Want To Start Upcycling? A How-to Guide

Hi and welcome,

So, you want to start upcycling furniture, but don’t know where to begin? Perhaps you’re not a DIY expert, or you’re unsure of the ‘right’ brushes, paints and finishes to use.

Remember, anyone can upcycle and everyone has to start somewhere. Just consider these three things before you begin your journey:

Start small: begin with an inexpensive small piece, like a bedside table. This way, the time you’ll spend will be a lot less than, say, on a 6 foot shelving unit and a lot less overwhelming for your first project.

Research: before you begin, research the style you would like to achieve - colours, design, approach. Online images are a fantastic source of restoration inspiration. I often decide on the colours based on pictures of other upcycled items, then research what others have done to similar pieces. This way, you will have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and can start your preparations.

Practice: you can either use your inexpensive piece as a ‘dummy run’, something on which to test your techniques, or use off-cuts or crates as a place to try out your ideas and experiment with different products. Obviously, this isn’t a must but can be useful to build confidence (particularly if you wish to sell your creations later down the line). Here, you will be able to make mistakes and it won’t matter!

Choosing the Right Furniture for your Project

When starting off, it is good to know a few things to avoid and how to assess a quality piece (despite its age and wear and tear).

• View in person - there isn’t a problem with buying online, but it’s always a good idea to check out your desired furniture in person before parting with your cash. Often, online images won’t always tell the full story, so make sure you can pay the seller a visit to view the furniture you’re interested in.

• To begin with, I’d recommend looking for solid wood items. There’s nothing wrong veneered furniture, but these can be trickier to upcycle if the veneers are cracked, peeling or areas need to be completely removed (and potentially replaced, depending on the look youre going for); there may also be further damage lurking underneath.

• Check the quality of the wood. Have a good look around the piece and assess the state of wear, tear and any damage. Some older furniture will have been neglected and, in some cases, left open to the elements. Rot and other issues such as woodworm can be treated (depending on the severity, of course) but if you’re looking to simply test your skills, these pieces are better off avoided.

A little something that I picked up from a reuse shop for £5!

Where to Find Furniture to Flip

Well, it goes without saying that we expect secondhand furniture to cost a lot less but to get those bargains, you may still need to shop around.

So, my top tip here is to keep an open mind and be ready to grab a lovely piece with potential (and at a steal) if you scour these places:

• Reuse shops: many local recycling centres will have a reuse shop onsite, where you will find anything from cassette tapes to garden furniture. These really are great places to find a restoration project and, not only are the prices normally quite low, they are non-profit organisations (normally linked to a local community charity).

• Charity furniture stores: the upside to shopping for your first project here is there are normally quite strict rules on the quality of the furniture accepted as donations. This means that you can be pretty sure that your purchase will be structurally sound.

• Reclamation yards: pricier than other options, but you can pick up some really unique pieces here. It’s worth bearing in mind that not all reclamation yards sell furniture, so worth checking out their website first or giving them a call. If you’re interested in upcycling quirky garden furniture, ornaments or planters, reclamation yards offer some fantastic ideas and options.

• Individual sellers: eBay, Gumtree, Preloved and Etsy to name but a few online platforms that individual sellers choose to use. If you wish to buy from an individual seller through one of these sites, be aware of the location as you may have to travel a significant distance to view the item in person (and retrieve it). If this is the case and you simply have to have that dining table, credenza or bathroom cabinet, then ensure that you request details, ask any questions that you have about the furniture or ask for further images. A good seller will be happy to oblige.

• Car boot sales: if you’re like me and love a good boot sale, you’ll have no problem with taking a trip to browse what’s on offer. The downside to shopping here is that there’s no guarantee that any pieces will be available and should you find the perfect project, you’ll have to ensure that you have a vehicle big enough to shift it home.

• Freecycle or other local online marketplaces: there’s nothing like getting something for free and Freecycle, Freegle and Facebook Marketplace are the main places to visit. It could be that you wait a while for something viable to be advertised, but you always have the option of placing a wanted ad, which will hopefully prove fruitful.

What Materials and Equipment will I Need?

When I decided to upcycle my first piece, I watched various YouTube videos and read blogs that recommended brushes, paints and other equipment I would need to begin painting my dressing table. Although I took the advice onboard, the quality of the paint and brushes I used could have been better as I had made a fatal mistake: I didn’t pay any attention to the brand, just the type of product.

So, here are some must-have recommendations that you can grab before you make a start:

1. A sander: I use a Black and Decker mouse as it can gets into nooks and crannies that other sanders cannot. Of course, you can choose any sander, but having one is a must as it will speed up the prep process.

2. A drill: again, this is an important bit of kit, particularly for removing unwanted hardware and, of course, adding your own.

3. A selection of sandpaper - you will need sandpaper of various grits. The rougher (lower numbers, for example 40) will help you to prepare your pieces. The smoother (120 and up) are good for finishing.

4. Round headed chalk paint brushes: it is important to invest in good quality brushes as they will help to create the finish you want. A round-head brush will help with the paint coverage and get into those hard-to-reach areas. For these, I recommend French Chic and Annie Sloan; these both hold more paint and shed a lot less than other oval brushes I’ve used.

5. Flat/chip brushes: again, I recommend French Chic and Annie Sloan. Their synthetic chip brushes are soft and leave little to no brush strokes. I mainly use these on flatter surfaces and alternate between these and the oval brushes.

6. Undercoat - I have seen much advice that says chalk paint does not need an undercoat and some that says no sanding of furniture is necessary, simply paint over the top. My advice is, whilst you can do this, it requires many more coats and the paint does not attach itself as well, so always sand and undercoat before you paint. This may only be a rough sand and undercoat and you can gauge this piece by piece as it depends on how thick and stubborn the wax, varnish or other topcoat is and how many layers there are. I would highly recommend using Johnstones Wood and Metal Quick Dry Primer Undercoat. This comes in both brilliant white (to prime lighter coloured chalk paint) and grey (great choice of undercoat for darker colours).

7. Chalk paint - Like most, I opt for Annie Sloan chalk paints as the range of colours, coverage and quality is better than others I have used.

8. Finishing wax: there are lots of furniture waxes available, I have used Rustoleum and Annie Sloan brands. Both work well, however Annie Sloan is easier to apply and seems to need fewer coats, but Rustoleum wax does do what it says on the tin (literally!).

9. Chalk paint lacquer - if you’re looking for a harder wearing protective finish, then Annie Sloan or Hemway lacquers are two of the best on the market. Hemway comes in matt or satin finishes and Annie Sloan lacquers are matt or gloss (depending on your taste).

10. Microfibre cloths - for this, there is no brand I would recommend but, for me, these are a must-have item. Great for cleaning your piece before you begin and buffing your wax-finished furniture. Above all, they can be used again and again as they are machine washable.

    
    
    
    

Now You’re Ready to Begin

So, you’ve got your first project, your vision, the materials and equipment you need to get to work and now it’s time to prep your piece.

Let your upcycling journey begin!

Need some help along the way? Why not pop over again and read my How-to Furniture Prep Guide.

Good luck and see you very soon!