Affordable Ways to Update Furiture

I finally got the dresser of my dreams!! It needs work, but the bones are great, and I like the wood finish (sorry about the mess).

I've been thinking about how I would improve the look in my previous posting. Since I like the wood finish so much, I won't cover it with paint, but there are obvious signs of wear and tear especially on the drawers so I will have to cover that up. 

As I am rummaging through various ways to give new life to my dresser, I've come up with a few that I'll share with you:

1. Decals

Decals are a fun, quick and easy way to give furniture some character. Best of all, when you get bored with them, they come off clean!

2. Stencil

Some of the ways to apply stencil is to spray paint, brush on, roll on or use a dabbing technique with a sponge. The results are quite beautiful. Don't forget to seal the finish.

3. Reverse stencil (using decals)

This is an ingenious way to stencil. Simply place a decal on desired area,, sand the surrounding areas (if necessary). Prime, paint then remove the decal.

4. Changing hardware

This is probably one of the easiest ways of updating furniture and kitchen cabinets. A little change in detail goes a long way in overall appearance. Check out e-how's article.

5. Wallpaper accents

Line the back of cabinets, shelves and bookcases with your favorite wallpaper for that added color and style. 

Like the wallpaper too much? Just cover the whole piece of furniture!

5. Painting

This is a popular way of refinishing furniture. You can either go with a soothing neutral or bring in a pop of color. Good prepping will give you perfect results. Learn how.

6. Gilding

This is when you apply a thin layer of metal to a surface. It can be gold, silver, bronze or any other metal. You better be prepared for a lot of trial and error, plus patience.

7. Decoupage

This is the art of gluing pieces of fabric or paper onto an object. Here is a cool decoupage of a coffee table with atlas pictures. Learn how here.

8. Repurpose

There are tons of ways to repurpose your furniture.

A classic one is turning an old door into a headboard. This slideshow from Martha Stewart shows 14 other ways to repurpose. 

Another slideshow from HGTV.com shows a dozen creative ways to use old furniture, like this Hoosier cupboard that was painted white and turned into a home office desk.

You can also use everyday items and turn them into works of art, like Rebecca has done with her baskets.

She has craftily turned them into an interesting focal point by spray painting them and hanging them on a wall. You can see how she did it here.

I've now narrowed down my options to using stencil, reverse stencil, or paint some details of the dresser. I'll probably also change the drawer pulls.Tell me what you think...