Paint

How to Upcycle Your Furniture with Paint

Photograph of a teal wall, window and cream and oak cabinet

Upcycling furniture is a great way to breathe new life into your interiors – and it’s amazing how a lick of furniture paint can completely transform an old chair, chest or table. With our helpful guide and exciting upcycled furniture ideas, you’ll have your old or second-hand furniture looking as good as new in no time.

What You’ll Need

· Low tack masking tape
· Dust sheet
· Dust mask
· Paint brush
· Sandpaper
· Metal paint
· Furniture paint
· Sponge
· Primer
· Dust brush
· Roller & tray

Check out Annie Sloan’s latest range of chalk paint – perfect for giving a new lease of life to your preloved furniture.

Buying used furniture

Buying used furniture for upcycling is a great, more affordable alternative when updating your home décor, but there are a few things to be aware of when browsing old pieces.

• Have a good idea of what type of furniture you need before heading to car boot sales and markets – and when you see something, picture where it would go in your home. This way, you’ll be less likely to buy pieces that aren’t particularly useful.
• Remember there’s a huge used furniture market online. Many people sell pieces at bargain prices or even give them away for free on community threads and websites.
• It’s important to be flexible if you’re looking for a unique piece. Some creative thinking can turn old doors into smaller cupboards, or crates into shelving. For inspiration, take a look at our DIY and decorating blogs.
• Upcycled furniture doesn’t have to look flawless. If a piece looks shabby because of a bad or fading paint job, or it has a scratched surface, you can easily transform it with a little sanding or painting.
• Make sure you check furniture is structurally sound for the way you’ll use it. If there are holes in older wooden furniture, it’s probably woodworm.

How to paint and revamp your furniture

Painting or repainting furniture is an easy and effective way to upcycle older pieces or add a splash of colour to your space. Something as simple as repainting shelves or a coffee table can transform the mood of your room.

1. On bare wood, lightly sand the surface and brush off any dust. For most other surfaces, prepare by cleaning the surface with a damp cloth.
2. If you want a smooth finish, prepare surfaces thoroughly by filling any cracks or holes with filler, so it’s as even as possible before you paint or prime.
3. Most furniture paint can be applied to bare or painted wood but always check the manufacturer’s instructions on whether a primer is required on your specific surface before applying the furniture paint.
4. If your paint and chosen surface requires a primer, wait for the primer to dry.
5. Paint your furniture evenly for the best finish. Paint smaller areas with a brush and larger areas with a roller to save time.
6. Wait for the first coat to dry before adding any more coats of paint.
7. If you’re adding detail with a second colour, mask off areas that could get splashed with paint. If you’re lacking inspiration, check out our decorating hub for some painting ideas for dining and coffee tables.

Top tip: You can use low-tack masking tape on furniture you’re repainting to create borders for geometric patterns. Make sure the paint is dry before removing masking tape to prevent smudging.

Achieving a personal look

Whether you’re working with upcycled tables and chairs or repainting a chest of drawers, there are lots of ways to give your piece individual character. How you upcycle wooden furniture can involve various techniques. Many upcyclers fade their new coat of paint with sandpaper, focusing on areas that are touched most, such as handles. For good quality wood pieces, you could also consider using finishing products such as waxes and varnishes.

Using spray paint can be an effective way to transform metal furniture and it’s much quicker than traditional painting. Wear a mask and remove any rust and chipped paint with a wire brush before sanding. Again, if you want some inspiration, you can check out the upcycling community’s bloggers and writers.

You’ll find everything you need for your next furniture upcycling project at Homebase. We stock a range of specialist paints including furniture paint, spray paint, metal paint and more. Take a look at our selection of sandpaper for creating a more retro ‘distressed’ look to your painted upcycled furniture, or for a more polished finish we have a range of varnishes.

And that’s how to upcycle your furniture with paint. Browse our range of specialist paints and tools below or visit your local Homebase.



Homebase

Homebase

Writer and expert