3 Quick Ways To Give Furniture A New Look (Or Life!)

I recently discovered that over 9 million tons of furniture go to the landfill every year and that number is only getting bigger! Furniture and other items that are expected to last more than 3 years are considered “durable” goods. I don’t know about y'all, but to me, three years doesn’t seem very long for something that can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. 

So why do people throw away so much furniture? Sometimes it doesn’t fit in your space or your lifestyle anymore. Other times people want a new style. But most of the time people throw out furniture because it’s damaged. 

Whether your goal is to save some money redecorating your house or save the planet by keeping furniture out of landfills, learning to repair damaged furniture is a must. Don't be intimidated by the word repair! Remember folks, I'm not a trained professional and you don't need to be either. 

But here are some of my favorite ways to fix furniture:

Sanding

Shocker, right? Of course my first go-to is sand the piece. So much furniture gets thrown away because of superficial damage that a quick sand could remove! Most the pieces I flip only need a good sanding and a fresh coat of paint or wood stain. This can be a great fix for chipped or peeling paint, scratches, some dents, the dreaded stickers-on-everything phase so many kids go through and more. If your piece is real wood you can even sand out surface stains or deep scratches. If it's not real wood though be careful you don't sand too far.

Repair

A lot of pieces can be fixed with very little money or skill. Wood filler and wood glue are perfect for small repairs. I use wood filler on so many projects! Get the one I use here from my list of starter tools. I use wood filler all the time to repair holes, chips, and sharpen up corners. I even "sculpted" a new corner with wood filler, wood glue, and saw dust for a significantly damaged drawer. Oftentimes all a broken drawer needs is the slider underneath or front panel reglued, nailed, or screwed back into place. 

Replace

The easiest fix is when a piece has missing or broken hardware. If you aren't attached to the knobs or pulls just replace all of them. If you love the knobs, consider keeping some as an accent on the top drawer or replacing the knobs on the top drawer with a long bar. If a piece has damaged veneer my favorite way to give it a new look is to peel off the veneer (this can take some time and work) and replace it with wallpaper! Check out my site for wallpaper that is WAY cheaper (and prettier) than the ones on Amazon.