You know you’ve been thrifting for a long time when you can’t remember where you got a large piece of furniture. I guess when such a large portion of your furniture has been found in thrift stores or on Facebook marketplace that’s bound to happen.
You may remember this buffet table. It sits at the center of our home and houses all kinds of good stuff. Mostly games, candle stick holders, and lots of old DVDs and even CDs. We homeschool and I was a music major so I tend to hang onto these things. It’s for the kids I tell myself.
Here are the steps I’ve taken in designing a home filled with quality furniture while spending only a fraction of the cost of new.
Find your deal!
If you’re out thrift shopping and find a sturdy, good looking and quality piece of furniture, but it has some wear and tear, please don’t pass it up! This exact scenario happened to me a few months ago.
At the time I didn’t have space in my days to invest into giving it a makeover, but I still snapped it up. I knew eventually I’d have the time to bring it back to life, so I brought it home.
Envision your transformation.
I liked the dark wood, but it had been scratched and worn in several places. At the time I was looking for a piece of furniture with a traditional shape and great storage. This buffet was perfect. After a few months of living with it as is, I decided that instead of staining it I would give it a whitewash.
Experiment and have fun.
In order to get the uneven shade I was looking for I needed to sand it well and remove the varnish so the thinned paint could adhere to the wood. Sanding was the most time consuming part of this project and I had my sons help me out. Thank goodness they actually like sanding.
Put in the work.
After it was sanded I simply took white paint and watered it down a bit then used a rag to wipe it onto the wood. In a few places I used a sponge brush and in others a bristle brush. I wanted the wood to show through in as many places as possible and the whole piece to have rustic look and feel. After a few layers were allowed to dry I was happy with the result.
Celebrate your accomplishment!
The buffet was purchased for $40 and I used left over white paint to give it a whole new look! Giving an old, neglected piece of furniture a make over with paint and elbow grease is an affordable way to bring character to your space and add storage. What do you think? Is this something you might try?
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Great idea and doesn’t sound too difficult! End result looks good too!
I love this! Finding old pieces like this and transforming them is one of my favourite things to do. You have done an absolutely beautiful job!
Thank you Courtney! It’s one of my favorite things to do as well. They don’t make ’em like they used to.
Although, my preference is stripping and staining wood furniture, any makeover is a lasting treasure.
I love the look of natural wood as well. My family and I just refinished our hardwood floors. Huge job, but well worth the effort!
This looks awesome! Great post !
Thank you Frances! I appreciate your help. 🙂
This jut gave me inspiration for a old server I have. For over a year I have been wanting to give it a makeover and have not been inspired, but this gives me a great idea. Thank you
I’m so glad! A great weekend project!
Great glow up on this piece. Looks much better in your space in a lighter color.
Thank you Natalie! Glad I tackled it.
Wow! It turned out great!! I see so many projects, but have never given it a try — you definitely made it seem doable!
Thank you AnnMarie! I hope you do transform a piece you love. I think you’ll be happy you did.
It turned out so well! Great to see the before and after. Always inspiring!
What a great find and what a great makeover! Gorgeous!
Wow! The before and after are so dramatic! I love the new look of lighter wood! Great job!
It was a big job, but I’m really happy with the outcome. 🙂