I upcycled an old piano into a chic home bar and it only cost £10 – I can make £5,000 a month
EXPERT conservators spent weeks restoring the 722-year-old oak throne to be used in today’s Coronation.
But amateurs can have fun with their own renovations this bank holiday using old furniture that’s being given away for free or very cheap.
Upcycling – or revamping used items – has become super-popular, with eBay searches for secondhand furniture up by 80 per cent in the first few months of this year.
Harriet Cooke explains how to source all you need, and easy projects to try . . .
Where to find free stuff
YOU can often find sturdy and well-made secondhand furniture for a fraction of the cost of flimsy flatpacks, and in many cases you won’t even have to pay a penny.
Websites such as Freegle, Freecycle, FreelyWheely and Nextdoor are full of unwanted items that people are chucking out.
Also, try car boot sales, Gumtree, eBay or Facebook Marketplace, as well as the on-site store at your local tip, if it has one.
Charity shops like Sue Ryder, Emmaus and the British Heart Foundation have dedicated furniture outlets.
Check out the website reuse-network.org.uk for others in your area.
Leftover paint is often given away on the freebie sites mentioned, but you can also find paint bank schemes around the country at communityrepaint.org.uk.
Elaine Penhaul, of Derby-based stylists Lemon and Lime Interiors, says: “If you just want a feature wall, or to repaint an old unit, this is a great way to cut costs.”
Some paint types can be used without primer, such as Dulux Simply Refresh Multi Surface.
Before you start your project, make sure you give the item a good clean with a vacuum and warm soapy water.
Once painted, apply a clear wax, such as Rust-Oleum’s Furniture Finishing Wax 400ml, £11 from Wilko, over the top to help protect your handiwork.
Add luxe details
A LICK of paint and some smart new handles can turn a piece of furniture from cheap to chic.
Accountant Zainab Azam, 25, bought two secondhand plain-looking Ikea bedside tables and a chest of drawers, all for £50.
She transformed them with a panelling effect to create an upscale bedroom suite.
Zainab, of Upminster, Essex, carefully measured decorative wooden rods from B&Q, and used a handsaw to cut each end diagonally so that they would fit together to form a rectangular border around each drawer.
She painted the drawers white and used No More Nails glue (£4.50) to stick on gold metal handles that she bought on Amazon at £8.99 for a pack of ten.
She later added the gold furniture legs (£15.99 for four on Amazon) with screws.
She says: “I’d not done anything like it before but watched videos.
“People say the tables and drawers look expensive and can’t believe they cost around £100.”
See Zainab’s other projects on TikTok at @Zainabstyless.
Brighten up accessories
IF you’re not ready to tackle furniture yet, start with accessories.
Spray-painting ornaments is a quick and easy way to update your home.
Artist Poppy Collier, 30, who lives near York, transformed an £8 metal candelabra she got from a charity shop.
First she cleaned it with silver polish, then applied Wilko spray primer, £7, and let it dry.
She added several coats of bright pink Plasti-kote paint, £12, and an orange spray paint from Wilko, £7, to create a two-tone ombre.
Poppy said: “It’s really got the wow factor. Building up the colour gradually was important as if you spray it on too thick, the paint can get stuck in the detailing.
“I did several thin coats and waited ten to 15 minutes for them to dry, and then sealed it with clear spray paint lacquer (£7 from Wilko), which dried over several days.”
Follow Poppy on TikTok for more ideas at @ivyburtoninteriors.
Give old things new life
SAVVY mum Danielle Bayliss turned an old wardrobe into a rustic-style kitchen pantry.
What was once a hobby has become a lucrative side hustle and Danielle, 35, now makes £500 to £5,000 a month from refurbishing items such as cabinets and sideboards.
Her pantry unit started life as a wardrobe which she found for free on Facebook Marketplace.
To make a similar one, remove any hangers and the support pole.
Measure the inside and decide how many shelves you want and how you’ll space them.
If you’re not confident cutting the wood to size, the first five cuts are free at B&Q if you bought it there, then it’s 50p per time.
Attach supports by screwing in smaller battens of wood at the sides and back, for the shelves to rest on, or look for a second-hand shelving unit or wooden shoe rack to pop inside.
Danielle, of Lichfield, Staffs, also added chalkboards to the inside of one door using chalkboard paint, £12 per litre from B&Q.
She framed them with a pine trim, also from B&Q, priced £5.47, and created her own wooden wine and spice racks – which you’ll find ready-made in charity shops or online.
See what can be done
DANIELLE transformed an old piano, bought at auction for £10, into a bar by removing the insides to make space for bottles.
Pianos are often dumped by owners who no longer have space for them or because they’re too expensive to repair.
So you might find one going cheap. See rediscoveredbydanielle.com for more info or follow her on Instagram at @rediscoveredbydanielle