30 Upcycled Furniture Ideas
Transform trash into treasure with these upcycling furniture projects that add new life to old pieces!
Finding brand new furniture that fits your budget and your style can be tough! Everyone has a unique style and creative spaces can be hard to create on a budget.
If you're looking for ways to add some new practical DIY decor to your home, consider re-doing a piece of furniture you already own for a brand new look. You'd be surprised how new upholstery, a fresh coat of paint, or even decoupage con transform a piece and a room.
There's no need to buy brand new (or expensive) with upcycled furniture ideas. The tutorials below will help you transform your space on a budget! Scroll down to find painting projects, ways to reupholster furniture, unique uses for flea market finds, and so much more.
Did you know?
Furniture accounts for 4.1% of household waste in the United States! That's 9.8 million tons of furniture being tossed in the garbage annually. If you're looking to make a positive impact on the planet, consider upcycling furniture others might throw away. Plus, make sure to give away furniture instead of tossing it. Even better, list it online and make a few bucks!
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Table of Contents
Where to Find Furniture to Upcycle
Upcycled furniture ideas only turn out when you start with a fantastic base! Since the projects below all focus on updating old pieces, you need to right piece to get started. Older furniture is much sturdier than newer, cheaper models, meaning you will probably get more for your money when you transform an old table instead of a new one.
Check out the following places to find furniture to upcycled and re-do.
- Thrift Stores! Your local Goodwill and Salvation Army are a fantastic place to find old furniture for your upcycling projects and DIYs. These places have a steady stream of new inventory. Unfortunately, furniture items move pretty fast. Combat this by stopping by these locations frequently.
- Garage Sales! Garage sales are a treasure trove of old furniture. Explore local garage sales and keep an eye on postings for upcoming garage sales and estate sales.
- Craigslist! Craigslist is the go-to place to sell old furniture or give it away. Check out postings frequently. You can even search Craigslist if you're looking for a particular item.
- Facebook Groups! Depending on where you live, there are often Facebook groups for your town or neighborhood that act as virtual garage sales. Check these pages out and follow them for fantastic deals.
Upholstery Upcycling Projects
One major ick-factor about bringing old furniture into your home can be the upholstery or other fabric pieces. While old wood and metal can hold up surprisingly well, the fabric is just plain gross after a while. This is why we love learning how to reupholster old pieces. A new cushion or fabric cover works wonders, especially if it matches your color scheme.
This might sound crazy, but you can paint velvet furniture! Find out how.
It’s amazing what you can do with a little fabric and a staple gun, you can turn an otherwise old, shabby, piece of furniture into a beautiful, “brand new”, modern piece.
Perfect for using as a desk chair or a mini chair for putting on your shoes, this project will teach you how to turn something you may already have into something brand new.
Folding chairs don't have to be boring! Add some color and some comfort with this charming DIY.
Crocherters rejoice! You can add lovely little yarn touches to your upcycled furniture.
Leather can be intimidating to work with; but this tutorial will show you how to complete this DIY makeover project with ease.
Old jeans and an old chair combine to make something truly unique. You're going to love it.
Furniture hacks like this are great for when you're not quite satisfied with the color or fabric of your current chair.
These bold little DIY chairs are easy to complete and add a pop of color to your home.
More Decorating Ideas
Find even more projects for your home in our collection of60 Charming Home Craft Ideas and DIY Home Decorating Projects
Total Transformations & Building Your Own Furniture
While many upcycling projects for furniture focus on updating the original piece, total transformations are also a fantastic way to upcycle furniture. Old furniture made from quality wood offer a chance to get your hands on some raw material that is much cheaper than if you bought it all on its own.
Learn how to disassemble old furniture to make brand new pieces below. We've included some start-to-finish furniture building tutorials, too!
Turn old window frames into a charming and rustic coffee table with the upcycled idea.
This homemade workstation is ideal for crafters who love to stay super organized. These PVC pipes will change your life.
Learn how to make a table and enhance your dining room even more with this woodworking project.
Transform an old door with Krylon spray paint and give it a new purpose as a craft table in your home.
Adding unique, antique pieces to your home décor is an amazing way to insert touches of way back when into your modern life.
This amazing tutorial really makes the most of a unique flea market find.
Old drawers become new frames in this upcycled furniture idea you have to see to believe.
Another flea market find discovers new lfie with just a few DIY adjustments.
This unique flowered patio lounge table is a project just about anyone can take on.
Turn your old costume jewelry into vintage drawer pulls for your favorite dresser.
Get this cute farmhouse style for your home and get started with staining a farmhouse table today!
Transform an old, ugly piano into a piece of stunning DIY room decor with this DIY piano makeover idea.
Adding a wooden top to old patio furniture adds more tabletop space, more style, and more.
With this DIY floor cushion, you'll save the environment and your money while adding seating in any room of your house.
Painting Furniture
We probably don't have to tell you that one of the most popular ways to upcycle furniture is to paint it. Learning how to paint furniture allows you to find furniture in literally any shade you would like for your home.
Whether you want some clean white lines or a bright yellow end table, these upcycled furniture DIYs take the painting to a brand new level. Just make sure to find a high-quality paint that will last and work well on the surface of your project.
Don't skip important steps like sanding off old paint or adding a basecoat or else you may ruin a quality piece of furniture.
A coat of paint really transforms this hutch into something that fits in.
This DIY table painting project adds some gilded age glam to any home. Perfect for a girl's room or next to your vanity.
Using beautiful paint colors and Deco Foil to add shining accents, this piece of DIY home décor is a lovely way to add brand new furniture to your home without having to step into a furniture store.
Take a thrift store find from shab to fab with this Upcycled Thrift Store Cabinet.
Save an old chair was headed to the dump and make this Chippy Chair Makeover DIY Home Decor.
Created with printed artwork and a coat of decoupage, this conversation piece is sure to stand out in your home.
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Learn how to paint like a pro with these darling and easy projects for beginners.
Check it out here:"How to Paint Furniture: 19 Upcycled Furniture Projects" free eBook from DecoArt
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