Did you know that second hand furniture stores are a great place to find pieces to use for DIY projects in your home? All they need is a little love and they can look better than they did when they were new! All of your friends and family that come to your home will go crazy over these DIY pieces. Just follow these tips on how to transform second hand furniture below!

Paint/Distress

Getting that antique, distressed look for your furniture is super “in” right now. Instead of buying expensive antique furniture, you can create that look yourself by painting and distressing the piece.

Painting and distressing a piece of furniture can add character and take a drab piece to something fab. Check out this video for a tutorial. There are also some great tips included; such as buying used paint colors that people have returned at home improvement stores. You’ll save a lot of money!

Decoupage

You’ve heard the word, but really what is decoupage? Decoupage is really just a fancy word for decorating an object with paper cutouts. You can pretty much decoupage whatever your littler heart desires, as long as it has a tangible surface. You can use wrapping paper, posters, photos, newspaper,and magazine ads as the items you decoupage with.

Most people don’t realize how easy decoupaging can be. Check out this quick tutorial to see what we mean. It really does transform a piece of furniture!

Washi Tape

Have you ever heard of this stuff? If not, listen up! Washi tape is a decorative paper tape from Japan. It often has different patterns or colors on it and is used in decorating. Don’t let its pretty nature fool you—washi tape is strong and will last on almost any surface!

You can use washi tape to spruce up furniture you find at second hand stores. Honestly, once the washi tape is on there you’ll never know it was from a thrift store and will probably look better than it did even when it was new.

Use washi tape on:

• Dressers
• Coffee tables
• Tables in general
• Lamps
• Bookcases
• Frames
• Candles

You’ll be amazed at all of the possibilities that washi tape has. You’ll never go back! Check out this awesome article. 56 Ways to Decorate With Washi Tape.

Next time you’re in your favorite second hand furniture store, think past that piece of furniture and look towards the possibilities that it has. Don’t focus too much on scrapes, dents or gashes because a lot of those things can be fixed with a little DIY help.

We’d love if you would share one of your projects that you’ve done with us here on the blog! What exactly did you do to the piece of furniture and how much did you spend? It’d be great to hear your success stories!

Want to learn more tips and tricks? Download our free guide below!