Looking for a way to give your mancave a new look without breaking the bank? Furniture upcycling is a great way to breathe new life into old furniture and create a space that reflects your personal style.
As well as being an affordable way to furnish your mancave, recycling also offers the opportunity to make your mancave stand out, save money and help prevent waste at the same time. Not to mention the sense of pride once your repurposed creation is sitting pride of place in your man cave.
Many projects can be undertaken by people with limited DIY knowledge and a few simple tools. Take this pallet coffee table.
You can find unwanted pallets everywhere. Most of the time you can pick them up for free, many people are glad to see them gone. This simple table is just broken down pallets with the planks cut to size using a handsaw and screwed together. Add some metal legs and give it a sand down to take off the rough edges and you have a cool table or foot-stool.
Let’s take a look at some recycling projects to help get your creative juices flowing.
Upcycled Chairs
One of the most popular upcycling projects is chairs and sofas. Mainly because it’s an area where you can save a lot of money. You can find cheap or free chairs and sofas in yard sales, dumpsters or online and with a bit of TLC, you can breathe new life into un-loved chairs.
Painting chairs
Probably the easiest way to update a simple stool or chair is to paint it. You can either just clean it up and paint it a flat colour for a new look or let your imagination run wild and create a unique look for your new chairs.
Examples
Tips for painting chairs
- Make sure the surface is clean and dust free
- Lightly sand the surface so the paint sticks well
- Use a good quality undercoat first to prevent paint from wearing off or chipping
Restoring or upcycling fabric chairs or sofas
Fabric restoration can be a bit more complicated for people with limited DIY experience. Re-covering a simple bar stool or high-back chair is pretty simple and can be done with a few basic tools. The video below shows you how to reupholster a chair but the same principle applies to bar stools and similar seats.
Sofas and more complex fabric-covered chairs are more difficult to recover. You might find that either a good wet vacuum or a throw to cover the offending fabric are better options than attempting a full restoration yourself. The image below shows an old sofa freshened up with a simple light throw and new cushions.
Sometimes it’s best just to leave things be
You might decide that the comfy, worn-out chair is perfect just the way it is. It’s your space, do what feels best for you.
Tables and desks
Whether it’s a large table for entertaining or playing games o a small coffee or side table, you can make interesting and unusual tables from all sorts of recycled materials.
Cheap tables and desks
Tables are one item where you can often get good deals or freebies due to their size. People struggle with moving them and are generally happy to let you take unwanted tables away, saving them the hassle of disposing of them themselves. Even if a table is too big, there are plenty of things you can do with them such as recycling the legs and using a smaller tabletop or cutting them in half and using them as a side table or home office desk.
Upcycling inspiration
If you’re looking for some design inspiration for your next upcycling project, look no further. Here are a few cool ideas:
1. Upcycled table made with logs
This funky-looking coffee table is made with cut logs to form a sturdy base. The flat MDF base and castors make it practical as it can be easily moved around if space is tight. Or even easier, how about a simple table made with one piece of sliced trunk?
2. Pallet-clad feature wall
If you have access to free wooden pallets, how about creating a striking feature wall? Simply screw battens to your existing wall and nail pallet planks in a random pattern to the battens for a cheap and effective wall feature.
3. Build your own bar
What’s cooler than your own bar? You can re-create a rustic bar in your man cave using scrap wood and a little imagination. Try stencilling a logo on the front, adding some led lighting and maybe try your hand at making a concrete countertop.
4. Brighten up a dull piece of furniture
You can literally bring anything to life by adding creative touches of colour. Try adding colourful stripes or patterns to everyday items.
