How I Saved a Ton of Money! Amazing DIY Furniture Rehab Before & After
Happy New Year! Welcome back to the Gate City Design blog!
I have been thinking a lot about New Year’s resolutions this year…
One resolution that I have made for the month of January is to decrease discretionary spending. Anyone who knows me well is aware of my affinity for shoes and clothing. Obviously, I also enjoy the thrill of finding amazing furniture for redesign projects.
I have wanted to find new furniture for a spare bedroom in our house for a while. The bedroom has a wonderful view of our back yard and the lake behind the house. It is a spacious room, and I have tried to work with the furniture that we already have, but the room felt mismatched. I located a vintage dresser a few years ago, painted it white, and added drawer pulls that completed the piece. However, the rest of the furniture was our old, dark wood furniture from 20 years ago.
To spend or not to spend?
The bed was a high-quality walnut piece made by Baronet®. Although the walnut side table was from Broyhill®, the pieces coordinated well. However, home decor trends have changed drastically since we purchased the furniture. I wanted to refresh the look of the room, but I didn’t want to spend hundreds–or thousands–of dollars on new furniture.
In keeping with my resolution to avoid unnecessary spending, I made the bold move to refinish the furniture myself.
How I refinished the furniture
First, I removed everything from the side table and the bed frame. Old storage boxes provided a barrier between the carpet and the furniture, because I am a messy painter. I purchased Kilz® water-based primer, new paint brushes, rollers for a smooth finish, and Benjamin Moore Advance® in satin. For the paint, I selected Winter White (OC-21) to match the trim of the room.
Advance® is an alkyd paint that dries smooth like an oil paint, but cleans up like a water-based paint. It performs well as a trim, cabinet and furniture paint due to its hard finish. I prefer a satin finish because it is more forgiving of streaks than a semi-gloss or high-gloss finish.
Using a 120-grit sanding block, I scuffed the surfaces of the furniture, paying extra attention to the dog toenail marks on the footboard of the bed. Then, I cleaned the surfaces using 70% isopropyl alcohol to remove dust and oil residue. Next, I primed each surface and allowed time for the primer to dry.
Since the wood bed frame had detailing, I used a small paint brush to first paint the insets of the panels and the beveled trim of the headboard & footboard. I used a small roller to cover the larger surfaces of the bed, as well as the side table. The paint dried within a couple of hours, but the dark wood still shadowed. I lightly sanded the flat surfaces again and wiped the dust with a damp cloth. A final coat of paint successfully sealed out the dark finish of our old furniture, and dramatically changed the appearance of the pieces.
One tricky detail that I solved the easy way
I really wanted to change the hardware on the side table drawer. The midcentury style of the pull didn’t bother me, but the finish (brushed nickel) didn’t look right against the white paint. Since the other furniture in the room had dark, matte pulls, I simply removed the old pull and spray painted the metal using Rustoleum® in black matte. After two coats, the new pull looked brand new–and since I already had the paint, it didn’t cost me anything!
Don’t be afraid to take on a DIY furniture refinishing project!
I was nervous about taking on this refinishing project, honestly. I hoped that the finish would be smooth, and by taking the time to prep the surfaces and address drips as they happened, the finish looks professional. The project cost me a grand total of $122. I estimated that finding similar replacement furniture would have exceeded $1500, conservatively. The best thing? It only took me one day to complete the project.
Now, the room looks cohesive and appropriate for a room with a lake view! On to the next project!
Pro tip: Always try to work with the furnishings that you already have. It will save you a ton of money, and you will avoid the headaches of supply chain delays. A simple coat of paint or new hardware can greatly extend the life of older furniture, it’s less expensive, and it avoids the unnecessary waste of resources.
Need ideas for a DIY project? Call me for a consultation. I love the creative challenge of redesign on a budget! 336.707.7324
Hillary McAlhany is the owner of Gate City Design. She is a certified professional home stager/redesigner, E-designer & color expert. Although she is based in North Carolina, she offers remote design services outside of the central North Carolina region.
