Upcycling Furniture - How to Get Started

So, you fancy joining in with the burgeoning boom of furniture upcycling? Great! Upcycling furniture has so many positives:

It has a near-neutral carbon footprint. It does not add to the timber shortage, needs very little materials, and requires minimal transportation.

Old pieces of furniture are often better made than more modern pieces. Dove tail joints are of a better quality than glue and tack. You will find wonderful woods beneath crunchy old varnish, no melamine there.

Older pieces hold a wealth of history and many stories in their wooden fibers. If only they could talk!

The 1960s saw a trend of ripping out period pieces, often Victorian artefacts, replacing them with modern alternatives. By upcycling furniture, you’ll be preserving a wealth of our heritage rather than resign it to landfill forever.

You can pick up a wonderful old piece of furniture for very little money.

Find your piece

If you’ve never done it before, pick a piece of furniture you are prepared to take a chance on. If you follow the guidelines, and think carefully about what you’re hoping to achieve, you will triumph.

Do you have a piece of your own which no longer matches your décor, but you still love it, nonetheless? Is it of sound quality or will you need to enlist a handy cabinetmaker (will add to the overall cost)?

The best place to source furniture to upcycle is down your local recycling centre if they have a charity shop. The Aston Clinton shop is my favourite place since I discovered BBC’s Money for Nothing and upcycling. You can’t skip surf though, go to the shop. You can find a wealth of upcycling treasure on a good day. Pot-luck shopping.

Facebook Marketplace is a great place to source pre-loved furniture. There are old sideboards with glorious carvings crying out to be gilded in gold, art deco dressing tables with curves you won’t find in IKEA and solid oak chests of drawers which will compliment many a home. Do not pay over the odds though. Since upcycling’s popularity has soared, some vendors have inflated their prices to beyond the piece’s worth, painted or otherwise. And be careful how you pay. Cash on collection is the best and safest method. PayPal is OK but do not click Friends and Family otherwise you will lose all protections should you get scammed. What if you get there and it’s a wreck of a piece? Best not to pay in advance.

Ebay if you’re after a specific brand or style. You’re more likely to find your perfect mid-century modern (1945 – 1969: think Ercol, Stag and G Plan, clean lines, teak) piece on Ebay. Bear in mind transportation costs.

Pick your Paint

Choose your paint carefully and stay away from gloopy gloss, especially if it’s solvent based. That’s a huge no-no. Think about the finish you’re after. Smooth and sleek or textured and country chic.

Spray paint covers so much from glass to wood, plastic to ceramics with very little preparation.

Chalk paints such as Annie Sloan or Rustoleum are very forgiving and require no base coat. They cover most ills such as previous varnish and paints and require minimal preparation. Just sand off flaky bits and take off a high shine with a piece of sandpaper. They do, however, require sealing afterwards with wax or lacquer.

Eggshell water-based furniture paints such as B&Q’s Valspar or Farrow and Ball, are smooth and come in a huge variety of colours. These will require a water-based primer before application but require no topcoat.

Mineral acrylic paints like Cornish Mineral Milk Paint are used by professional upcyclers due to the quality of application and finish. Most have built in primer and topcoat, but your piece of furniture must be grease-free and sanded back a little to provide a key for the paint to adhere to.

Ready, Steady, Upcycle!

If you need a bit more persuasion, look up YouTube tutorials. There are so many to choose from. Research the look you’re after and you can establish the type of paint you need. A final bit of advice: multiple thin coats are much better than one thick coat. Build up the colour and you will achieve a professional finish. And have FUN!!