How to Convert an Old Piece of Furniture

Looking for a way to change the look of your space without breaking the bank? Repurposing something you already have can be an easy and affordable way to achieve a new look . Finding new uses for an old piece of furniture will not only keep it out of the landfill, it will also save you a lot of money. Here are some easy but transformative ideas that create something new from something old. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Create a TV cabinet from an old bureau

1

Convert an old or unused bedroom dresser into an armoire for your television. Tall chests will work best.

2

Remove enough drawers to make room for the TV, then measure and cut a piece of wood for the shelf and place it inside. (Alternately, you can have a piece cut to fit at a local home improvement store.) Depending on how the dresser is constructed, you may need to nail or screw in a strip of wood on each side to hold the shelf in place.

3

If you want to be able to conceal the television when it isn't in use, add a couple of wood cabinet doors and hardware from your local home store. A quick coat of paint is the quickest way to make your new TV armoire look uniform, or you can stain the new parts to match or sand and stain the entire piece.

Turn a buffet into a potting station

4

If your old dining room buffet isn't getting much use indoors, take it outside and convert it into a rustic potting station by coating it with an outdoor paint that will stand up to the weather.

5

After the paint dries, brush on a coat or two of polyurethane. You'll want to paint and seal it inside and out for maximum weather protection.

6

Add hooks inside and out to store garden tools. Use any shelves to store pots, keep potting soil in the biggest part of the cabinet, and keep small tools and leather gardening gloves in the drawers.

Convert a coffee table to a bench

7

Instead of throwing out your old scratched and stained coffee table, give it new life as an extra seat for guests.

8

Sand the wood, then apply stain or paint. sew a bench cushion to turn it into a sitting bench.

9

Buy a cushion to fit the top, or tack down batting with upholstery fabric. For a rustic look that's cheap, use burlap.