!

#10: Take Cabinet Door, Paint It, Place It on the Wall, and Turn it Into Coat Rack

If you’re wondering What can I make with old furniture, here is another useful and inspiring idea! Making your own coat rack is another easy but effective DIY project you can undertake. Taking a cabinet door, and preparing it in terms of brushing, cleaning, painting, and putting coat rack hooks, will be enough to get another authentic handmade piece in your home.

You Learned How to Repurpose Old Furniture Now You’re Ready to Undertake the Next Big Project

Now you have a couple of ideas on how to repurpose old worn-down furniture, the following step is to decide what will be your next project! Acquire the necessary equipment, create a plan, and let the creative forces be with you!