Upcycling old furniture

Check the construction, not the finish. A piece worth saving has solid timber, dovetailed or mortised joints, and a sturdy frame, even if the surface looks dated or damaged. Real wood with good joinery has decades of life left, while flat-pack chipboard with a printed surface rarely survives stripping and refinishing. Knock on it, open a drawer, and check the joints before you commit.

Not always, but you must clean and key it. For chalk paint over a sound finish, a thorough clean and a light sand to dull the gloss is often enough, since chalk paint grips well. For a smooth modern paint or any stain, stripping back to bare wood gives the best result. The non-negotiable step is removing grease and dust and keying the surface, or the new finish will not bond.

Paint and new hardware. A coat of paint and a set of new knobs or handles transforms a tired chest of drawers in an afternoon with minimal skill. Chalk paint is the forgiving choice, needing little prep and hiding imperfections, and swapping the handles is a five-minute job that completely changes the look. Start there before attempting stripping, staining, or veneer repair.

The right tools and thin coats. A foam roller for flat areas and a good-quality brush for detail, both used with thin coats, give a far smoother result than slathering on thick paint. Sanding lightly between coats with fine paper knocks down any texture. For the smoothest finish of all, spray paint or a paint sprayer eliminates brush marks entirely on suitable pieces.

Usually much cheaper, and the quality is often better. A solid wood piece rescued from the kerb or a charity shop costs little or nothing, and refinishing it runs to the price of paint and handles, maybe €30 to €50. A comparable solid-wood piece new costs many times that, since most affordable new furniture is chipboard. You get better materials for less by saving an old piece.

It holds up if you seal it, especially on surfaces that get knocked. Chalk paint in particular needs a wax or polyacrylic topcoat to protect it, or it marks and wears at corners and on tabletops. I always seal painted furniture that sees daily use, since the paint alone is not durable enough for a tabletop or a frequently opened drawer front. The topcoat is what makes it last.