There are few things more gratifying than refurbishing old furniture. So that’s a bit of an overstatement, but I seriously love revamping antique pieces. A good solid piece of furniture harkens back to an era of craftsmanship that’s long gone.Simply put: they don’t make ’em like they used to.
Still for all the advantages of good old fashioned craftsmanship, there are many reasons that you might have to tinker around with an old piece of furniture. If you unearth a gem at a flea market or at a thrift store chances are it’ll have some kind of wear and tear. Sometimes all it needs is a facelift just so that it’ll match the style of its new home. I was lucky enough to come across a 100 year old hope chest that was in almost pristine condition and just needed a little tweaking to suit my decor.
Now I’m sure there’s a right way to refurbish furniture. This right way probably involves a workshop equipped with power tools, sanders, staple guns, upholstery glue, and everything in between. I must admit, I rarely do things the right way. If you want to talk about the easiest way, the fastest way, or the cheapest way, I’m definitely guilty of all of the above.
Sometimes I just don’t have the patience or the know-how for sanding, and priming, and all the other ‘right way’ stuff. Thank goodness for chalk paint! I bought a tiny little bottle of this creamy magic from Home Depot. After slapping on one coat I was done. It dries in this kind of antique cracked paint sort of way that’s all the rage.
I even cheated when it came to ‘reupholstering.’ I measured out the fabric by eye and cut it with dull scissors. Seriously. There’s more. I ran out of staples for my staple gun and decided there was no way I was going back out to the store (did I mention the lazy way?). I ended up just using small nails to hammer the fabric in place.
Honestly, I think the hope chest looks amazing now. Right way or wrong way or any way you can skin a cat, refurbishing old furniture is really fun and seriously gratifying. It’s almost like being a part of the original creation.
***PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT please don’t skin cats…arsenic & old place cares
Wow! That looks amazing. Love it!
[…] able to focus on the details of the room: furniture (you can check out how I updated a hope chest here) , bedding, the window treatment, and I even made a simple headboard (check it out […]
[…] of my dreams is to get really good at rehabbing old furniture. A little while back, I refurbished a hope chest for my newly renovated attic bedroom, and now I’m […]