Before you pay full price for a TV stand, a bathroom vanity or an entry bench, check what’s already sitting in the thrift store. These 17 furniture hacks take ordinary store bought and secondhand pieces and give them a brand new job. A dated dresser becomes a media console, a wine rack or a bench with drawers. A $5 particleboard bookcase gets bun feet and a fabric back, and a pair of laminate drawer bases turns into a desk. You’ll find painting tricks for laminate and metal, easy upholstery swaps and a few clever cuts with a saw. Most of these need little more than paint, screws and an afternoon, and every one saves money over buying new. Grab a tape measure before you shop so the piece fits your space.
1. Dresser Turned TV Stand
A dresser turned TV stand is the hack for anyone who’d rather not mount the TV over the fireplace. Pull out the drawers and the support rails inside, then cut and paint one long board to run the full length of the base so baskets have something to rest on. Sand every surface, prime and finish with a few coats of flat white. Satin nickel bin pulls dress up the top drawers, and dark wicker milk crate baskets slide in below for remotes, games and cords. A piece of 1/4 inch plate glass protects the top.
Get the full tutorial at At The Park's.
2. Transform Dresser To Media Stand
This dresser to media stand hack starts with the base of an old china hutch. Take off the doors, pull the drawers and bag every hinge and magnet by position so nothing gets mixed up. Sand only the top, tape off the inside edges, then prime with an oil based stain blocking primer and roll on three light coats of white enamel. Ebony stained panels with finished edges replace the drawers as open shelves. Drill a few 1.5 inch holes across the back for cords before the shelves go in for good.
Get the full tutorial at The Homes I Have Made.
3. Paint Laminate Furniture
Painting laminate furniture sounds risky, but a good bonding primer makes it easy. A pair of yard sale drawer bases from an old corner desk became the legs of a bright new desk, and they didn’t need any sanding. Wipe the pieces clean, roll on two coats of an adhesion bonding primer with a foam roller, then follow with two coats of semi gloss white. Give the cup pulls a few light coats of gold metallic spray paint. The bottom drawers still hold hanging files, so it doubles as storage.
Get the full tutorial at Dwellings by DeVore.
4. DIY Subway Tile Table Redo
A DIY subway tile table redo gives a weathered outdoor table a brand new top. Screw a thin sheet of plywood over the old surface (the hardware store will cut it to size if you bring the measurements), then add molding around the edges. Lay a border of full size subway tile with mini subway tile inside before you cut anything. Cut tile face down so the saw doesn’t chip the edges, and wear goggles. Spread adhesive with a trowel, set the tile overnight, then grout and wipe clean.
Get the full tutorial at Tatertots and Jello.
5. Old Headboards into a Lovely Bench
Old headboards into a lovely bench is one of the most charming hacks around, and a used twin headboard and footboard set is easy to find secondhand. The headboard becomes the back, and the footboard is cut in half to make the two arms. Join the legs with pocket hole screws and small brackets, then build a simple box frame from 1 by 3 boards with a few slats across for support. Top it with MDF, smooth plywood or planks, and paint it a bold color.
Get the full tutorial at Painted Therapy.
6. Make A Dresser Into A Vanity
Turning a dresser into a bathroom vanity can cost half of a store bought furniture style vanity. Shop thrift stores and Marketplace with your measurements in hand. Buy the sink first, sized to the inside of the dresser top, then trace its template and cut the hole with a jigsaw. Notch the top drawer around the plumbing so it still slides. Paint the body in a creamy white semi gloss, stain the top Special Walnut and seal it well with water based polyurethane. Caulk around the sink.
Get the full tutorial at An Oregon Cottage.
7. Blah Bookshelf To Ballards Knockoff
This blah bookshelf to Ballards knockoff takes a plain assemble yourself bookcase from Goodwill and gives it designer polish. Flip it over, screw in four feet plates and add chunky bun feet from the trim aisle. Paint the whole piece black while it’s upside down, then add a second coat once it’s upright, skipping the back. Finish with dark wax. Lay a bold fabric across the back, trim it to fit, then spray adhesive and smooth it down with a small roller. Score any extra with a box cutter.
Get the full tutorial at Redoux Interiors.
8. DIY Clock Table
A DIY clock table started with a $5 yard sale table base and a $6.88 round from Home Depot. Sand the round, then build up layers: walnut stain, a coat of gray and a coat of white, sanding back once dry so the colors peek through. Print a clock face across nine sheets, tape it together and shade the back with pencil. Tape it to the top and trace with a pen to transfer the numbers, then paint them in. Wooden hoops nailed around the edge finish it off.
Get the full tutorial at Scavenger Chic.
9. Folding Chair Redo
A folding chair redo is the fastest hack on this list, and it’s just right before a party. Unscrew the seat cushion and set it aside. Wipe the frame down, set it on a drop cloth and spray two thin coats with slow side to side passes, letting it dry overnight. Dark or glossy chairs need primer first. Trim a 20 inch square of patterned fabric about 3 inches past the cushion and staple it from the center of each side out to the corners, then screw the seat back on.
Get the full tutorial at Design For Mankind.
10. Old Cabinet Makeover
This old cabinet makeover turned a $30 thrift store find into a sweet little buffet for a charity auction. Cut out the solid door inserts and replace them with chicken wire for a farmhouse look. Sand the whole piece, then build a base inside the bottom so fence post toppers can screw in as legs. Paint the body white, stain the top and paint the inside a soft aqua that shows through the wire. New knobs finish it. The total came to just under $60.
Get the full tutorial at The Lovely Residence.
11. Pottery Barn Style Dresser Revival
A Pottery Barn style dresser revival hides toys in plain sight. Take out the top row of drawers and rework the inside of the dresser so baskets have a flat surface to sit on, since every piece is built a little differently. Paint the whole dresser black, then distress lightly along the edges for just enough character. Slide in water hyacinth baskets where the drawers used to be. The bottom drawers stay put for extra storage, and nobody will guess there are blocks and dolls inside.
Get the full tutorial at Southern Revivals.
12. Dresser to Wine Rack DIY
This dresser to wine rack DIY swaps the bottom two drawers for rows of bottle rests. Make the rests yourself with a router, or save time by taking apart an old wine rack and fitting its pieces inside. Chalk paint covers the base, and the top gets a darker stain for contrast. Reuse the original handles, since hardware is pricey and spray paint can change the color. Old dressers turn up at yard sales for under $100, a fraction of the price of a store bought wine cabinet.
Get the full tutorial at The Happy Housewife.
13. DIY Drawer Ottoman
A DIY drawer ottoman gives a single orphaned drawer a whole new job. Screw an MDF board across the bottom of the drawer for strength, then attach four old table legs to it. Cut foam to size and wrap it in fabric with a staple gun to make a padded lid. Cover any raw edges with a strip of coordinating fabric, and keep the original knob on the front. Lift the lid and there’s room for photo albums, books or extra throws inside. It’s ideal for a small living room.
Get the full tutorial at The Owner-Builder Network.
14. Chalk Painted Stenciled Filing Cabinet
A chalk painted stenciled filing cabinet proves even plain office furniture can be pretty. Give a shiny metal cabinet two coats of a good primer so the dark finish won’t show through, then follow with two coats of chalk paint in a bright aqua blue. Once it’s dry, dab white chalk paint through a flower stencil with the end of a foam roller, wiping most of the paint off first so it doesn’t bleed. Do the large flowers first, then fill the gaps with smaller ones in a sweeping pattern. Finish with a clear acrylic sealer instead of wax so the paint stands up to daily use.
Get the full tutorial at The Happy Housie.
15. $10 Cabinet Makeover
A $10 cabinet makeover shows what a little vision does for a Goodwill find. Always check if the door panels pop out, since that makes the job far easier. Remove the dated iron grill panels, sand the scratched top and prime with a stain blocking primer so old oak doesn’t bleed. Have mirror cut to fit the doors and glue it in with silicone sealant. Paint the cabinet in pure white chalk paint, then add an X of flat lattice across each mirror, mitered to fit. New glass knobs finish it.
Get the full tutorial at Centsational Style.
16. Old Dresser To a Bench Upcycle
An old dresser to a bench upcycle rescues a dresser with sticky, chipped drawers. Take off the top and the upper two rows of drawers with a drill and a reciprocating saw, leaving the bottom drawers in place. Nail 3/4 inch fiberboard across a frame on the old drawer rail, then run 1 by 4 boards on edge around it with one across the center. Add wainscoting to the back, a 1 by 3 top rail and a coat of gloss black. A foam pad and pillows make it comfy.
Get the full tutorial at Photokapi.com.
17. Update Old Wood Stained Furniture
Updating old wood stained furniture doesn’t have to mean days of stripping. Give an old table a light sanding with fine grit paper, always with the grain. Paint the base in a soft ochre chalk paint, then darken the top with a tinted polyurethane stain such as PolyShades, which colors and seals in one step. Refinish the top first and paint the base last to keep drips off the fresh paint. A few thin coats of the tinted finish give a deep espresso shine without any stripping.
Get the full tutorial at Artsy Chicks Rule.
