Whether you’re looking for home DIYs you can do in three days, or you’re hoping to boost your home’s property value, refurbishing furniture is a great way to make your space look like new. With a little elbow grease (which includes stripping old paint, covering up holes, and replacing hardware), you can turn an old piece of furniture into something that no one else on earth has.
While refurbishing isn’t necessarily exclusive to wooden furniture, that’s what we’ll be covering in this story. Check out our guide to flipping furniture for other pieces and materials!
How To Refurbish Furniture
The first thing you’ll need to refurbish an old piece of furniture is, well, an old piece of furniture! Once you’ve figured out what you’re refinishing, and what you want it to look like when you’re done, then you can get to work with the actual DIY process.
What Does It Mean To Refurbish Furniture?
Refurbishing furniture is when you take a piece of furniture and replace all the old paint, hardware, or upholstery with new materials. If you like the style of your old piece, you can use the same paint color and either clean the hardware or buy new pieces that look similar.
What Do You Need To Refurbish Furniture?
- Scraper
- Sander or sandpaper
- Paint
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Hardware
How Do You Refurbish Furniture?
When you break it down into steps, refurbishing furniture is actually a fairly simple process. You’ll want to remove any old paint, sand the wood, and clean off all of the surfaces before you prime and paint a new color. That way, any residue or old particles will be removed and you’ll have a paint job that looks extra good and smooth. Primer also helps get rid of any weird smells that the furniture might have, especially if it’s old. After you’ve done a few coats of paint, seal it and you’re done!
We refinished this apothecary cabinet from a plain white to a fun orange and pink combo with the following steps:
- Removed the door + hardware.
- Sanded rough edges, then cleaned up the dust.
- Painted base, let dry, and added a pop of color to the door.
- Screwed door back in, then added new hardware.
Looking for more inspiration for how to refurbish furniture? Follow us on Pinterest and subscribe to our email newsletter for all our home decor tips!
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
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