How To Quickly Beautify Any Piece Of Old Furniture
It doesn’t have to be painstakingly difficult to transform an old or even a new piece of furniture in your home. You can make the magic happen and easily!
Do you have some furniture that’s been itching for a makeover? Let’s face it, we’ve all bought furniture that we’ve either fallen out of love with, or our tastes have changed, right? Well, you don’t have to live with that eyesore anymore! With the advent of chalk paints, it’s never been easier to quickly transform those pieces from tragic to magic.
Beautify Any Piece Of Old Furniture
Do you love shopping at flea markets? I do too. I always find a gem just waiting for renewal. It’s so much fun transforming these gems into beautifully high-end pieces sold at high prices in designer shops around town. You don’t have to pay for these beauties anymore – you can easily transform one yourself!
I found this little end table one day while the hubby and I were driving back from Maine. It was a beautiful drive filled with good food, beautiful scenery, and loads of roadside antique shops. We pulled into this shop with much excitement as every piece along the outside kept pulling me in deeper and deeper to explore its hidden treasures.
And there it was – this adorable little end table. I knew it was older than dirt and that I had to have to it. It had everything I wanted – charm, portability, and potential. So after negotiating a price, it was in the car, and on our way, we went. It sat on my front porch and used to showcase my beautiful spring and summer flowers. I love its dirty, old, and dingy charm and left it untouched for years – until now.
Rustic Charm Beauty
As you can see, it has a beautiful rustic charm – well, it still does! So I kicked up that rustic charm to the here and now, and I’m glad about the results.
You can transform any piece of furniture you have lying around begging for a pick-me-up redo! Yes, it’s little, but it now has a big transformation.
Here’s how I transformed this little gem into a memorable, colorful, magical plant stand that I’ll cherish for years to come, so stay with me!
Firstly, decide if your piece needs sanding or not. Even if it doesn’t require deep sanding, it’s always good to carefully look your work over for any rough spots or damages that might need some sanding before you start painting.
This table needed a good sanding – so I let it have it! I love my little Black & Decker sander. It’s the perfect size power tool to get the job done!
You can get one from Amazon at a great price with the BLACK+DECKER Random Orbit Sander with Smart Select. After the sanding, I wiped it off with a damp cloth to remove all the dust and debris. Now, it’s ready for the paint!
You can use any chalk paint you like. I decided to use two shades of blue paint to get the vintage look I was after.
I love the color blue. It’s the perfect blue for just about everything! In the color Treasure, you can order this paint as I did on Amazon here Deco Art Americana Chalky Finish Paint.
Use your imagination – the center panel was naturally darker than the rest of the table, so I thought adding a deep more vintage shade of blue would look great.
Mixing Paint Tones On Old Furniture
Then, I decided to mix some of the turquoise paint into the grayer color in the center to add some tonality. Next, I carefully dabbed some of the paint and used a damp cloth to blend it to my liking. In addition, I also made sure only to use one coat of paint as I wanted to keep that antique look.
After it was good and dry, I used some sandpaper to rough around the spots that would be naturally distressed with age.
Of course, I loved the results! Now, it needed something special – something that says spring, summer, and flowers! So then, I added flowers from an artificial hydrangea flower stem I had around the house. It’s always good to keep these things around as you never know when you will need them.
I pulled the flowers off the stems and used some Mod Podge Decoupage Matte Finish paint. You can also find it on Amazon here Mod Podge CS11302 Original 16-Ounce Glue, Matte Finish. Next, I gently pulled the flowers off the stem and made sure to remove any signs of plastic.
Place the flowers where you want them, brush both sides of the flower with the Mod Podge and make sure they adhere to the surface nicely. They will look white until the paint dries – then it dried nice and clear.
The results are beautiful! I then decided to give the entire top one coat of the glaze to give it some additional protection. It has a nice matte finish to it and will keep the flowers shielded from the inclement weather.
My plant stand looks great for the summer blooming with beautiful color, and my entire front porch looks so festive!
I hope you get inspired to transform a piece of furniture into your home or garden. It’s a magical way to bring beauty and color back into a forgotten or new piece of furniture.
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WOW I loved it before the paint, but after the paint…. the blue really does add tons of charm! It looks like it was made to be that color. I never thought to decoupage using silk flowers. That is a genius idea. That process really makes them look like pressed dried flowers, I love it. Thanks for sharing another fabulous project, keep them coming.
I love those corner flowers! You are so clever to even think to do that – they just made the perfect finishing touch to the table.
So impressed – love this – especially the flowers! Thanks for the great tips, as always.
This is great!! I have zero faith in my ability to pull something like this off but loved seeing your process!!
One day I’ll figure out how you have managed to stretch time and also all the multi-talents you have are awesome. This is a super easy idea. Well, maybe easy. ;-)
The table is so cute. It reminds me of the type of stuff my mother used to do. She loved repurposing furniture. I didn’t get her genes in that area. I’d love to makeover my couch or burn it.
Your table is lovely. I too love to paint old furniture, and I used chalk paint on a chair, table and mirror. I need to do my dresser. A much bigger project and then I’d have to do the mirror above it probably. So I haven’t started. You are encouraging me to do so!! Beth
So beautiful, Carolann. I love the flower accents! At first glance I thought they were stickers. But I should have known you are far craftier than that! Lovely piece.
Good job! So cute and it really brightens up your porch!
I love flea markets. Usually I just use steel wool and Brie Wax. It’s amazing what a transformation that creates. Brenda
Hi Carolann! I am so envious of people who can see something plain and turn it into a swan. Loved what you did and also with the beautiful flowers. I love hydrangeas such an old-fashioned bloom but classy. I’m sharing on my Sizzling Towards 60 FB page.
Wow, that looks amazing! You make it look so easy – I’m going to have to try this myself!
I am speechless. It is just a fabulous before and after. The colors are wonderful and then your idea with the fake flowers is ingenious. I am so glad to know you and get inspiration from you.
Thanks so much Sue. It was so much fun to create. Your kind words mean everything! xo
thanks so much Heather. Your kind words mean so much to me. I had so much fun creating it and guess that’s what’s it all about! The flowers made it even more fun and you can use them in so many projects. So glad you liked it! xo
Thanks so much Leanne. I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Thanks so much Sheryl, I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Thanks so much Paula, I had so much fun making that table. I bet you can create one too! It’s so very relaxing and I loved the end results. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Thanks much Carol! Your kinds words always mean so much to me. I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Hi Rebecca, I would have loved to see her work! LOL about your couch. That’s why I love refinishing furniture. It really transforms it. I hope you have a wonderful upcoming weekend!
Thanks so very much Beth! Oh wow, I would love to see your work! I hope you blog about that dresser when you finish it! I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Hi Lisa, lol thank you. I was going to hand paint the flowers and then saw the silk ones and thought why bother they are nicer than I’d paint! I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Thank you Cathy. I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Oh wow yes, I’ve tried the wax too and you are so right. It makes a huge difference. I had so much fun making that table. Thanks so much and Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Hi Sue, thanks so much. Your kind words mean so much! Thanks so very much for sharing too I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Carolann xo
Thanks so much Lois. I had so much fun making that table. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!
Carolann xo
Carolann, I love how it turned out! There’s the thrill of the hunt and there’s the thrill after you’ve transformed your find! So glad we met up! HUGS :)
Hi Carol! Thanks so much. It was so much fun to transform. I love using color. It really perks up my mood. I’m thrilled me met too! I’ll be sure to share your posts as well. Love your blog! Have a fab weekend
Carolann XO