How To Keep Using Old Furniture!

Old furniture has a very special charm, which is why you shouldn’t dispose of it, but refurbish it.

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as old furniture that is unusable. Because they can either be repaired or put to another use. Because who says that a cupboard always has to be used as a cupboard? We have ideas for you!

Do not dispose of old furniture!

If you look at antique shops, they too only sell old furniture . Of course, these are much older, but even old furniture that you own doesn’t deserve to be thrown away, because you can breathe new life into it.

If you continue to use old furniture, you not only save money, you also act in an environmentally friendly way, because so-called “upcycling” saves resources. Old furniture that you continue to use has neither transport routes nor trees have to be felled. It’s even climate-friendly!

See if there is something among our ideas for your furniture:

Conversion

As already mentioned in the introduction: who says that a cupboard always has to be a cupboard? Are the doors rattled and the hinges worn out? Then get rid of it! A cabinet can also serve as a shelf! Simply pull in matching shelves and a particularly unique shelf is ready!

Conversely, a shelf can also become a closet, for example if you attach a curtain rod to it and cover the front of the shelf with beautiful fabric. So you don’t notice that the shelf has quirks or does not match your new interior in terms of color.

Reload old furniture

If the sofa cover no longer fits the furnishings, the seat cover on the chair is worn or the upholstery of the bench is stained, these are no reasons to dispose of this furniture. You can replace all covers and textiles with new ones.

With a little manual dexterity, you can do this on your own. You will usually need an electric stapler to do this. Make sure that the new cover is made of sturdy fabric or material so that it will last a long time this time.

Renovate the surface

Old furniture often has scratched or stained surfaces. The paint flakes off, dents and scratches appear and water stains “decorate” the surfaces. If the furniture is made of wood and only oiled or waxed, you can sand it down yourself. Table tops and other larger surfaces can be easily planed.

You can then treat the “refreshed” surface again with hard wax oil, oil or wax and your furniture will literally shine with a new shine. You should sand down varnished furniture with fine sandpaper before repainting it.

Repaint old furniture

“Rustic oak” is no longer the current trend, that is clear. But still you don’t have to dispose of this furniture, because with a new coat of paint it looks great and is then considered “Shabby Chic”!

Light, matt colors are used for the shabby chic style: eggshell-colored, creamy white, white tinted with a little blue, gray or pink.

First sand all surfaces with fine sandpaper and paint them completely covering. This can take several coats, because oak is a dark wood. Then sand the corners and edges with a little coarser sandpaper so that it looks as if the piece of furniture is already very old.

Of course, you can also use other color effects, for example by painting the door fronts in colors or only changing the color of the side parts of a shelf or cupboard. With chairs, a colored seat also looks very modern.

Swap handles

There is no need for boring white furniture fronts in the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom! Replace the handles with colored variants that match the rest of the furnishings, for example the carpet or curtains. Be creative and get inspiration from furniture stores, catalogs and hardware stores!

As you can see, it is often the little things with which you can continue to use old furniture and have new joy in it. These ideas are also very suitable if, for example, you find old furniture in the bulky waste or if you have to furnish yourself but can only afford used furniture.