1, 2, 3's of Refurbishing Roadside Furniture

Last weekend, my husband found this beautiful, solid wood coffee table out by the furniture drop-off (aka, outside the recycling/dumpster area) at our apartment complex. He ran up the stairs to get me to check it out before someone else grabbed it.

Not even 60 seconds later and another couple was scoping it out. Luckily, they thought it was a TV stand and decided not to take it. We, however, snatched (well, more like hauled) that baby and brought it up to our apartment.

Although I LOVE saving items from the dumpster and finding FREE goods, I am super paranoid about the possibility of bugs or other germs living in them.

We took the table straight up into our patio and I sprayed it down with a flea, tick miscellaneous pet spray…just in case. The last thing we wanted was to infest our home with fleas.

At first, we didn't think the table would need much work. Maybe some sanding and a coat shellac. But, since it was pitch-black night when we brought her up, we had no idea that she was in such bad shape. Plus, her natural wood finish would not match our already black and black/brown furniture.

So, I decided, with the help of this post, that I would sand her down, prime her and slap on a couple coats of black paint. I thought I could do this in two days top. However, I failed to calculate the intense summer heat, 110% humidity and that my hands and arms would hurt and cramp up. Bad.

Two hours each night after work was the max I could do before I could no longer move my arms. This was going to be a long journey.

Time to Get Busy!
First, I wiped down the whole table with some disinfectant wipes to remove any residue (there was some sugary sticky stuff on the top).

I then used some wood filler (I used Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler) to fill in all the knocks, scratches, cracks and dents. A couple of the legs had also taken a beating and this stuff worked great to mold them back into shape. 

This took a whole night and made me realize just how in bad shape this baby was in. I left it to dry over the next 22 hours.

Next, I used an extra course sand paper (I used P60) to sand off the excess woodfiller and any other snags and imperfections to get a somewhat smooth surface. This process made me feel like a wuss. I could definitely feel the burn doing this step.

I know now why a lot of tutorials suggested using an electric powered sander. If you have one of these or have access to one, I highly suggest using it. For this size of a project, your hands will cramp up if you are not used to this kind of work.

Then, I brushed off any excess residue, from the sanding and any environmental elements, so nothing would get stuck in the paint. (If you have animals, I would suggest not petting them and put on clean clothes before starting any of the painting steps. The hair will fall onto the furniture and will somehow make its way into the paint. I found this out the hard way).

Next, I applied a thin coat of grey primer (you should use grey primer when painting an item a dark color). After the first coat dried (about an hour or so), I took a medium and fine grit sand paper (I used P100 and P200) and gently sanded down any imperfections. This made the surface very smooth.

I then swept off any residue from the sanding and applied another coat of primer.

When applying the paint, you want to make sure that you do not clump a lot of primer onto your brush or painted surface. Since this piece had a lot of nooks and crannies (see the shelving and drawers), it was very easy to have drippage. There were a few spots that I did not catch and they dried, leaving a tacky drip line. Luckily, I was able to sand it down a bit.

It was now time to apply the black paint. I was almost there. I could see the home stretch. At least I thought. Even though this paint is amazing, it is very thin and requires a lot of thin coats. Again, since you do not want to create drippage. 

In order to keep this project as frugal as possible, I decided to untarnish the existing handles. The top of the handles looked fine, but the underside was either extremely dirty from hands or just tarnished. I found a recipe here that said to mix equal parts salt, flour and vinegar to remove tarnish. Believe it or not, it worked!

I mixed about 2 tablespoons of fine sea salt, apple cider vinegar and all-purpose white flour until it became a paste. I then gently rubbed it on all the pieces of the handles, spending most concentration on the underside that was grody. I let them sit for about five minutes and then rinsed them off with warm water. 

I also gave them a little bath with liquid dish soup, gently scrubbing them with a dish brush. Just in case. I dried them off and let them lay on a dish towel overnight to absorb any moisture.

After six days of hard work, I was pleasantly surprised with the final outcome. Again, here is the before shot:

And, for the after, can I please get a drum roll please.

Here is the before of our living room with our old, outworn (yes, that is clear packing tape on the leg) Ikea table:

And, here is the after!

I LOVE it! It was totally worth all the hard work!

Interested in refurbishing your own hand-me down or roadside furniture find? Here are some items you may need:

• Large garbage bags or painter's mat to protect the floor of your workspace. (I cut open two large garbage bags) 
• Disinfectant or baby wipes 
• Towel or brush to remove sanding dust 
• 1 course grit sand paper (I used P60) 
• 1 medium grit sand paper (I used P100) 
• 1 fine grit sand paper (I used P200) 
• Wood filler (I used Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler) 
• Putty tool 
• Paint brush (I used a 2in good grade) 
• Primer (I used Rust-Oleum's Painter's Touch Gray Primer) 
• Paint (I used Rust-Oleum's Painter's Touch Semi-Gloss in Black)

Frugal Finds: Sunday, July 17th, 2011

So, I thought that I would also post any frugal finds that I come across in addition to the frugal refurbishing projects. Since this weekend was pretty busy, I did not have the chance to work on any refurbishing projects (although, I did pick up a deep discounted item that will eventually become a refurbish project. More to come on that at a later date).


I've always been a pretty frugal shopper, but since it's come down to furnishing our much bigger (and pricer) apartment these past few months, I've had to resort to the most skillful ninja-like frugal shopping. This weekend's adventures were in search for:

• A functional, not too tacky shoe rack for the front hallway
• A bedroom mirror
• A rug for the dinning room carpet that meets the kitchen

All items were successfully (and frugalfully - is that a word) found.


Bedroom Decorative Mirror
This item is probably the one I am most proud of for not only finding on deep discount, but also that it is so freaking awesome. I love this mirror. Plain and simple.

It's probably one of my favorite items in our home.

So how much was it?

Not only was $9.97 a freaking steal for this mirror, but it was an ADDITIONAL 25% off! Can you believe it? With tax, I still ended up paying less than $8. Still can't believe it.

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Over the past year, we have become huge fans of a new Big Lots discount chain near downtown. It's HUGE and really nice and organized. We even bought our huge, comfy Ashley Furniture couch there for an unbelievable $269 with some of our wedding money. 

This weekend they were having another one of their friends and family additional percent off sales. We knew we had some things to get, so we couldn't pass up the sale.

Shoe Rack

We have a huge problem piling up our shoes by the front door. In our last apartment, it wasn't so bad, because they were kind of hidden underneath the bar area. However, our new home doesn't really have that space, so we've kind of gotten in the (bad) habit of kicking them off right at the entrance of the living room after the entrance hallway. Can we say TACKY? 

I found a really awesome shoe rack/storage bench online a few weeks ago, but it's entirely out of our budget at the moment, so we needed something extremely cheap that wasn't too much of an eyesore.

I found the above silver metal rack for $8, which was a decent price. But, that price got even better after the additional discount. Oh yeah! 

The total price, with tax, was under 7 buckaroos. Eventually, when we find a better solution for this area (or we break the habit...), this will be great for our closet.

Dining Room/Kitchen Entrance Rug

Since we have cream white carpet, everything seems to show up. And we have a little dog who LOVES to sit and beg at the edge of the carpet that leads into the kitchen whenever we are cooking. 

I found this brown (it's actually a darker/latte color in person) SHAG rug for $6. 

This was another one of my best buys this weekend. Not only does it look quality made, but it's freaking comfortable. They had two bigger versions for $10 and $17, and I'm seriously contemplating going back and getting one of them for our bedroom. (Oh how cream white carpet has started my obsession with rugs...)

Oh wait, did I forget to mention that the rug also had an extra discount? Yes! Cost of this baby was only $4.80, plus tax. 

So, all in all, great buys found this weekend. Setting out with a shopping goal and having patience can really help you find the best deals when the pocket is a little tight.  You may not find your deal at the first, second or third store you shop at, but when the sale is right, you will find it.

Framed Card Decor

Do you like to save old cards from birthdays, holidays and anniversaries? Or, do you simply hate throwing away cards because they're so beautiful? If yes, then this project may be just your cup of tea. Every year I try to unhaul some of my clutter (or, as some may call it, crap kept due to pack-rat syndrome). This weekend's goal was to clear and sort out the office closet, which, in a sense, became the walk-in closet where everything got thrown into after the move.

Now that we've been here three months, it's really time to get this thing completely cleaned out and organized.

Stuff was put into piles, garbage bags and to-be-donated boxes. In the process, I was finding it really hard to throw away some of the cards I've received recently. Instead of adding them to the pile of miscellaneous office stuff and paperwork, I decided that if I loved them so much, I should put them somewhere where I can see them. Thus, the following idea was created:

Framing Cards for Instant Decor
Select a card of your choice and decide which section you would like to frame.

Pick out a frame that you think best compliments the card.

Take out the glass in the frame and place it over the section of the card that you want to put into the frame.

With a pen or pencil, outline the glass. Try to make sure that the glass is in an even position before marking the area.

Cut on the inside of the marked area, making sure that the ink or pencil line is not showing.

Put your card into your frame and voila, instant decor!


This project is also perfect for a kid's room using birthday cards or for holiday decor using holiday themed cards.

Reusing Wedding Decor as Home Accents

If you were a DIY bride like myself, most likely you still have an abundance of vases, candles and votives stored in your closet collecting dust. Well, pull those babies out, because it's time to put them to use!

White Lanterns
For our outdoor/indoor wedding and reception, I had Ikea white lanterns as the centerpieces for the outdoor cocktail hour after our ceremony. 

After the wedding and them immediately moving into our new apartment, the lanterns have been moved from one cluttered closet to another. Last night, I decided it was time to make these lanterns into something that we could enjoy...and something I would enjoy making.

I gathered some of my acrylic paints and paint brushes and got busy.

While my husband was cooking dinner, I sat at the kitchen table and started painting whatever came to mind, keeping in mind something bright and colorful and all the while enjoying the experience.

About an hour later, that plain ole white lantern was now a beautiful, colorful spiral of colors, perfect for our screened in porch overlooking the lake.

Clear Vases and Votives
After the wedding, I ended up with nearly 20 clear vases and, surprisingly, all but one made it safely in our move. I knew I wanted to use some of them in our new apartment, since 1) I didn't want them to go to waste, 2) we had a ton more space to fill and 3) I wanted to put my craft skills to the test (watching Lynette Jennings during my teenage years has got to count somewhere, right?).

Here are a few ideas I came up with:

Round Vases
Adding your favorite potpourri to these vases and putting them in a bathroom (I have them on the back of the toilets) can not only keep the room smelling pretty, but also adds a bit of color to a sometimes not so colorful space.

Tall Vases and Votives
If you have tall, cylinder vases that are too big for everyday flower arrangements, filling them with sand and shells or stones is a great way to accent small corners. This project idea actually killed two birds with one stone for me. I wanted to use the shells and sand that we collected on our honeymoon somewhere and this was the perfect way to do it. I filled the bottom of the vase with about 1/4 sand and added the shells to the top. I placed this beautiful "beach" in the corner of the guest bathroom counter. I accented the vase with three votive candle holders and battery operated candles (both also leftover from the wedding).

Thanks to this little idea, the guest bathroom is complete in full beach theme.

What have you done with your leftover wedding decorations? 

Are You Ready to Make Something?

Do you have boxes of old items in your garage or ever pick up a scratch and dent item for 90% off - simply because it’s 90% off - and not sure what to do with it? Or are you someone who picks up items at garage sales, flea markets or on the side of the road because, one day, you hope to make something out of it? Well, the Frugal Refurb is an accumulation of ideas and how-to tutorials on refurbishing old items into classic masterpieces, second-hand treasures into unique art, and turning one man’s garbage into another man’s gold. Are you ready to make something special? Stay tuned for our first tutorial!