Rather than buy new, be more sustainable and save by upstyling your old and beloved furniture. Here is a useful tutorial from furniture artist and upcycling expert Joanne Condon…
Joanne Condon
With over 10 million tonnes of furniture ending up in landfills each year in the EU alone, upcycling is not only a joyful and creative activity, but it is also a more sustainable way of living and helping the planet. Old furniture has been made with a lot better quality materials and craftsmanship which makes it easier to repair in comparison to some of the more modern mass re-produced items with poor quality materials making it very difficult to mend and give a second chance of life. Older furniture has great character and with some TLC can last for many years. the beauty of upcycling furniture is that you can decide on the colour and the overall look of the piece. Paint can change everything and with National Upcycling day on the 24th of June, there’s no better time to give it a go.
What you’ll need:
- Acres Hall primer
- Acres Hall finest eggshell in the shade of Jade Green
- Sash brush
- Two Fussy Blokes microfibre roller and handle
- Tack cloth
- Sugar soap
- Medium sanding block (120 Grit)
- Wood Trim, glue and new handle (optional)
How to do it:
1. Spray the sugar soap all over the surface and let it sit for one minute so that it breaks down the dirt and grime. with a lightly damp cloth, wipe down the whole piece.
2. Sand the whole surface in the direction of the wood grain to prevent scratches. You don’t need to sand off the finish that’s on the furniture, you only need to scuff the surface so that the primer has something to grip onto and this will also help with durability.
3. Once you have the whole piece sanded, you can remove the dust with the brush attachment on a hoover, and then wipe down any of the last bits of dust with a tack cloth.
4. With a sash brush paint all the awkward areas with the Acres Hall primer and paint the larger surface with the two Fussy Blokes rollers.
5. Leave to fully dry. With a fine sanding block, sand off any imperfections before you paint the first layer of paint. Remove the dust from sanding with a tack cloth.
6. Add panelling to the front section (optional). Measure the insert of the door front and cut some wood trim to fit. Add some wood glue and placed them on the door front. Wait overnight to let the wood glue dry.
7. With a sash brush again paint the awkward areas first and then paint the larger areas with a roller. Be sure to not put too much paint on your brush. two light layers are better the one thick layer of paint. Leave the first coat to fully dry.
8. The second coat of paint will be more about coverage. Paint the awkward areas first like before and then the larger areas with the roller.
9. Pop back on a handle when the paint is fully dry. You can also add wallpaper or another colour to the inside for interest.
Before & After
Joanne Condon has had an upcycling furniture business for over 10 years. She teaches upcycling furniture workshops all over Ireland and shares her knowledge on her blog and Youtube channel. joannecondon.com
