Homeowner's DIY painted oak furniture is an inspirational upcycling project

Do you have an old piece of oak furniture that could do with a makeover?

Is your tired-looking wooden furniture is crying out for an overhaul? This savvy DIY-er proves you don't need to replace old wooden furniture, you can paint it instead. A splash of colour on existing furniture can completely revamp a room.

Instead of paying out for all new living room furniture Alison Reardon, from Northants, decided to transform her old oak pieces with a lick of paint.

Related: Can't afford a new velvet sofa? This savvy DIY fan spent just £38 transforming her old one

At a cost of just £25 Alison mixed two types of paints together to create her dream dark teal shade, and got to work painting her oak furniture pieces, including an old sideboard and TV unit.

DIY Painted oak furniture

painted cabinet in green and pink wall

(Image credit: Future PLC/Alison Reardon)

'My fiancé suggested that I paint the oak furniture in the lounge' Alison tells Latest Deals. 'After looking at colours, we decided on a dark colour - black or green but not blue. It had to go well with my new Joules sofa and cushions.'

sideboard before

(Image credit: Future PLC/Alison Reardon)

'The project cost around £25 and my time over a weekend to complete both pieces,' Alison explains. 'Including cleaning, sanding and three coats of paint.'

painting doors of an oak cabinet

(Image credit: Future PLC/Alison Reardon)

'I had a tin of Frenchic Al Fresco in Victory Lane, a dark green, and bought a tin of After Midnight, a dark teal shade' she explains. 'It wasn’t quite the green in the flowered cushion and so I mixed a little of the green into the teal to get the shade I needed.'

'I follow an online forum for Frenchic paint. People put on there what they have painted and ask for advice. They have tutorials and there are YouTube demonstrations' Alison explains.

green cabinet living room

(Image credit: Future PLC/Alison Reardon)

The results are startling. The sideboard and TV unit both match perfectly to the rest of the living room colour scheme – which is often hard to find unless you do it yourself. As well as saving money, Alison has saved waste too – by giving a new lease of life to old furniture.

'I enjoy refurbishing as it teaches you the value of things. I won’t throw things away or replace them just because they're not fashionable' she explains.

painted tv unit

(Image credit: Future PLC/Alison Reardon)

It took Alison just a weekend to transform her living room, and what a transformation it is!

The DIY project has given Alison the upcycling bug. 'I love encouraging others to do their own projects and would love to have a workshop or larger shed to do more pieces,' she adds. We look forward to seeing what she transforms next.

Related: DIY painted dresser trend takes over as staying at home leads us to get creative

If you're feeling. inspired to get creative don't forget to share the results with us: Ideal Home Room Clinic.

Happy Upcyclying.

Contributor

Tamara was Ideal Home's Digital Editor before joining the Woman & Home team in 2022. She has spent the last 15 years working with the style teams at Country Homes & Interiors and Ideal Home, both now at Future PLC. It’s with these award wining interiors teams that she's honed her skills and passion for shopping, styling and writing. Tamara is always ahead of the curve when it comes to interiors trends – and is great at seeking out designer dupes on the high street.