The 15 Best Cheap Furniture Makeovers We've Ever Seen

Is your table, chair, or dresser on its last leg? Don’t haul it off to the junkyard! Instead, flip through our favorite affordable yet unforgettable furniture makeovers to gather inspiration for your next DIY.

By Manasa Reddigari | Updated Apr 26, 2016 11:09 AM

Drab Rehab

1/15
White dresser

A splash of paint instantly elevated this dated dresser into a modern masterpiece. To draw focus to the piece, this DIYer gave it legs—literally—by using a jigsaw to create custom curved legs from salvaged wood. She then mounted the legs to the dresser supports to complete the transformation.


Related: 11 Budget DIYs for an Instantly Better Bedroom

sarahmdorseydesigns.blogspot.com

Golden Opportunity

2/15
Nailhead table

When a bland bedside table was bequeathed to this blogger, she turned it into a gilded nailhead table for the entryway. First she sanded, primed and painted her hand-me-down table. Then, by adding gold tacks around the trim and into the drawers, and affixing golden knobs to the drawer fronts, she gave it the Midas touch for a bargain.


Related: 10 Ways to Make Office Supplies Work Overtime

madincrafts.com

Cut to the Chaise

3/15
DIY Office Chair

Style doesn’t have to take a back seat to utility in the home office. This chair got a pick-me-up with a new patterned fabric. Once reupholstered, it's an open invitation to start sitting pretty even while you’re hard at work.


Related: 10 Space-Smart Ways to Squeeze In a Home Office

ohohblog.com

Garden Variety

4/15
Garden Dresser

Homely kitchen cabinets are now the life of the garden party, all thanks to a whimsical, weatherproof paint. After the addition of beadboard door inserts, glass knobs, and casters, this little unit is ready to get the fun rolling!

lollyjane.com

Sofa-ri Chic

5/15
Leather hammock chair

Don’t uproot battered leather upholstery from your home just yet! This project is proof that by stripping the leather from the sofa, and building a barebones wooden frame to support it, you can assemble a sophisticated sling couch surrounded with faux fur pillows and floor mats for an indoor safari.


Related: A Home You Both Love—12 Solutions for Your Biggest Decor Disputes

vintagerevivals.com

True to Type

6/15
Painted typewriter table

This vintage typewriter table looked straight of the ‘50s—but not in a good way—until this blogger leveraged the old-timey quality into a timeless accent. A coat of chalk paint followed by two coats of wax applied to the table is all it took to create this pretty pastel portable desk for the home workspace.


Related: Bob Vila's Best DIY Projects for Beginners

designdininganddiapers.com

Everything’s Coming up Roses

7/15
Canvas and Wood Stool

After scoring a cheap but beat-up stool at a yard sale, this blogger had to figure out a way to restore it. She started by covering the seat with a layer of drop cloth and upholstery batting. Then, she lined the rim of your homemade cushion with pre-made drop cloth rosettes to create a hand-woven look with top-dollar appeal.

Related: Weekend Projects—5 Cool DIY Stools

confessionsofaserialdiyer.com

Dresser Upper

8/15
Green and wood dresser

You can’t reverse time, but you can reverse the damage it has wreaked on an old dresser. In a former life, this old wooden dresser was painted white and green. But with a little reverse engineering, a savvy DIYer rejuvenated weary drawer faces and restored the dove-tail joints for easy opening and closure. 


Related: 11 Totally Unexpected Uses for IKEA Furniture

lets-rebuild.com

Top-Drawer Quality

9/15
Multi-tier cabinet

Are your snooze-worthy bedside tables keeping you up at night? Take a cue from these awe-inspiring multi-tier cabinets. Pre-cut and stained timber cladding was affixed to the table front and sides, and timber feet to the base. Then decorative antique bronze hardware and labels were added for a studious look.


Related: 8 Nightstands You Don't Need to Buy

thepaintedhive.net

All Over the Lace

10/15
Lace patterned table

Someone turned the tables on an old coffee table with an eye-catching pattern. Lace was laid over the tabletop, then peeled away to reveal a striking floral motif that's sure to attract attention.


Related: Cure Your Cabin Fever with 20 Easy Paint Projects

abeautifulmess.com

Metal of Honor

11/15
Metal cart table

A rusty metal table made for an ugly beginning—but a beautiful end—to this end table makeover. Glued up with stained wood planks on the top and middle shelves, this rickety cast-off became a mobile marvel.


Related: 15 Lazy Ways to Make a Big Change in Your Home

diyshowoff.com

No-Drop Zone

12/15
DIY Midcentury Modern Dresser

This dreamy dresser is makes a splash in the bedroom—without a single drop of paint. Contact paper was applied to the surface using a squeegee to draw out bubbles. Then, iron-on melamine edge-banding went on around the perimeter for a no-fuss, no-mess finish.


Related: 20 Insanely Easy Ways to Build Your Own Furniture

fallfordiy.com

Take a Stand

13/15
Ikea hack nightstand

Say goodnight to boring bedside dressers! This sleek industrial nightstand is an IKEA dresser disguised in a deep color to create an atmosphere for slumber, making it the ultimate bedside companion for stashing books and beverages.


Related: 10 IKEA Favorites Made Better by a DIY Paint Job

cherishedbliss.com

This Old Farm

14/15
Farmhouse table

No need to wait for Father Time to give a new farm table a more charming, lived-in quality. This contemporary piece was refinished to look old by sanding and then dinging the surface with a hammer, distressing the legs for a two-tone finish, and applying antiquing wax to the tabletop for an ageless patina.


Related: 11 Big Ideas for a Small Dining Room

missmustardseed.com

Upholstery with the Most

15/15
Painted upholstery

A regular fixture in retro-era homes, off-white patterned couches do little to infuse personality into a modern home. This set transformed into timeless furniture accents with several coats of a combination of textile medium and acrylic paint.


Related: Reinvent Your Furniture with 9 Colorful DIYs

littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com

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