People these days love do-it-yourself projects. Maybe it’s because of all the cool things on sites like Pinterest with deceivingly easy how-to guides or the recent boom of eco-consciousness, but more and more people these days are taking projects into their own hands and building or repurposing materials to bring them back to life. If you’re one of them and you’re thinking about building or updating your own furniture, here are some ways to cut costs.
Thrift it
If you don’t already have a piece in mind and aren’t ready to build from scratch just yet, you might want to check out your local thrift stores for furniture cast offs. Since you can hack apart or build onto existing pieces, the options are pretty much endless. An old bureau might become a bookshelf, or an old armoire a new chine cabinet. To upgrade the look, try using real wood veneer sheets or a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware. Since you won’t have paid much for it, if the project goes completely awry it won’t be a huge loss.
Use plywood and veneers
The look of all wood furniture is really appealing, as is getting in the garage and constructing some furniture Bob Vila style. The thing about all wood furniture is that it can get really pricey, so swapping out the basic structure wood for some plywood is a good option. To get the all wood look, use furniture grade wood veneer to cover the plywood. What’s even better is that you don’t have to actually be Bob Vila to use it. Peel and stick veneers are exactly what they sound like — you peel a backing from the adhesive side, and lay the sheet on your furniture and trim to fit. Sheets of self adhesive veneer are also cheaper than regular solid wood, so if you mess up the first one it isn’t the end of the world.
Updating and building your own furniture can be a really fun project, but it doesn’t have to be a pricey one. Thrift your basic piece or build from plywood. Pick up a fresh batch of paint or some peel and stick veneer and a few new pieces of hardware like hinges and drawer pulls.
Do you have any other cost cutting tips for building furniture or other DIY projects? Let us know in the comments.