Guide to upcycling furniture with paint
Upcycling furniture is fun, easy and extremely rewarding — you can restyle your home and reduce your impact on the environment at the same time by giving new life to pre-loved pieces. Better yet, it’s easy enough for everyone to give it a go with the right tools and know how to get started.
Follow 4 easy steps to get you started.
What furniture is best to upcycle?
You'll likely already have something lying around your home that can be upcycled. Wooden items such as side tables, coffee tables, tallboys, and desks are a great place to start as you can achieve a great finish and quite easily bring some of your older pieces in line with your home's decor. Plastics and metals can be just as easily refreshed using either spray or enamel paint, but it largely depends on whether they’ll be indoor or outdoor furniture pieces. Need some inspiration to get you started? See how Bonnie and Lana from Three Birds Renovations transform the rooms in this home with some fabulous DIY projects.
Take on easy weekend projects
Upcycling with Dulux paint
A fresh coat of paint is all it takes to breathe new life into your older furniture pieces and homewares. Water-based paints such as Dulux Aquanamel are durable, fast drying and perfect if you're after a glossier finish. If you’re tackling an outdoor upcycling project, Weathershield has been specially designed to provide a tough, hard-wearing finish that provides protection from all weather conditions. Before you start, always remember to clean off any dust or marks and prep using a primer to get your piece looking as good as new.
Upcycling with Dulux Duramax
Spray painting furniture is an easy way to give smaller furniture pieces a new lease on life, plus it has a number of benefits:
It’s easy to apply to complex or rounded areas.
It dries quickly, so you can apply a second coat soon after the first.
It won’t leave streak marks.
Just remember, even when you spray paint furniture, you’ll still need to apply an undercoat for best results. Need some more, quick and easy spray painting tips? Our guide will make sure your spray painting technique is near perfect for your next project
Upcycling with Dulux Design Effects
Create something truly one-of-a-kind by adding a unique design effect to it using one of the many different textures and looks you can achieve with Dulux Design Effects.
Chalk Effect: If you’re a fan of vintage, shabby chic or the distressed look to your furniture, Dulux Design Chalk Effect is the paint for you. With 20 bright and fun colours, you can transform a dated sideboard or bedside table with just a lick of paint.
Copper Effect: Achieve an industrial effect and create that aged copper look with Dulux Design Copper Patina Effect. Upcycle an old mirror or coffee table with Dulux Design Copper Effect for a luxurious appearance all year round. Achieve the aged copper look with the addition of Dulux Design Copper Patina Effect.
Chalkboard Effect: A fun and interactive paint option is perfect if you’ve got kids! Create an instant chalkboard by upcycling an old chest of drawers or children’s desk with Dulux Design Chalkboard Effect. If you’re not so keen on having a piece of black furniture — there’s a range of bright and fun chalkboard effect colours available in a range of bright colours.
Discover our full range of Dulux Design effects here. We've got an effect to suit all your upcycling ideas including, gold, pearl, glitter, stone and more.
Find more upcycling inspiration
Looking for more DIY upcycling transformations to help get you started? Take a look at some of our favourite from our #DuluxDIY community. Credits: @butchandbulldog
