Stay at home mom and blogger, Sharon Hines, is always changing up her home decor, and she DIYs her way to new looks for every room to her hom. Here's how to turn an old dresser into a media console, a coffee table into a comfortable ottoman and some plain shelves into a homework center.
"Anytime that I can shop my home or reuse something already in my home that's my first go-to!" she says.
Plain Bookshelves to Homework Center
Sharon's dining room table is always covered by her kids books and homework, so she reclaimed her dining room by adding character and functionality to boring book shelves.
Materials:
- Bookshelves
- Paint
- Hammer
- Nails
- Wood Glue
- Spackle
- Thin Strip of Wood
Directions:
- To give the bookshelves a built-in look, she connected them with wood glue and nails. For 98 cents she bought a long thin piece of wood and glued and nailed it down the middle where the 2 bookcases met.
- Position the interior shelves where you want them to permanently stay.
- Spackle the holes where the shelves are not in.
- Paint the whole unit.
Old Dresser to Trendy Media Console
This old dresser was just sitting around at Sharon's parents house, so when they were done with it, she knew she wanted it. She showed how the transformed it into a media console like the kind you see at Pottery Barn.
Materials:
- Old Dresser
- Paint
- New Knobs or Handles
- Sandpaper
Directions:
- Take off existing hardware.
- Sand unit and paint it in a new color.
- Replace hardware with new pieces or thrift store finds.
- Distress the look with fine grit sandpaper.
Old Coffee Table to Tufted Ottoman
By upholstering a scuffed up coffee table, Sharon created an ottoman that fit her family's laid back style.
Materials:
- Old Coffee Table (Sharon found hers for $20 in the classifieds)
- Batting
- Foam
- Fabric (Sharon used an old drop cloth she already owned)
- Staple Gun
- Paint
- Marker
- Scissors
- Serrated Knife
- Spray Adhesive
- Large Needles (Doll needles worked best for Sharon)
- Thick Thread
- Button Kit (or you can use buttons you already own)
- Drill
- Light Grit Sand Paper
Directions:
- Sand and paint the legs and apron of the coffee table.
- "Make" your own buttons with the button kit; directions are included, all you need is the fabric! Sharon used a portion of her drop cloth so the buttons would match.
- Turn the table upright and lay out your buttons in the pattern you want.
- Using the marker, mark the areas your button will go. Drill holes in those marks.
- Lay the thick foam down and turn the table upside down. Trace around the table, staying as close to the top of the coffee table as possible.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the thick foam - be careful!
- Turn the coffee table upright and spray to table top with spray adhesive. Attach the foam to the top of the coffee table.
- Now it's time to add the batting. This will give it a finished feel once you put on the fabric. Lay the batting out and put the coffee table upside down on top of it. With your marker, trace around the table top but leave about 2 inches as you're tracing. Cut the batting out.
- Lay the batting out and place the coffee table on it, upside down. Use a staple gun to staple the batting to the underside of the table, not pulling too tight so you don't rip the batting.
- Do the same thing with your fabric of choice: lay the fabric down, put the coffee table upside down on the fabric (print side down!) and trace around the top of the table leaving about two inches. Cut your fabric and use a staple gun, pulling tight and staple fabric to the coffee table top.
- Time for the buttons, so flip the table upright or lay on it's side. Using the thick thread and long needles, thread your needle like you would if you were sewing a button Find the holes you drilled and thread through from the bottom of the table through to the top of the table (through the table, foam, batting and fabric). Once you're on the top, thread your button through and go back down through the same hole.
- Pull the button and thread snugly and use a staple gun to hold the thread.
- Using a hammer, tap the staple into the table to give the button the extra security so it doesn't come out! Repeat for all the buttons.
- Turn your table upright, snip off any excess string and you old coffee table is not a functional ottoman!
"As a former classroom teacher and educator, I like to encourage people to just do it and try. You never know until you try," Sharon said. "The satisfaction that comes from learning a new skill is well worth the time and effort!"
For more from the Live Well Network, click here.
For more from Sharon, visit her blog.
Find Patricia on Facebook at ABC13PatriciaLopez or on Twitter at @patricialopez13
