Friday, November 1, 2013

Make Funky Furniture

Funky Furniture


Maybe you're setting up your first apartment and your budget for furnishings would barely cover a week's worth of food. Watching those programs on television which show you redo one room for $1000 are ridiculous in your present reality. Here's how you can make funky furniture that is fun and functional and keep your budget intact.


Instructions


1. Make funky furniture out of just about any outdated or old piece of furniture you can find at flea markets, garage sales, thrift shops and especially hand me downs from family. Paint wood, recover seats of simple dining chairs, change hardware and even furniture feet can be swapped out for a funky look.


2. Mix and match parts for funky furniture. Sand, stain and varnish an old oak table top and pair it with some 1960s metal kitchen table legs that have been wet sanded and sprayed black.


Find four wooden dining chairs, preferably non-matching. Pick these up cheaply, paint each a bright color. Recover the seats easily with coordinating fabric and you've got instant wow power.


3. Sand, primer and paint a variety of pieces to completely change the look. Create these one-of-a-kind painted funky furniture finds using only the small bottles of craft paint found at your local discount store.


Apply two to three coats of the latex craft paint that has been thinned with a little dab of hot water after your piece has been primed and prepped. Let dry well between coats and then follow up with two coats of a satin or semi-gloss water base polycrylic to protect the finish.


4. Don't hesitate to pick up something that may have deeper scratches in the wood. Realize this is an easy fix with wood filler and a putty knife, then sand the piece, and then paint.


Make furniture look funky by doing something that you normally wouldn't see done on furniture. Pair a classic repainted piece with quirky hardware for a wonderful contrast that's still funky, but easy on the eyes. Have fun, use your imagination and save your money for living. Enjoy!